Concert with Margarita Šakina and traditional singing group, Riga,
March 19th 2004
It's Friday night and the last day of winter - March 19th 2004. Out of breath
I am rushing along Pērnavas street looking for the "right gate". The main
thing is not to be late!
At last two lights address me, glowing like the eyes of a dragon in the dark,
inviting me to follow. I have arrived - at the Folk Music Centre (Pērnavas
street 47/3, Riga), where the traditional singing group is to make its first
entrance in public, along with the exceptional song-teller from Northern
Latgalia - Margarita Šakina. Shortly before, the group had named themselves
Saucējas (a word given to narrative form of lead singing). For the sake
of clarification let me introduce them: Iveta Tāle, Aija Rozentāla, Kristīne
Jansone, Kristīne Pjankova, Marianna Auliciema, Vineta Romāne, Indra Mētra.
With this I can inform you that a genuinely good group
of young girls and women has joined the community of up-holders of Latvian
traditional culture. The group was gathered together about one year ago by
Iveta Tāle (we all know Iveta as the leader of the famous Selonian group
Klinči, which has been written into the history of the folklore
movement).
Margarita and the Saucējas - this not so easily accessible and achievable
dream - to sing with a real traditional song-teller - began in the summer of
2003 when Iveta met Margarita at one of the events at the International
Folklore Festival Baltica. That is when the idea was born to meet
regularly and learn the ancient "voices" and songs from Northern Latgalia
directly, from the source. This is probably why the singing was so genuine
because each song comes accompanied by tales from Margarita's life. The
singers also shared these tales with the audience during the event.
The singers themselves are very self-critical about their singing. They have
been working hard for at least 6 months but are still very far from the
results they would like to achieve. The Saucējas regularly meet with
Margarita in her present hometown of Ogre and are learning the dowry of songs
she has inherited from her grandmother, mother and aunt. The singers have been
forging their traditional singing style with Sergey and Natalya Alyonkin
(leaders of the Riga Russian Folklore Group Ilyinskaya Pyatnitsa) -
thanks to them for that!
Let the singers and their teachers be the judges of
their failings. As a spectator I was really moved by the mutual contact
between Margarita and the Saucējas. A motherly love emanated from
Margarita, looking each singer in the eyes, thus strengthening the sonority
and profoundness of the songs. The singers in turn gave Margarita strength
through their singing. In a way it was like a singular chain of life.
Margarita is admirable. At her honourable age (she was 78 on March 13th of
this year) she has hardly ever let on that life has sometimes been cruel. She
has never complained or lamented about life's difficulties. Margarita gains
strength from praying to God and singing songs inherited from her ancestors,
as well as from spiritual songs from the Catholic church: "I pray to God and
sing. That is where I get strength. The more I sing the stronger I am. I thank
God for every day He lets me live on this earth. I live for tomorrow and put
the past behind me." Such is the life's motto of this wonderful Latgalian
song-teller.
The Saucējas discovering Margarita must have been written in the
stars. Margarita is grateful to all those who come to her to unravel the
tangle of songs tied up in her life. Recently we have seen the song-teller at
various events where she has been invited to sing on her own. But the
organisers can't have known that Margarita considers it "better to sing
together rather than alone because then the songs have a completely different
sound".
Margarita calls the Saucējas girls "God-given angels", thus
bestowing upon them her most sincere token of love.
On the day that this article was written spring began. For me it began the
moment I heard Margarita's and the Saucējas singing.
Sung and recorded during the concert:
Article: Signe Pujāte, March 20th 2004
Photos: Ieva Bērziņa
Translation to English: Zinta Uskale
