Straume, Egils

Egils Straume ( Latvian: Egīls Straume ; born October 4, 1950 , Riga) - Latvian academic and jazz alto, soprano saxophonist, clarinet player, block flute player, pianist and composer.

Egils Straume
Full name	Latvian. Egls straume
Date of Birth	October 4, 1950 ( 1950-10-04 ) (68 years old)
A country	the USSR Latvia
Professions	saxophonist, composer , composer
Instruments	saxophone, clarinet
Genres	Instrumental concerts, oratorios.

He graduated from the Latvian Conservatory . Y. Vitola (now the Academy of Music) in clarinet classes ( 1974 , professor Eduard Mednis ) and composition ( 1980 , professor Valentin Utkin), trained in composition at the Moscow Conservatory (1980-1984) with Professor Albert Semenovich Lehman. In the 1980s He led the jazz trio Egils Straume in Riga, which included various Latvian musicians at various times (in particular, double bass player Ivars Galenieks ^[1] ), played in pop orchestras, toured in many countries, composed several instrumental pieces, recorded solo on the alt saxophone for the soundtrack of the movie “ Long Road in the Dunes ”, was considered one of the most virtuosic and authoritative pop instrumentalists of Latvia ^[2] . Since the mid-1970s began to compose academic music. Since 1983 - Member of the Latvian Composers Union. The list of works includes the opera Lisistrate, several oratorios, vocal cycles, a quintet for woodwinds, instrumental concerts for violin, clarinet, bassoon, horn, oboe, saxophone and two pianos, clarinet and two pianos, music for children, for theater and cinema. The composer owns expressive means of various nature. Elements of improvisation, jazz freedom, sonoristics, aleatorics, serialism are inherent in his works. Virtuosity, elements of an instrumental theater are clearly revealed in them, invention, a tendency to creative search, and experimentation are noticeable. In a number of opuses, the national certainty of music is evident. Straume is the author of a number of works on socially significant topics, including the Concert created in the avant-garde style for two pianos, alto saxophone and

strings & quot; Ch-Ch & quot; Challenger-Chernobyl (the first performers of the piano duo Nora Novik-Raffi Harajanyan and author) - an opus directed by conductor Saulius Sondeckis was shown at the Biennale of Contemporary Music in Zagreb (1989), as well as the Music in memory of the victims of the crash of the ferry “Estonia”, an oratorio etc. In the past two decades, Straume has been living and actively engaged in creative work in London, and has toured extensively (including in the United States). The works of E. Straume were performed by prominent masters of musical art: conductors Saulius Sondeckis, Maris Sirmais, Veronika Dudarova, Bernard Rubenstein - USA (Bernard Rubenstein USA), Wynne Harris - Great Britain (Wynne Harries UK), singers Inese Galante, Ingus Petersons Delarney, , piano duets Rīga Piano duo Nora Novik - Raffi Harajanian, Angelo piano duo (San Francisco). B 1989 - 2002 in Riga, he organized extensive festivals of contemporary music. In 1979 - 1990 worked in the Latvian State. Conservatory at the Faculty of Composition. Teacher of music theory, composition, instrumentation. He was also engaged in teaching at the State University of Latvia.

Writes by Juris Klavins, choral conductor, professor of the LMA named after J. Vitola (Riga):

- I had the opportunity for more than 4 decades to observe the creativity of the talented composer and performer Egils Straume, its development. Over 60 CDs and LPs have been recorded with a diverse repertoire - from classical to jazz. The most famous are “Laudamus Te” (1989) and “INRI” (1990) on the CD “Latvian Sacred-Spiritual Music for Mixed Choir”. Soprano from the Mannheim Opera House Inese Galante and tenor of the Stockholm Opera Ingus Petersons, as well as an orchestra and organ. His Concerto for clarinet, piano and chamber orchestra (1976) was performed at the Russian Academy of Music. Gnesins in Moscow. World Premiere - “Shepherd the Hill So High” (2004) - & quot; Ganu garais sauciens & quot; - A concert for the Bagpipe (Backpipe), organ and symphony orchestra, was commissioned by the Lincolnshire County Council and was held at Lincoln Cathedral (UK) in 2004. The composition “In Memoriam of Ferryboat Estonia” - for flute, cello and harpsichord was recorded in 1997 on the CD “Pastoral of the Computerized World” in Helsinki. At my request, E. Straume composed the Riga Concerto for mixed choir, tenor saxophone, vocal - jazz sextet and jazz trio & quot; A Tribute to Michael Brecker & quot; (1998), as well as the monumental vocal-instrumental sacred spiritual composition “Miserere Nobis” (2013) for mixed choir, orchestra, soprano, violin and flute colo. His Concert “Ch + Ch - Challenger + Chernobyl” (1986) for piano duet , alto saxophone and string orchestra - dedicated to the world famous Riga piano duo Nora Novik and Raffi Harajanian, was performed as part of the Zagreb Biennale in 1987, and also sounded in Vilnius, Riga and Liepaja. He, among other Straum opuses for two pianos and a saxophone, is recorded on an author CD. The world premiere of the Concerto for bassoon and symphony orchestra (1984), dedicated to the prominent performer on this instrument Andris Arnitsans - (bassoon player No. 1 in the world) was performed in Moscow in the Hall named after P.I. Tchaikovsky in Moscow. The Violin Concerto (1979), created for the talented Latvian performer Uldis Sprudzsa, also gained fame. The world premiere of the Violin Concerto in Moscow was held in the Hall. P.I. Tchaikovsky - conductor Veronika Dudarova and Moscow State.

symphony orchestra. “....... This Concert, in my opinion, is not just an addition to the repertoire, but a brilliant masterpiece. ,,, one of the best violin concerts in the 20th century & quot; - writes Tobias Broker - Tobias Broeker (Germany, creator of a catalog of compositions for concert violins written between 1894 and 2006. This is a complete e-book with more than 13,000 compositions by more than 7,000 composers). A detailed variation on the Latvian folk song “Aiz ezera balti bérzi” for two pianos on the occasion of its anniversary - the 20th anniversary of concert activity - was ordered by Riga Piano Duo Nora Novik and Raffi Harajanian. Variation was first heard in Riga. It was performed twice in San Francisco: in 2008 and 2014. at the & quot; Salkind Piano Duo & quot; International Festival. Composition Straume for alto saxophone and piano duet & quot; In Memoriam & quot; was performed by Angelo Piano Duo (USA) at the Sheremetyevo Palace in St. Petersburg (Russia) in 2011 and at the International & quot; Salkind Piano Duo & quot; 2008 San Francisco Festival Spiritual Composition for Mixed Choir In Memoriam & quot; lyrics & quot; Holy Bible ”recorded on CD“ Les Chansons Sacrees ”in Australia by Chamber Choir & quot; Versija & quot; (1992). World premiere of the sacred song “Adoramus Te” - Latin Liturgy & quot; Holy Bible & quot ;, - for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, mixed choir and orchestra took place during the First Sacred Music Festival in Latvia (1998): State. “Latvia” choir was conducted by Maris Sirmais. Among the compositions of Straum in recent years are the piano opuses & quot; Source of Light and Love & quot; (“Source of Light and Love”, 2014), & quot; The Lake Energy & quot; - (Collages of Spain) - “Energy of the Lake” (2015), as well as a Concert for clarinet, piano duo and orchestra “RA THE LAW OF ONE” (2016). Its world premiere took place in San Francisco. Played by Eddie Daniels - Eddie Daniels (USA) - the world-famous clarinet player - piano duo Leanne Rees & amp; Egils Straume and the Holywood Chamber Orchestra conducted by Bernard Rubenstein (September 29, 2016 at the Lincoln Theater and September 30 at the San Francisco Conservatory). Egils Straume is widely recognized as an original, contemporary-minded composer and a great performer. His compositions, in particular, are unique in the variety of instruments that he uses and thereby expands the world musical literature. As a soloist, both classical and jazz, he gave concerts all over the world, played with choirs, orchestras, chamber ensembles in different countries. We will name Germany, Italy, Greece, France, Sweden, Switzerland, the Falkland Islands, Poland, Russia, Japan, the Philippines, Great Britain and the USA.