Raimonds Pauls


Ojārs Raimonds Pauls is a Latvian composer and a pianist who is well known in the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe. He was the Minister of Culture of Latvia from 1988 to 1993.
His songs were performed by such popular singers as Alla Pugacheva, Valery Leontyev, Laima Vaikule, Jaak Joala, Roza Rymbayeva, Svetlana Loboda, Nora Bumbiere, Viktors Lapčenoks and others.

Biography

Raimonds Pauls is the second child of Iļģuciems' glass blowing factory worker Voldemārs Pauls and seamstress Alma Matilde Brodele. His father Voldemārs, began his career at the age of 15 years, when he joined his father at the factory. Meanwhile, Voldemārs' mother, Aleksandra, respectively Raimonds' grandmother, hired an assistant at her shop – Alma. In 1932, Voldemārs and Alma celebrated their wedding. Unfortunately, their firstborn son, Gunārs Voldemārs died from meningitis at the age of four months.
As Raimonds' father has played drums and his grandfather – violin, Voldemārs decides that his son should also play a musical instrument. Equipped with an old violin, Raimonds got into Riga's Institute of Music kindergarten branch. As it was decided by the teachers that he was too young and "his fingers were unfit" for playing violin, Raimonds started with piano lessons.
In 1943, Raimonds began his studies at Riga's 7th Elementary school, while, in parallel, continuing to take piano lessons with the professor Valerijs Zosts and teachers Emma Eglīte and Juta Daugule.
In 1946, Raimonds was admitted to the Secondary Musical School of Emīls Dārziņš, combining his studies at the elementary school for three years. At the age of 14, Raimonds gained experience playing piano at restaurants and clubs with a violin and saxophone virtuoso, Gunārs Kušķis. In 1949, he finished his studies at Riga's 7th Elementary School. During this time, he independently developed a liking for playing jazz by studying and imitating various jazz records.

Awards

Musicals

  • Pāri, kas dabonas
  • Māsa Kerija after the Theodore Dreiser novel
  • Nāc pie puikām
  • Vella būšana
  • Meža gulbji
  • Leģenda par Zaļo Jumpravu

    Ballets

  • Kubas melodijas
  • Ritmi, ritmi
  • Vitrāžas

    Theatre performances

30 theatre performances, including:
  • Īsa pamācība mīlēšanā
  • Atjautīgā aukle
  • Šerloks Holmss
  • Brands
  • Džons Neilands
  • Elizabete – Anglijas karaliene
  • Grāfs Monte Kristo
  • Dāmu paradīze
  • Melanholiskais valsis
Puppet shows:
  • Runčuks Punčuks
  • Velniņi
  • Ceturtais skriemelis

    Films

Music for more than 30 movies, including:
  • The Devil's Servants
  • The Devil's Servants at the Devil's Mill
  • Tauriņdeja
  • Melnā vēža spīlēs
  • Double Trap
  • Dāvana vientuļai sievietei
  • My Frivolous Friend
  • Theater after the novel by W. Somerset Maugham
  • A Limousine the Colour of Midsummer's Eve
  • The Mills of Fate
  • the Long Road in the Dunes series.

    Choir music

  • Three songs for choir and piano
  • Ten arrangements of Latvian folk songs for boys' choir
  • Song cycle with lyrics from Latvian poet Aspazija for boys' choir
  • Baltās dziesmas for boys' choir and instrumental ensemble
  • Song cycle for choir and piano
  • Vītola stabules dziesmas cycle for boys' choir
  • Mazs, laimīgs zēns – ten songs for boys' choir and piano with the lyrics of M. Karēms
  • Cycle Pērļu zvejnieks for boys’ choir and tenor

    Cycles of light music songs

  • Vecās Rīgas vitrāžas
  • Five songs with the lyrics of D. Avotiņa
  • Oriental motifs
  • City romance
  • Melnais kliedziens
  • Cycle with lyrics by Rainis

    Jazz

  • Portreti suite
  • A Rhapsody for piano and light music orchestra
  • Iespaidi suite
  • Dienvidu akvareļi suite
  • Kalnu skices
  • Five improvisations in the spirit of Latvian folk songs
  • Melnās krāsas suite
  • Jazz expressions and other works

    Instrumental music

  • Approximately 300 works, including instrumental versions of songs, arrangements of folk songs, versions on familiar themes, and arrangements of classical composer works.
  • More than 90 albums with songs and instrumental music
;Music for radio performances and plays
;Approximately 70 songs for children.

Popular songs

  • "Dāvāja Māriņa" by Aija Kukule
  • "Starinnie chasi" by Alla Pugacheva
  • "Maestro" by Alla Pugacheva
  • "Bez menya" by Alla Pugacheva
  • "Pesnya na bis" by Alla Pugacheva
  • "Vozvrashenie" by Alla Pugacheva
  • "Delu vremya" by Alla Pugacheva
  • "Zeleni svet" by Valery Leontiev
  • "Ischezli Solnechnie Dni" by Valery Leontiev
  • "Kabare" by Valery Leontiev
  • "Verooko" by Valery Leontiev
  • "Zatmenie serdca" by Valery Leontiev
  • "Muse" by Valery Leontiev
  • "Gody Stranstviy" by Valery Leontiev
  • "Posle Prazdnika" by Valery Leontiev
  • "Polybite Pianista" by Valery Leontiev or Andrei Mironov
  • "Dazhe Esli Ti Uydesh'" by Valery Leontiev
  • "Tri minuti" by Valery Leontiev
  • "Vernisazh" by Valery Leontiev and Laima Vaikule
  • "Yescho ne vecher" by Laima Vaikule
  • "Listja zholtyje" by Laima Vaikule
  • "Scripach na krishe" by Laima Vaikule
  • "Charli" by Laima Vaikule
  • "O chem igraet pianist" by Laima Vaikule
  • "Podberu muziku" by Jaak Joala
  • "Ya tebya risuyu" by Jaak Joala
  • "Zilie lini" by Margarita Vilcāne and Ojārs Grīnbergs
  • "Lubov Nastala" by Roza Rymbayeva
  • "Tanez na barabane" by Nikolai Gnatyk
  • "The Dog Rose" by Ojārs Grīnbergs
  • "Say, where is this Land" by Margarita Vilcāne, Nora Bumbiere, Ojārs Grīnbergs and Viktors Lapčenoks
  • "In the Lantern Hour" by Nora Bumbiere
  • "To my Fatherland" by Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks

    Albums

  • "To You, My Good One"
  • "Only the Amber"
  • "Say, where is this Land"
  • "Courland"
  • "Voice of the Sea"
  • "Don't forge Me in the Ring"
  • "In the Lantern Hour"
  • Dialogue, with Valery Leontiev
  • Velvet season, with Valery Leontiev.

    Politics

Raimonds Pauls was a member of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR and served as Minister of Culture in the Latvian government from 1988 to 1993. In 1993 he became an advisor to the President of Latvia. In 1998, he was elected a Member of the Saeima, the Latvian parliament, initially as leader of the New Party. Before the 2002 elections he joined the People's Party and was elected on its party list in 2002 and 2006. Pauls ran in the 1999 presidential election and received the highest number of votes, but below the required majority. He chose to decline the post.
After Latvia re-established independence, Pauls continued his musical work, most notably working with Dzeguzīte, the most popular children's group in Latvia at the time. In 1996, he went on a tour with singer Laima Vaikule, which included concert locations in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and New York City.

Works

As of 2004, Pauls has composed music for six musical films and musical theaters, three ballets and over 50 movies and theater performances. CDs with Pauls' music have been released in several countries outside Latvia, including Russia, Finland, and Japan. In 2006 he recorded a double album of jazz music, My Favourite Melodies/''So Many Stars'' – a long-awaited venture by the pianist into the jazz genre.