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Raimonds Pauls

Ojārs Raimonds Pauls (born 12 January 1936) is a Latvian composer and a pianist who is well known in Latvia, Russia, post-Soviet countries and worldwide.[1] He was the Minister of Culture of Latvia from 1988 to 1993.

Biography

Raimonds Pauls is the second child of Iļguciems' 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 (Raimonds Pauls' grandfather Ādolfs Pauls) at the factory. Meanwhile, Voldemārs' mother Aleksandra, respectively, Raimonds' grandmother, hired an assistant at her shop – Alma. In 1932, Voldemārs and Alma celebrate their wedding. Unfortunately, their firstborn son Gunārs Voldemārs dies from meningitis at the age of four months.[2]

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 the Riga's 7th Elementary school. During this time, he independently develops a liking for playing jazz by studying and imitating various jazz records.[3]

Awards

"Maestro"
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Major works

Musicals

Ballets

Theatre performances

30 theatre performances, including:

Puppet shows:

Films

Music for more than 30 movies, including:

Choir music

Cycles of light music songs

Jazz

Instrumental music

Music for radio performances and plays
Approximately 70 songs for children

Popular songs in Russian

Popular songs in Latvian

Recordings

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.[8] 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[by whom?] venture by the pianist into the jazz genre.

References

  1. ^ "Biography for Raymond Paul". IMDb. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
  2. ^ geni.com
  3. ^ "Biogrāfija – Raimonds Pauls". Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  4. ^ Tastevena, Irena (2002). Latvijas enciklopēdija. Rīga: Valērija Belekoņa izdevniecība. ISBN 978-9984-9482-0-1.
  5. ^ "Lāčplēša dienā valsts augstākos apbalvojumus saņems arī divi liepājnieki | liepajniekiem.lv". liepajniekiem.lv. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  6. ^ "Decrees of the President of RA, On awarding of Raimonds Pauls". Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  7. ^ "Latvian maestro Raimonds Pauls awarded Japanese state decorations". Lsm.lv. 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  8. ^ Latvia votes for Europe, The Economist, 10 October 1998

External links