#Latvian composer

[lesser-known-composers]

Jānis Ivanovs (1906-1983) - String Quartet No. 3, Andante

Chamber Orchestra of the Latvian Philharmonic, Tovijs Lifsics, conductor

[caviarsonoro]

Pēteris Vasks (Kronos Quartet): String Quartet No. 4: V. Meditation

In Meditation, the fifth movement of String Quartet No. 4 by Pēteris Vasks, the music unfolds as a sonic introspection of deep emotional weight. The Kronos Quartet’s interpretation accentuates the contemplative nature of the piece, with delicate phrasing that highlights the Latvian composer’s spiritual sensitivity. From the very first notes, the music progresses with an almost ethereal subtlety, weaving an atmosphere where time seems to suspend itself in a space of meditation and reflection.

The use of textural minimalism and extended melodic lines evokes a sense of longing and vulnerability. The sustained high-register violin notes create a fragile effect, while the cello provides a warm, resonant foundation. The Kronos Quartet masterfully controls the dynamics, alternating between restrained tension and moments of release, allowing the piece to breathe organically and evolve without losing its contemplative essence.

Vasks, known for his ability to translate the sonic landscape of Latvia into universal emotions, achieves in Meditation an almost liturgical expression of time and memory. His writing for string quartet does not seek virtuosity but transcendence. The Kronos Quartet underscores this aspect, delivering a performance that prioritizes expressiveness over technical display. Each note feels imbued with meaning, and the silence between them takes on a narrative weight, becoming an essential element of the musical discourse.

The result is a piece that not only invites introspection but also establishes a dialogue with the listener, appealing to their deepest sensitivity.

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[byneddiedingo]

Flow (Gints Zilbalodis, 2024)

Screenplay: Gints Zilbalodis, Matiss Kaza, Ron Dyens. Cinematography: Gints Zilbalodis. Art direction: Gints Zilbalodis. Film editing: Gints Zilbalodis. Music: Rihards Zalupe, Gints Zilbalodis. 

Lovely, wordless animated fable about a small gray cat who survives a catastrophic flood with the aid of a dog, a capybara, a ring-tailed lemur, and a secretary bird. Clearly a labor of love for its Latvian writer-director-cinematographer-editor-composer Gints Zilbalodis. Its digital animation lacks the finesse of fur and feathers we're used to in slicker, more sophisticated movies from the established studio animation factories, but it makes up for it in imagination and heart. 

[canmom]

Animation Night 198: Gints Zilbalodis

animation night, coughing and spluttering: stop piling dirt on me! i'm still alive you bastards!!

Hey everyone! We've been on unofficial hiatus for a good few weeks, but I'm not done yet with streaming animated films illegally on Twitch.tv. And tonight I have a real treat!

At the Annecy film festival last year, I had the opportunity to watch Flow (Straume), a beautiful, wordless film about a cat trying to survive a sudden, mysterious flood in a world the humans abandoned, full of giant strange statues. At first timid, the cat grows into itself as it finds companions on its journey in a random assortment of animals - a capybara, a secretary bird and a lemur among them. Charming, numinous, full of characterful animal-performances and entirely animated in Blender, the film absolutely stole my heart - and indeed the jury's uh. collective heart.

Well, luckily for me, I now have the chance to show it to you!

Flow is directed by Gints Zilbalodis, of Latvia, who can be seen tiny on stage in this photo that I will self-indulgently include:

It has gone on to sort of completely outshine every other film made in Latvia at the box office. It is maybe the biggest sign that Blender has 'made it' in the film industry, and as such, the Blender world is very excited about it - for example, here's a pretty extensive interview with Zilbalodis where you can read about how it was put together over the course of five and a half years by a small Latvian team, eventually growing bigger with French and Belgian help.

Most remarkable to me is that such a pretty film was rendered entirely in Eevee, Blender's PBR rasteriser, meaning final render times per frame could be as low as 0.5-10 seconds. Zilbalodis could compose shots in Blender with a previs, hand them off for painting and detailing by environment artists, and render the whole film on a single PC. Here's a video about their workflow if you wanna spend an hour learning about how cats are like accordions:

I cannot wait to rewatch Flow and introduce more people to it. 2024 had a lot of great movies but this one's really up there. But tonight I wanna do a little more than that, because this is not Zilbalodis's first movie - even if it's his first Blender movie - and I wanna get a sense of where this whole thing came from.

Before Flow came a number of short films (all of which can be seen on his vimeo). From the beginning we see an interest in stylised rendering, mixing 2D and 3D, and a strong sense for character acting. Before long he would switch from 2D animation to 3D stylised characters, and his shorts take on more complex composition and lighting.

This all led to the feature film Away (Prōjam), which is pretty damn remarkable because Zilbalodis made the 75-minute film almost singlehandedly: writing, directing, animating, creating the score and all the rest. Much like Flow, the film depicts a wordless journey through a strange environment, with stylised rendering (here more flat kagenashi-like shading than the fur shaders in Flow) and it's got an animal (the bird that accompanies the main human character). And while it didn't reach a wide audience, it seems to have struck a similar note with the people lucky enough to see it, who throw around words like 'haunting' and 'transcendant'. Well, it's on torrent sites, so let's join that club!

There's so much more that can be said about Zilbalodis and the themes that run through his films, but for now I will leave it at that. Tonight we'll take a chronological tour, from his early shorts up through to Away and Flow. I'll go live now and we'll start the films in about half an hour at 8pm UK time - see you at twitch.tv/canmom!

[harumoris-yanderes]

The Jeweler - Caterina Abele

Note: 3/7/25

Word count; 740 words

Name:

Caterina Abele

Nickname:

Cat, Rina, Etrina, and Ms. Abele

Age:

29

Gender:

Female

Pronouns:

She/Her

Sexuality:

Polysexual

Species:

Mermaid - Eel and Clownfish hybrid

D.O.B:

July 16th

Zodiac: 

Cancer

Appearance:

Caterina has honey-colored hair and Kobi-colored eyes. She has dark skin, with Vitiligo covering most of her body and freckles covering her cheeks. Her tail is white, orange, and black with some pink tints, even though she looks more Eel-like with the pattering of a clownfish. She wears Jewelry, mainly silver and gold bracelets, Seashell necklaces, pearls, and gems. She also has some scarring on her arms and tail.

Personality:

Caterina is a fiercely independent and emotionally complex individual, shaped by her heritage, upbringing, and the tragedy that has defined her past. She is deeply emotional and sensitive, yet she's deeply loyal to those she loves. But her possessive and obsessive tendencies as a yandere manifest in an intense need to keep those she cherishes close. Caterina is both nurturing and vengeful—gentle with those she adores but ruthless toward those who threaten her happiness. She has a strong sense of family, influenced by her Italian and Latvian roots, where tradition, love, and emotional bonds hold great significance. Despite her refined and elegant nature, she is not afraid to use her strength when necessary, particularly when it comes to defending those she loves.

Yandere Type:

Obsessive/Possessive

Family:

Diana Rossi (Maiden - Bruno) - Is Caterina’s grandmother and her mothers, Eloisa’s mom. She has Honey colored hair, a mole under her right eye, freckles on her cheeks, and a forehead birthmark. She has dark skin with vitiligo on her arms, legs, and neck, which goes somewhat onto her face but only a tiny bit, while she has bright Citrine eyes. She is in her early 60s and is straight, She uses She/her to have A+ blood. She is also a clownfish.

Cesarino Rossi - Caterina’s grandfather and her mothers’s dad. He has Xanthic colored hair, Dark skin, vitiligo, and a mole above his lip on the right side, which is covered in freckles. Kobi's eyes were colored. He has AB+ blood and identifies as a man, so he uses He/Him.

Eloisa Abele (Maiden—Rossi) - She is Caterina’s mother. She has honey-colored hair; however, she carries the Xanthic hair gene. She also has Citrine eyes, but she carries the Kobi eye gene. She has freckles and the no-freckles gene. She has no moles and has Vitiligo while being a merclown

Amore Abele - the father of Caterina, looks similar to his wife but with freckles, moles, and Kobi colored eyes; he is also a mer-eel.

Maria Abele - She looks exactly like Caterina, considering they are identical twins. [✝︎]

Likes:

· Collecting beautiful things (Which she often makes into jewelry)

· Music

· Seafood

· Poetry

Dislikes:

· Betrayal or dishonesty

· Being alone

· Her being restrained or confined

· Disrespect of her family (and Darling)

Backstory:

Caterina was born into a loving but traditional family. She was raised alongside her identical twin, Maria. The two were inseparable, mirroring each other in both appearance and personality. However, a tragedy struck in their adolescence, leading to Maria's untimely death from a terminal illness. This loss shattered Caterina, fueling her obsessive tendencies and deepening her fear of abandonment. She carries an overwhelming guilt, believing that had she been stronger or more protective, Maria might still be alive. This trauma has shaped her into the possessive and obsessive person she is today—someone who clings tightly to those she loves, unwilling to let go even if it means suffocating them. Despite her pain, Caterina remains a striking and enigmatic figure, embodying both the grace of a clownfish and the predatory nature of an eel. She moves through life with an air of elegance, but beneath her composed exterior lies a storm of emotions. She is a woman who later became a jeweler in remembrance of Maria, who loved receiving the handmade gifts Caterina would give her.

Ethnicity:

Italian-Latvian

Other:

· She has A+ blood

· Can survive out of water but not for too long

· Sometimes, she wishes that she could walk on land

· Hates cats, something just irks her since she met a bakeneko once, before just freaking out

· Soft spot for kids

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2009 - Number 25 - Intars Busulis - "Probka"

Yes, it's Intars. He made it to Eurovision at his second attempt solo, fourth attempt in total. Keep on trying and just maybe, eventually you'll make it. If there's one thing Intars isn't short of it's perseverance. His previous song in 2007 ended up second in Eirodziesma, and given that success, he was keeping the band together.

During the national finals, Probka (Traffic Jam) was called Sastrēgums and was in Latvian. It was still written by the same team as his previous song. The composer was classical and theatre composer Kārlis Lācis, while the lyrics came from Sergejs Timofejev and Jānis Elsbergs. As all of them have theatrical experience as well as doing Russian translations of songs for bands such as Brainstorm, it's no surprise that the song itself is a touch musical theatre.

But let's start off with Intars' jazz trombone playing and muso background. The song has verses in seven-four time and for a reason. The song evokes the frustration and anger of being trapped in a Traffic Jam. The odd metre is there to give that unsettling, extra long phrasing that feels like it should be moving forward faster than it is. Maybe honking its horn as it does so. You can feel the tension build through every verse.

For Eurovision in Moscow, the song was translated into Russian - not an unusual thing for a song from Latvia at the time and given the context, it was probably almost certainly going to happen regardless of what song won Latvia's national final. Somehow though, the Russian language seems to increase the agitation that Intars experiences singing the song, as his shoulders get higher and his neck gets shorter.

Maybe it was that emotional expression, maybe it was the stop-start irregularity of the rhythm, or maybe it was the projection screen staging that got a little lost in the vastness of the stage. Maybe Russians just enjoy traffic. Whatever the reason, Intars and Latvia finished nineteenth of the nineteen songs in the Eurovision 2009 second semi-final. An undeserving fate for a song so different, weird and spiky.

No matter, Intars returned the next year with a double-album and he continues to be a big name in the Latvian music scene including winning more TV talent shows, being a mentor on the Latvian X-Factor, winning several awards and being a regular at jazz festivals. He even teamed up with Reinis Sējāns in 2022 to form the band Bujāns to have another crack at the Latvian national final.

And he's still making music. He and his regular band, Abonementa Orķestris tour and record all the time. This is one of their songs from 2024, Es Došos Ārā (I'm Going Outside) from their 2023 album Spēlē Savā Burvju Flautā (Playing His Magic Flute)

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[question-marked]

behind the name dash game

Edward

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Polish

Meaning: Means "rich guard", derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and weard "guard". This was the name of several Anglo-Saxon kings, the last being Saint Edward the Confessor shortly before the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. He was known as a just ruler, and because of his popularity his name remained in use after the conquest when most other Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. The 13th-century Plantagenet king Henry III named his son and successor after the saint, and seven subsequent kings of England were also named Edward.

This is one of the few Old English names to be used throughout Europe (in various spellings). A famous bearer was the British composer Edward Elgar (1857-1934). It was also used by author Charlotte Brontë for the character Edward Rochester, the main love interest of the title character in her novel Jane Eyre (1847).

Diminutives: Ed, Eddie, Eddy, Ned, Ted, Teddie, Teddy (English)

Other Languages & Cultures: Eduart(Albanian); Eadweard(Anglo-Saxon); Eduard, Edvard(Armenian) Edorta(Basque) Eduard(Belarusian); Eduard(Catalan); Eduard, Edi(Croatian); Eduard, Edvard(Czech); Edvard(Danish); Eduard, Ed, Eddy, Ward(Dutch); Eduard(Estonian); Edvard, Eetu(Finnish); Édouard, Eddy(French) Eduard(Georgian); Eduard, Edi(German); Ekewaka(Hawaiian); Eduárd, Edvárd, Ede(Hungarian); Eadbhárd(Irish); Edoardo (Italian); Eduards, Edijs, Edvards(Latvian); Eduardas, Edvardas(Lithuanian); Edvard(Norwegian); Duarte, Eduardo, Dado, Du, Duda, Dudu, Edu(Portuguese); Eduard(Romanian); Eduard(Russian) Eideard(Scottish Gaelic); Eduard(Slovak); Edvard, Edi(Slovene) Eduardo, Edu, Lalo(Spanish); Edvard(Swedish); Eduard(Ukrainian)

Instructions: go to behindthename.com find your muses's name (feel free to include aliases and last names) go to ratings take a screenshot of the results + plus other info about the name

tagged by @sanguine-salvation (thanks for tagging me!)

tagging anyone who wants to do this, do this and say that I tagged you

[kostevysen]

A Brief Smolder --------------------------------

-- Hetalia Oneshot (Ghoultalia!Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechia and Slovakia)

TW: Depictions of death (In the form of metaphors, as best as I can make them.)

————————

Raivis can’t really feel the adrenaline that’s pulsing through his body when the closest door puckers open and a calm, maybe even hauntingly quiet Feliks stands there like he’d hadn’t just seen a crime almost happen. The blond pole gazes softly at Raivis, shoulder length hair hiding the long stretches of scars that run across the older man’s shoulder.

“You can come out now, the coast is clear.” Hums the pole, opening the closet door a bit wider to prove his point. “Natalya won’t come down this corridor, so it’s safe, so will you come out now? I’ll help you brew that coffee you needed so much.” The other ghoul purses his lips as Raivis crawls out, hands and knees still trembling, one hand was clutching a woolen pouch near to his chest, and the other heaving himself out of the closet.

Raivis stumbles forward on weak limbs, his breath shaky, but he relaxes when he feels the wooden flooring at his feet, he clutches the pouch tighter to his chest, sniffing around. The scent of the stolen coffee fades into the air, slowly, its bitter aroma nearly invisible to the naked eye.

He glances up at Feliks, the man’s calm presence is unnerving, like he’s seen this a million times before. Raivis wonders, not for the first time, how Feliks manages to stay so composed.

“He’s really taking the blame?” Raivis whispers, his voice sounds like a squeak by how scared he is.

Feliks’s smile falters, just for a moment, before he nods. “Yeah, Liet’s handling it. You know how he is. He said it was his fault. Took the heat from Ivan. He’ll be fine.”

Raivis isn't convinced, but he forces himself to stand, knees still shaking. He tries to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but his hands are trembling too much. The idea of it makes him want to crawl back into the closet and disappear.

Feliks watches Raivis with a patient expression, then reaches out a hand. “Come on, kid. You’ll feel better once you have some of that coffee. We’ll brew it real nice, just the way you like it.” The Latvian boy can see Bulgaria and Romania playing cards by the door, they are guarding it—judging from the way Bulgaria’s kakugans are out.

Raivis hesitates, eyeing them, before eyeing the scars on Feliks’s shoulder. He knows what Ivan and Natalya are capable of, but Feliks, somehow, has always seemed like an untouchable force, something Raivis both admires and fears. He grabs the outstretched hand, letting Feliks pull him up.

“Don’t worry about them,” Feliks says quietly, guiding Raivis toward the kitchen. “Liet can handle himself. But you need to be more careful next time. Coffee’s a dangerous game here, you know that.”

Raivis swallows hard, nodding. He knows. He knows all too well. Being a ghoul in Ivan’s territory was already risky enough, but to steal coffee from under their noses? He shudders at the thought of what could have happened.

The dimly lit kitchen is old and holds only the bare necessities, he watches as Feliks releases his grip and moves toward the counter, gathering the necessary tools to make the coffee. The sound of the grinder starts up, low and rhythmic, a familiar hum, as Bulgaria’s head perks up from the doorway.

He also just now notices the other two people in the room, Czechia and Slovakia—the latter has his head on the table, the former is curled up like a ball on the small chair next to the fridge.

Slovakia hums, opening his eyes to glance at them, he acknowledges them quietly before drifting back to sleep. Raivis stands there awkwardly, still holding the woolen pouch. His eyes glance down at the man before he goes back to watching Feliks busy himself with the coffee maker, his movements, as Latvia notices, are fluid and relaxed, as if nothing is wrong.

“You’re lucky Liet covered for you,” Feliks says, glancing back at Raivis. “But if I were you, I’d thank him properly when you see him. Ivan’s not stupid. He knows something’s up.”

Raivis nods, his throat tight. “I will.”

Feliks finishes brewing the coffee, the rich scent filling the room. He pours six cups and hands one to Raivis, who takes it gratefully, feeling the warmth spread through his cold hands. The other four cups are set on the table in a circular fashion. Czechia scoots closer to the round dining table in the middle of the room, grabbing the handle of one cup and using her other hand to nudge Slovakia awake.

Raivis stares.

“Thanks,” Raivis mutters, taking a small sip. It’s bitter, but it’s the only thing he can consume. As a ghoul, regular food was nothing but trash to him now.

Feliks takes a sip of his own coffee, watching Raivis over the rim of the cup. “You’re gonna be fine, kid,” he says softly, his voice strangely calm. “Just lay low for a while. Liet’s buying you some time, but you know how Ivan and Natalya are.” Raivis shivers, and so does Czechia. Bulgaria and Romania join them at the table, taking their cups earnestly and sitting down.

Raivis stares once again, gazing down at the table like it held the answer to the universe.

He didn’t deserve Liet’s protection. Not for something as simple as a pouch of coffee beans. But it was too late now.

His mind wonders again, like any teen’s would, and he allowed himself to. Death, in this place, was like a shadow in the corner of your vision. It was never far, never fully seen, but always felt, like the chill that comes before the sun disappears below the horizon. But Here? Nothing is safe with Ivan and Natalya, death, here, it wasn’t sudden or violent. It was a slow, creeping thing—more like sinking into freezing water, where the cold wraps around you inch by inch until you couldn’t feel anything at all.

He glances at Feliks, who moves like someone who had brushed against that cold more than once, somehow managing to keep just enough warmth to survive.

Feliks probably noticed him, the pole reached over and ruffled Raivis’s hair lightly. “Chin up. Things’ll be fine. Just... don’t do anything reckless, okay?”

Raivis manages a small smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He knows better than to believe that everything will be fine.

Extra:

Raivis brings a cup of coffee over towards Tolys’ bedside, just like earlier—Romania and Bulgaria are sitting at the foot of the bed, still guarding; Bulgaria watches him with blackened eyes, red staring right at him. Moldova is here as well, sitting on Romania’s lap as he watches his older brother shuffle through multiple cards.

Raivis places the cup of coffee on the bedside table, backs up, and slides himself down against the wall and into a sitting position, he tugs his knees close to his chest and closes his eyes.

If he strained enough, he could hear the bed sheets ruffling.

[mariacallous]

Accused of working with the Russian security service, Latvian MEP Tatyana Ždanoka mockingly donned sunglasses at a press conference – as if in a spy movie. The accusations won’t be laughed off that easily: Re:Baltica has obtained almost 19,000 of Ždanoka’s e-mails detailing how she served the Kremlin.

It’s been just over 10 years since the early February days when Kyiv’s central square, the Maidan, swarmed with thousands of protesters. Since that previous November, Ukrainians had been urging pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych to strengthen cooperation with Europe. The protests came to a head at the same time as the self-proclaimed international movement “World Without Nazism” (WWN) arrived in the Ukrainian capital.

The WWN burst into public view at a massive table in the luxurious Government House, where Yanukovych gave his  account of what was happening on the Maidan. Guests at the table warned Ukrainians of the “threat of radicalization.” Among them, with dyed red hair, sunken eyes, and a perpetual smile that seemed more like a smirk, sat Latvia’s Tatyana Ždanoka. This performance was aimed at the audiences of pro-Russian Ukrainian and pro-Kremlin television channels. 

We at Re:Baltica are familiar with this traveling circus because we investigated it in our 2016 documentary “Masterplan.” The WWN cropped up in places where Russian propaganda about the alleged resurgence of fascism in Europe needed spreading. As a member of the European Parliament (EP), Ždanoka’s presence allowed the Kremlin-controlled media to say that Europe was worried about it, too.

What we did not know at the time was that immediately after the televised meeting Ždanoka corresponded with a person identified by our Russian partners at the independent outlet The Insider as an officer of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia’s largely domestic spy agency, which also has a mandate to operate in the post-Soviet space.

“Hello! Do you have any interesting observations after your trip to Kyiv?” wrote one Sergei Krasin to Ždanoka the day after she sat at the table with Yanukovych.

Only that particular Sergei’s surname is not Krasin, but Beltyukov, and he has been working for the FSB since at least 1993.

Ždanoka replied that her feelings were contradictory. Yanukovych is too cunning to read in just an hour and a half of conversation. But he seemed “quite calm, composed and confident. I thought he would be more lost,” wrote Ždanoka. “There is a feeling that he is ready to use force. (…) On the other hand, some observers assume that Yanukovych will sign the agreement with the EU very soon, getting the maximum benefit from all sides.”

Her prediction about Yanukovych’s potential use of force came true. With the Ukrainian president’s permission, special forces and snipers killed more than 100 civilians on the Maidan. When not even lethal violence proved capable of driving the protesters from the square, Yanukovych fled to Russia. Ultimately the agreement with the EU was signed by Ukraine’s new President, Petro Poroshenko, who was elected in May 2014 after parliament voted 328-0 to relieve the departed Yanukovych of his authority. 

At the end of the email Ždanoka sent from revolutionary Kyiv to FSB officer Sergei, she wrote that she had also walked around the Maidan. What happened there seemed to her to be “a mixture of drama, horror film, and comedy.”

Ždanoka corresponded with Beltyukov from 2013 until 2017, according to the almost 19,000 emails sent by Ždanoka that Re:Baltica obtained. And he was not her only FSB contact. Re:Baltica has already written about another – an old acquaintance of hers, Dmitry Gladey.

Ždanoka denies cooperating with the FSB. She answered questions sent to her on a live YouTube stream but said little about the substance of the queries. She calls the leaked emails fake and speculates that it is actually the author of this article who is, in fact, working for the Russian security services.

See you at the Shokoladnitsa

Ždanoka’s letters to Beltyukov are short. The tone is businesslike. Both largely used email to arrange meetings, preferring to discuss substantive issues in person. The FSB officer regularly congratulated Ždanoka on New Year’s and her birthday. When she arrived in St Petersburg, Beltyukov met her at the airport. He did not forget to flatter her.

In one letter, he praised Ždanoka for appearing on Kremlin TV channels: “What you are doing is very important in the current situation.” Ždanoka replied with formal gracefulness: “Thank you for your kind words.”

Ždanoka usually combined meetings in Moscow with television appearances, while Beltyukov came on business. One place they met was a café called “Shokoladnitsa” in the center of Moscow, near the FSB headquarters. Ždanoka seemed to feel at home in Moscow. In exchange for participating in propagandist Vladimir Solovyov’s television programs, she was given a car for the day, and an acquaintance booked an appointment for her at a hairdresser.

Ždanoka and her handler were visibly working to help one another. Ždanoka had information and could organize events that Beltyukov wanted to see take place. He, in turn, could help her with contacts — and money.

In one email, Ždanoka begins with an apology: “Sergei, I couldn’t get a reply. Tomorrow my assistant Andrey Tolmachov will contact by the phone number you gave me.”

Russia needs exhibitions in Brussels

The busiest period of exchanges between the MEP and the FSB officer came in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and started its conflict in the eastern Ukrainian Donbas region. These events would culminate in the full-scale Russian invasion almost a decade later.

In late summer 2014, Beltyukov asked whether Ždanoka “could organize an event on a European platform (for example, a photo exhibition) with documentary evidence of war crimes in south-eastern Ukraine. If you have such an idea, I am ready to join you.”

“Of course, Sergei, it is possible,” replied Ždanoka. “Thank you for your offer to help. But how can I find out more about your assistance?” The question seems to be about money.

At that time, Ždanoka was preparing to hold a hearing at the European Parliament on tragedy in Odesa. In May 2014, a building in which pro-Russian protestors had barricaded themselves caught fire as demonstrators from the pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian sides fought. As a result, 42 people were killed, and more than 200 injured. The event in Odesa is one of the central themes of Kremlin propaganda that calls Ukrainians fascists.

“The date is linked to the events in Odesa, but we will try to draw attention to current events in south-east Ukraine,” Ždanoka assured Beltyukov. 

She continued to organize events dedicated to the Odesa tragedy for several years afterwards.

At the end of 2014, Beltyukov wrote, “You may soon be contacted by D.G. There is an opportunity to apply for a grant offered through St Petersburg State University. At first glance, the idea seems interesting.”

Ždanoka replied that D.G. has already called her and added, “I look forward to meeting our mutual acquaintance in Riga.”

Protest provocations in Riga

D.G. is most likely Dmitry Gladey. Ždanoka previously told Re:Baltica that he is an old friend with whom she took skiing lessons in the Caucasus in the 1970s back when they were students. They continued to meet in St Petersburg, where Gladey and his wife lived, and also in Riga when Gladey’s daughter married a Latvian man.

Recently, The Insider revealed that Gladey was a member of the FSB’s Fifth Service, the group tasked in 2004 with countering the “color revolutions” in Russia’s neighboring countries. Service’s last known task was to destabilize the situation in Ukraine.

Re:Baltica has obtained correspondence between the two from 2005 to 2013, and the exchanges do not sound like normal chatting between friends. Ždanoka reported to Gladey about events she has organized, who has been invited, trips she has made, and what she has observed. 

One example comes from March 16 which Latvian nationalists celebrate as remembrance day for legionnaires who were recruited by Nazi Germany to fight against the Soviet Union during World War II. During their annual march to lay flowers at Freedom monument in Latvia’s capital, pro-Russian activists who call themselves “anti-fascists“ always try to stage a protest.

It appears that in 2005 Ždanoka herself organized provocations at these events in order to “prove“ to her colleagues in Europe that Latvia still harbored Nazi sympathies. That year “anti-fascists” dressed up as Jewish concentration camp inmates with yellow stars on their chests were in attendance, providing material for Russia’s TV channels. 

Her FSB handler’s questions indicate that was aware of the plans before the protest took place: organize the confrontations, photograph them, and send news to her colleagues in the European Parliament with the message that Nazis marched in Latvia’s capital.

“I hope you managed to get some rest? I look forward to the promised updates on the March 16th article – the text of your statement, the reactions of MEPs, and the consequences,” he wrote afterwards. 

“We had a good rest, but also had an adventure,” replied Ždanoka. “I’m sending the text and accompanying photos. The first short text explaining the photo was sent on March 16th to the Greens (53 people) in my group. A longer text was sent on March 17th to the same Greens and another group on minority issues (42 people). We will get the full reaction of MEPs next week.”  (Ždanoka, until April 2022, was a member of the Greens/European Free Alliance group.)

The letter was accompanied by photographs from the march which showed Ždanokas’ costumed supporters  being detained by the police. Another picture showed swastika-adorned posters littering the ground. Only one photo shows the Legionnaires  – old men standing calmly with flowers in their hands.

Ždanoka also forwarded Gladey a statement she had sent to her European Parliament colleagues. In it, “the MEP expresses her outrage” at the violence used by the police “against anti-fascist protesters.” The attachments also included a reaction from other Latvian MEPs calling Ždanoka’s release a “masterpiece of demagoguery.”

Wars of Influence in the East

In September 2013, Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Eastern Europe, received a severe economic blow when Russia banned the import of its wines, allegedly over insufficient quality control. In reality,  Russia was using economic pressure to prevent the signing of a cooperation agreement between Moldova and the EU at the Eastern European Partnership Summit in Vilnius a month later.

The context for  these developments dates back to 2009, when the EU established the Eastern Partnership (EaP) to bring the countries on its eastern border out of Russia’s orbit. Moscow used available arsenal – trade restrictions,  withholding natural gas supplies, information warfare – to prevent this.

As MEP, Ždanoka regularly traveled to the EaP countries and reported her observations to Gladey. This means that Russia effectively had eyes and ears in multiple important European meetings, particularly those that concerned the potential Western accession of countries close to the Kremlin’s heart. 

Back in the summer of 2010, Ždanoka first sent Gladey a program of the visit of deputies from potential EaP countries to Brussels. Later she reported back on who is ready to start the program without Russia’s ally Belarus.

“I checked my notes. Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan strongly favor full Belarusian membership, while Ukraine and Moldova are ready to accept the “compromises” offered by the European Parliament. (…) But all of them are apparently not opposed to starting work without Belarus.”

A few months later, she and other MEPs went to Moldova. In the report to Gladey, she summarized who was present, what was said, and the relationship between politicians there.

Ždanoka mentioned that a lunch was planned with then-President Mihai Ghimpu, who did not turn up due to illness. The president was represented by a deputy with a “thinly disguised dislike” for Ghimpu. “He joked that his illness was a consequence of the wine festival at the weekend.”

In 2012, Ždanoka traveled to Azerbaijan. Before such visits, MEPs are provided with thick folders containing analysis of the country’s economy and politics, CVs of senior officials, information on support from international funds, and briefings on key issues such as the oppression of youth protests. Ždanoka forwarded the nearly 70-page report to Gladey. These documents were not confidential, but nor were they meant for the general public.

And then came the climax. 

At the Vilnius in November 2013, the EU planned to sign cooperation agreements with several countries, and Russia was increasing the pressure. Wine imports from Moldova and chocolate from Ukraine had been banned. Russia threatened to cut off gas supplies, a serious concern given the approaching winter.

The MEPs agreed to adopt a resolution condemning Russia’s pressure. Ždanoka sent this, too, to the FSB officer.

“In the meantime, I am sending the draft resolution prepared by the Greens. I can’t access the other groups’ drafts, but you can get an idea from this one. Tomorrow, a compromise will be discussed and agreed upon with several groups. The debate will take place on Wednesday, and the vote on Thursday. T.Ž.”

Two days later, she sent the final version of the resolution and the text of her speech to Gladey. In it, she acknowledged that Russia was exerting pressure, but pointed to the EU’s alleged duplicity: Moldova would no longer be able to export wine to Russia, but the EU offered no alternative market. She used Latvia as an example, saying that it had joined the EU, but “the marriage was not equal.”

In essence, Ždanoka echoed the message that the Kremlin has been spreading in the Baltics for years: the EU is treating you unjustly, and if you stay with Russia, your country will be better off.

“I am shocked,” German MEP Rebecca Harms, then leader of Ždanoka’s EP group, told Re:Baltica after hearing about the emails.

“It makes clear that she had not only ‘another opinion’ on Russia-related issues (some in my group always accused me of suffering from Russophobia and from a lack of tolerance for different opinions) but was really [an] informant. I really regret that I was not strong enough to organize a majority to expel her from the Green group.“

Complaining about Russian diplomats

Ždanoka didn’t just report on live events. She also offered helpful advice to her Russian friends on how they could be more effective. 

In a 2009 email, Ždanoka sent an FSB officer “an analysis of the errors in the work of some structures that affect Russia’s image abroad.”

She pointed out that Russian diplomats abroad are ill-prepared to work with the media and are easily “outflanked” by their Baltic and Georgian colleagues, who are “young, dynamic (…) trained in the West and fluent in foreign languages.” 

She noted that this dynamic was clearly visible during Estonia’s 2007 “Bronze Soldier” event. Then Tallinn’s removal of a Soviet WWII monument was met with Russian-inspired riots and Kremlin-executed cyber attacks. Another example was in connection with the Russia-Georgia war of 2008, when Moscow’s diplomatic chicanery proved incapable of convincing the wider world that Russia was anything other than the aggressor. 

Ždanoka, in her written analysis, was also critical of Russian officials who treat foreign trips as tourism and compensate for their lack of arguments in discussions with an “arrogant attitude”: “Russia has gas and oil, so you have to respect us.”

Finally, she proposed the creation of a special ministry to promote Russia’s image abroad, taking the example of the “Latvian Institute,” which is mainly staffed by Latvians with foreign roots. They know how to talk to foreigners, she wrote. At the same time, Ždanoka lobbied for her own activities and mentioned that personnel for the proposed the new ministry could be recruited at the European Russian Forum she was organizing.

A highlight event: European Russian Forum

For several years, the European Russian Forum (ERF) was Ždanoka’s most important event in Brussels. She booked the venue in the EP building almost six months in advance and took on the role of hostess, with important Russian officials sitting at her side. Among the Forum’s founding members were representatives from the Moscow Mayor’s Office, the Russian Orthodox Church, and Ždanoka’s political group in the EP. Funders included the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russkiy Mir (Russian World – ed.) foundation.

The forum, along with a series of discussions and exhibitions, allowed Ždanoka to bring a number of questionable people into the EP building: Russian politicians, some of whom are currently on sanctions lists; agents of influence who have subsequently been tried for espionage; and even some with links to the security services.

Through these soft power activities, Ždanoka helped whitewash Russia in the minds of some MEPs while creating content for Kremlin TV channels. The main message was that the EU cannot do without Russia and must make friends.

“What is typical of her and a number of other MPs who work in that pro-Russian style is that the Moscow media exploits it. It is all filmed,” said MEP Sandra Kalniete from Latvia.

However, she and other current and former MEPs interviewed by Re:Baltica believe that Ždanokas’ political influence in EP was marginal.

“Expanding the European Russian Forum was the key,” says another long-term Latvian MEP Roberts Zīle. “To bring the concept of the Russian world to the West.”

Not moving to Russia

After her election to the EP, Ždanoka started actively renovating her family home in Valdai, Russia, a popular holiday destination. The photos show how the sad-looking one-story house with an attic slowly came to life with new, dark green wooden walls and white window frames. Ždanoka sent the builders a kitchen plan and decided where to put the appliances. It is not clear from the emails whether anyone lives there, but it is implied that relatives live nearby.

Ždanoka will no longer be part of the new EP, as the Latvian parliament passed a law preventing her from standing because of her communist past. She has served 20 years in the EP.

After Re:Baltica and its partners published information about her cooperation with Russian special services in January of this year, Latvia’s security service (VDD) initiated a probe but declined to comment on the findings for this article. The European Parliament’s inquiry resulted in a fine of €1,750 and a ban on representing the EP in foreign visits and other events. Ždanoka claims it was a punishment for mistakes in official declaration.

In her YouTube address devoted to Re:Baltica’s questions to her, Ždanoka showed colorful brochures listing the participants of events she has organized. According to her, it had all been transparent. The Russian Foreign Ministry is listed as one of the co-financiers of the events. The rest, like her trips to Russian-backed Syria and Russian-occupied Crimea, was covered by the European Parliament – that is, the taxpayers of the European Union.

Ždanoka also called herself “an agent of peace”.

Asked by Re:Baltica whether she intends to move to Russia after her career is over, she snapped: “I am not going to move to Russia. Where you were born, there you are useful. I was born in Riga.”

[gaymer-hag-stan]

Eurovision 2024 - Meet the Malmö Participants

🇱🇻 Latvia - Dons - "Hollow"

Dons is a renowned Latvian pop/rock icon and one of the nation's most-awarded artists of the last decade.

The soulful power-ballad Hollow was composed with Irish songwriter and producer Liam Geddes and American songwriter Kate Northrop, and was initially released in Latvian.

The singer draws profound inspiration from compelling, soul-stirring melodies, and during the song’s creation, all collaborators shared a unanimous sense that they had crafted something truly magical.

Today, after decades of success and sold-out arena and stadium shows, Dons still finds his happiest moments as an artist standing in front of an audience, sharing the magic of music.

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[lesser-known-composers]

Jāzeps Vītols (1863-1948) - Variations-Portraits op.54 (1920)

Theme - Allegramente, lusingando 00:00 1.var. Nikolajam Daugem 00:44 2.var. Helenai Gubenei-Zanderei 01:28 3.var. Bonifācijai Rogei 02:16 4.var. Veronikai Aserei 02:55 5.var. Arvīdam Daugulim 04:02 6.var. Hansam Šmitam 04:40 7.var. Paulam Šūbertam 05:46 8.var. Annai Ašmanei 07:07 9.var. Ludmilai Gomanei-Dombrovskai 07:56 10.var. Annijai Sokolovskai 08:47 11.var. Marijai Žilinskai 10:15 Finale - Vivace, resoluto 11:45

Performed by Diāna Zandberga (piano)

[praxismatters]

THE EVENS ARTS PRIZE 2023

Exploring the critical imaginaries of AI The Evens Arts Prize 2023 is dedicated to artistic practices that challenge prevailing systems of knowledge and experiments new alliances between living beings and machines. 

The Jury is composed of Daniel Blanga Gubbay, Artistic Co-Director, Kunstenfestivaldesarts; Nicolas Bourriaud, Artistic Director, 15th Gwangju Biennale; Elena Filipovic, Director and Curator, Kunsthalle Basel; Matteo Pasquinelli, Associate Professor in Philosophy of Science, Ca’ Foscari University; Gosia Plysa, Director, Unsound. The Jury Chair is André Wilkens, Director, European Cultural Foundation. Artistic Director:  Anne Davidian, curator.

Focus of the Evens Arts Prize 2023 The widespread use of AI applications, particularly in the form of text-to-image generators and large language models, has sparked intense scrutiny and debate. These discussions, fueled by both excitement about their potential and concerns about their biases, bring to the forefront crucial questions about human subjectivity, autonomy, and agency.

Technical systems are deeply intertwined with social systems, shaping our lived experiences, aspirations, and politics. Together with artists, how can we better understand and address the impact of AI and the broader constellation of digital technologies and algorithmic politics? What new imaginaries and alliances can we cultivate between living beings and machines?

The new edition of the Evens Arts Prize seeks to highlight artistic projects that explore alternative cosmologies and epistemologies, question human exceptionalism, and shed light on issues such as surveillance, manipulation, extractivism, digital governance, justice, care, and responsibility in the age of machine intelligence. Of particular interest are practices that experiment with AI to challenge prevailing systems of knowledge and power asymmetries, mobilise technologies towards emancipatory community outcomes, and envision democratic futures.

The laureate is selected by an independent jury from a list of nominations put forward by representatives of major European cultural institutions.

The Nominators of the Evens Arts Prize 2023 Ramon Amaro, Senior Researcher in Digital Culture, Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam; Zdenka Badovinac, Director, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb; Lars Bang Larsen, Head of Art & Research, Art Hub, Copenhagen; Leonardo Bigazzi, Curator, Foundation In Between Art Films, Rome; Mercedes Bunz, Professor Digital Culture & Humanities, King's College, London; Francesca Corona, Artistic Director, Festival d'Automne, Paris; Julia Eckhardt, Artistic Director, Q-02, Brussels; Silvia Fanti, Artistic Director, Live Arts Week /Xing, Bologna; iLiana Fokianaki, Founder, State of Concept, Athens; Cyrus Goberville, Head of Cultural Programming, Bourse de Commerce | Pinault Collection, Paris; Stefanie Hessler, Director, Swiss Institute, New York; Mathilde Henrot, Programmer, Locarno Film Festival; Nora N. Khan & Andrea Bellini, Artistic Directors, Biennale Image en Mouvement 2024, Geneva; Peter Kirn, Director, MusicMakers HackLab, CTM Festival, Berlin; Inga Lace, Curator, Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, Riga; Andrea Lissoni, Director, Haus der Kunst, Munich; Frank Madlener, Director, IRCAM, Paris; Anna Manubens, Director, Hangar, Barcelona; Anne Hilde Neset, Director, Henie Onstad, Høvikodden; Nóra Ó Murchú, Artistic Director, transmediale, Berlin; Maria Ines Rodriguez, Director, Walter Leblanc Foundation, Brussels; Nadim Samman, Curator for the Digital Sphere, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; Andras Siebold, Artistic Director, Kampnagel, Hamburg; Caspar Sonnen, Head of New Media, International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA), Amsterdam; Marlies Wirth, Curator for Digital Arts, MAK, Vienna; Ben Vickers, Curator, Publisher, CTO, Serpentine Galleries, London.

The Evens Arts Prize The Evens Arts Prize honours artists who engage with contemporary challenges in Europe and shape inspirational visions for our common world. Far from reducing artistic practice to a function – whether a social balm or a political catalyst – the Evens Arts Prize supports aesthetically and intellectually powerful work that pushes the understanding of alterity, difference, and plurality in new directions, questions values and narratives, creates space for silenced or dissonant voices, and reflects on diverse forms of togetherness and belonging.

The biennial Prize is awarded to a European artist working in the fields of visual or performing arts, including cinema, theater, dance, music; it carries a sum of €15,000. The laureates are selected by an independent jury, from a list of internationally acclaimed artists, nominated by representatives of major European cultural institutions.

The 2011, 2019 and 2021 editions were curated by Anne Davidian and celebrated Marlene Monteiro Freitas, Eszter Salamon, and Sven Augustijnen as laureates of the main prize, while Eliane Radigue and Andrea Büttner received the Special Mention of the Jury.

More about the Prize

📷 from Atlas of Anomalous AI, edited by Ben Vickers and K Allado-McDowell, Ignota Books, 2020

[caviarsonoro]

Pēteris Vasks: Vientulais Engelis: Meditation for Violin and String Orchestra (2019)

The piece Vientulais Engelis by Pēteris Vasks, performed by violinist Mari Samuelsen, is a deeply emotional work imbued with a contemplative atmosphere that reflects the sensitivity and distinctive style of the Latvian composer. Vasks, known for his compositions that blend poignant lyricism with elements of nature and an underlying spirituality, achieves in this piece a powerful representation of solitude and introspection.

Mari Samuelsen’s interpretation elevates the composition with an impeccable and emotive performance, conveying the vulnerability and melancholic beauty that the piece demands. Her technique, characterized by precise bow control and a warm tone, imbues the work with a resonance that deeply connects with the listener. Samuelsen excels in her ability to maintain a fluid melodic line, making each note and phrase feel intentional and full of meaning.

Vientulais Engelis is a piece that explores the contrast between fragility and strength, with passages ranging from the softest and most ethereal to moments of greater emotional intensity. Samuelsen’s interpretation handles these dynamic shifts with a sensitivity that highlights the expressive richness of the piece. Her performance allows the violin to become a voice that both weeps and sings, giving the piece an almost celestial quality.

[unhonestlymirror]

Director: Armenian

Production designers: A Latvian and a Belaruthian Jew

Animators: Ukrainians

Operator: also Ukrainian

Composer: Georgian

80% of the creators: censored place of birth

Tumblrinas: rUsSiAn SoViEt AniMatiOn

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

disney concept art: the most beautiful dynamic original thing i have ever seen

disney finished project: rubber same face minimalism regurgitated plots 

[korlieblog]

✨ Unwind and let the soothing melodies of Muunroo’s debut single “Late Road” wash over you. Crafted in one spontaneous take by Latvian composer Gatis Sturnieks, this instrumental track is the perfect calm after a long day. 🎹🎶 Watch the official video now and experience the raw emotion behind the music. #Muunroo #LateRoad #InstrumentalMusic #NewMusic #RelaxingVibes #PianoMagic

[technovirtual]

Festival Energy: Deep House Type Beat

Deep house is known for its slower pace. It's also often accompanied by beautiful, jazzy chords and the harmonies that give it a more mellow sound. Francis Mercier infused NSNS with a unique mix of Afro beats and deep house, creating an ethnically rich experience. He showcased his ability to seamlessly switch between different genres. Kaskade Redux With a career which spans nearly twenty years, Kaskade has become an electronic music legend. His list of achievements is a mile long, ranging from seven Grammy nominations to groundbreaking sell-out shows and an eminent Vegas residency. His innovative spirit is further highlighted by his entry into the gaming sphere by composing an entire music season of Rocket League. Kaskade is the perfect embodiment of Redux. The project started in 2013 with an goal to provide fans with an opportunity to experience large sounds in a small space. A sound experience built on powerful melodies, an enveloping feeling and a desire for transcendence is the result. This track is a wonderful mix of deep house, the trance genre, and captivating vocals. It's the kind of music which gives you the feeling that you're in your very own private space on a dancefloor. Elderbrook Grammy-nominated Elderbrook is always making improvements to his music by incorporating different genres, styles and tempos. The multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer delivers on stage like no other. His high-energy performance at Positivus Festival 2019 wowed Latvian fans. Alexander Kotz - better known as Elderbrook - says that the COVID-19 outbreak has helped him focus on his music in a way that he could not before. The Englishman offers a unique perspective on his genre-blending sound that has made him an instant fan-favorite. His latest album features a mix of soulful and club-ready songs that feature his signature sound of production. The album includes an arrangement with Snakehips on the summery "Sunshine," Turkish-born DJ Carlita on the heartfelt anthem "Wait For You," and the Afro-tech track "Places" with Shimza. Nora En Pure Nora En Pure, a Swiss-South African DJ/producer, dreams of whales in her dreams. Since childhood, Nora has seen these majestic creatures in her dreams. They are a metaphor for her musical journey. Earning recognition with her first single"Come With Me in 2013 Nora quickly made her way to the ranks of the most popular dance artists. Her unique sonic sound is a seamless blend of organic instruments with emotional pianos that leave listeners in a state of peace, is a blend that seamlessly connects different styles and sound. Take a seat at Union Hall to experience Nora's stunning music, including her well-known tracks like Morning Dew, Lake Arrowhead and Tears in Your Eyes. Haha and Seelo will be joining her for an evening of melodic indie and house music.

Francis Mercier The Haitian-born producer and Deep Root Records founder, Francis Mercier, sat down with Beatportal's Ana Monroy Yglesias to discuss samples clearance, the impact of his 2022 hit track "Sete," and his new Afro melodic house release, "Kamili." This subgenre of house music is heavily influenced by funk, jazz and soul. It has a fast-moving four-on-the-floor signature beat and frequently includes vocals. The bass line is often groovy and playful. The most common tempo for deep House is 120 to 125 beats per minute. This is a dance floor tempo. Deep House is a genre that uses acoustic sounds such as bongos and shakers. A variety of samples are utilized in Deep House, from the vocal loops to shakers. Fiona Kraft & DJEFF Fiona Kraft, a DJ and model with a strong soul, discovered her love for music. Her distinctive style is a blend of Afro House and tight beats that result in lively performances that are a hit with her listeners. She has played with Black Coffee Miss Kittin, and Manoo. Her latest release "Nomad" was backed by top dance music labels and made it to the charts in ten countries. The French producer's soft pads, spacious percussion and less pronounced basslines distinguish her from other artists of the category. The track she has just released called 'The Basis' is scheduled to be released through the label Non Merci Music in 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=recijVlKo8Q