Dzelzs vilks, Forshpil - BORSH
The Jewish music ensemble FORSHPIL has researched and performed traditional Eastern European Ashkenazi music since 2003. The musicians have traveled widely and studied with renowned experts all over the word, in order to discover the living essence of Ashkenazi culture. FORSHPIL has based their style on traditional Yiddish tunes, Klezmer melodies, and Hassidic prayers (nigunim). They have also been influenced by various contemporary musical trends.
DZELZS VILKS is one of the most interesting and creative Latvian rock groups performing today. Founded in 1991, the band has explored various musical directions—from death metal to alternative music to folk rock—and has never shied away from experimentation and new paths of development. Therefore, when lead vocalist Juris Kaukulis heard a performance by the young Klezmer group FORSHPIL, he agreed to create a program with the musicians for the PORTA Festival. This resulted in the BORSHT project, which premiered in November of 2007.
BORSHT is a Ukrainian soup and also a typical Jewish feast. The way in which this Ukrainian tradition merged with Jewish cuisine is similar to the intermingling and merging of various musical traditions, which sometimes results in the emergence of new traditions. Borsht has several ingredients, each of which has its own flavor and color; yet only when mixed together do they create a delicious and filling soup, whose unique flavor is appreciated by Ukrainians, Jews, and Latvians alike. The musical partnership between FORSHPIL and DZELZS VILKA is a type of musical borsht, which combines Latvian folksongs, Juris Kaukulis’s romantic melodies, and Jewish wisdom and sensuousness.
“It was extremely interesting and exciting for us to work on the BORSHT project. We tried to find both a modern lexicon for expressing traditional music, and a communal language for fostering intercultural dialogue between nations. Playing with DZELZS VILKU was creative and very inspiring. It was also the last project we undertook with our previous lineup of musicians, and therefore marked a transition to our new sound and musical concept.”
FORSHPIL
Before we met FORSHPIL, we knew very little about Jewish music. Therefore I was very surprised to see how organically our music harmonized and how easily we understood one another. A couple arrangements were created in literally just a matter of minutes. For us, this collaboration was an absolute emotional explosion.
FORSHPIL:
Ilya Shneyveys - accordion, pipe.
Aleksandra Lurje - vocals
Inna Raihmane – violin
Artyom Vesna - percussion
DZELZS VILKS:
Juris Kaukulis – vocals, mandolin, guitar
Kaspars Tobis - keyboards
Mārcis Judzis - percussion
Valērijs Cīrulis – vocals, bass
Andris Alviķis – contrabass (9)