Reviews

Saucējas is a traditional singing group presenting songs from the ancient times with amazing, full and powerful singing with clashing and intricate intervals, enthralling contemporary listeners with a vibrant and inspired performance.

“Women and girls that keep sake and care for the most ancient layers of the nation’s values. A group where girls sing 24h a day as it seems. A group of like-minded people that can perfectly combine colossal knowledge of folksongs, diverse singing styles, pureness and simplicity and at the same time, high professionality" /Artistic director and conductor of the Latvian State Academic Choir "Latvija" Māris Sirmais/

About

Saucējas, the traditional singing group of the Latvian Academy of Culture, was established in 2003 in Riga. The members are united by the common goal of learning and popularising traditional Latvian singing styles and techniques, with particular attention to those local traditions involving multipart singing.

Repertoire

The Saucējas repertoire includes various types of traditional polyphony, which have been documented mainly in three parts of Latvia – Kurzeme, Sēlija and Latgale – and which provide an insight into archaic forms of drone singing, as well as a variety of later forms of multipart singing. Thematically, the Saucējas repertoire includes songs linked with seasonal festivals, family celebrations and various types of work, with a special focus on singing traditions performed outdoors in nature (rotāšana, gavilēšana), and also songs that are a part of daily life. In developing the group’s repertoire, the singers make use of archived audio recordings of traditional singing as well as direct contact with traditional singers during fieldwork. In order to gain as broad an understanding as possible about the musical material, the group members also learn about the functional context of the music, the terminology used in the musical practice, the individual experience of particular singers, linguistic dialects and so on. Saucējas have prepared concert programmes dedicated to several different traditions in Latvian vocal music (Viļaka, Liepna, Sēlpils/Vārnava, Ludza/Kārsava).

Albums

  • “Dabā” 2022. Saņēmis Latvijas mūzikas ierakstu gada balvu 2022 Buy 
  • “Trīci, munu ustabeni. Ludzas un Kārsavas tradicionālā mūzika” 2016. Saņēmis Latgaliešu kultūras gada balvu “Boņuks” 2016  Buy;
  • “Dziediet, meitas, vokorā. Sēlpils un Vārnavas folklora” 2012. Saņēmis Latvijas mūzikas ierakstu gada balvu 2012  Buy
  • “Saucējas. En concert á Paris” 2014  Buy
  • “Saucējas” 2007  Buy

Members

Elīna Ellere, Kristīne Jansone, Katrīna Liepa, Janta Meža,  Signe Pujāte, Zane Reitere, Vineta Romāne, Iveta Tāle. 
Iesaistījušās arī: Marianna Auliciema, Vija Babre, Aija Biezaite, Justīne Jaudzema, Kristīne Kasseth,  Indra Mētra, Zane Pērkone, Anna Paula Pujēna,  Kristīne Rotbaha, Ieva Vīvere (Tihovska).