This autumn, the annual Nordic Days will take place in Liepāja. The main day of the programme will be 3 November, when residents and visitors are invited to a concert by Norwegian musician Marja Mortensson at the Great Amber Concert Hall.
The traditional form of song in Sámi* music is joik. It is like a melodic meditation, a moment to embrace thoughts, feelings, and emotions. The songs have another function, a magical one used to invoke, deter or protect. These are not melodies focused on a particular thing, but rather a way to capture the essence of an animal or a force of nature.
At the Liepāja Concert Hall, this vibrant music will be presented in a special concert program, which is a gift from the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Rīga to the residents and guests of Liepāja. The stage will be shared by South Sámi singer, two-time winner of the Norwegian Spellemannprisen award Marja Mortensson and her partners in music – tubist and composer Daniel Herskedal and percussionist Jakop Janssønn.
The concert will feature compositions from the singer’s album Båalmaldahkesne, which translates to ‘Entwined', like two interwoven braids. These are Marja’s stories, her joiks, her universe, where life is inherently bound to a cultural canvas. The singer speaks about the language that paints everyday life, about the amazing ability of children to live in the moment, and the fighting spirit of youth. She reflects on the sense of belonging and unity that gives strength to pass heritage on to future generations.
* The Sámi live in the very north of Europe, inhabiting territories of several countries. The Sámi live in Norway (most of the world's Sámi population), Finland, Sweden and in Russia, where they are the smallest national minority, mostly living around the Lovezero Lake in the Kola Peninsula.
Admission is free, but tickets are required. Tickets are available at Biļešu Paradīze box offices and online: here