KING RAT'S ARTIST GALLERY

ЭОЛИКА

Amateur group 'Эолика' (Eolika) performed forthe first time in 1967. But the group disbanded soon after to be reborn in a new quality in 1972 as an accompaniment to various soloists, and was seen from the start as a highly professional ensemble. From the previous lineup of five students from the Latvian Conservatory and enthusiasts of popular music, only three 'resisted': flutist Andris Resins, sound enginer Boris Bondarenko, and the supervisor of the group, 33 year old pianist and composer Boriss Rezniks.

The name of the ensemble was taken from a type of harp—aeolian, which in the music world is a symbol of beauty and harmony. In the following years, Eolika—now a professional ensemble of the Latvian State Philharmonic Society—included Jurijs Grinevs and Boriss Tarasovs, saxophonist Augis Kuniikas, Viktors Pegovs (percussion instruments) and 24 year old soloists Ilona Valina and Ligita Zeile.

In 1987 the collective won first prize at the Sixth All-Union Competition of Variety Artists (with the song 'Перед заморозками' (U.Savickas)), successfully completing their tour in Cuba. The ensemble's success is noted by the press: in their reviews at the festival in Poznan, observer Witold Koscyansky predicts a 'starry' future for 'Эолика'.

The ensemble was distinguished by a rich concert activity, visiting practically every city in the Soviet Union. The majority of musicians in the collective received classical education (including higher), that determined the highly professional repertoire and manner of the artist. Apart from the ownership of the musical instruments, every member of the group sang, with harmonious acapella compositions often sounding from the stage. The individual skill of the musicians allowed the collective to create works of any difficulty, and the beauty of the instrumental palette created a feeling that sounded not like six artists, but a whole big-band. The firm 'Мелодия' released two LPs of the ensemble (1980 and 1985).

Original source: https://www.sssrviapesni.info/eolika.html

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Estrādes dziesmas Variety Songs (1969)	Сны Риги Rīgas sapņi (1980)	Noktirne (1981)	Pasaule, pasaulīt (1985)	Рок-опера 'Робинзон Крузо' (1988)