Composers > Alvils Altmanis

Alvils Altmanis

“I am made free by the fact that I do not compare myself to others.”

Alvils Altmanis


BIOGRAPHY

The composer, musician, and teacher Alvils Altmanis was born on July 1st, 1950 in the Sidrabene village in the region of Jelgava. He studied the clarinet at the Jelgava Children’s Music School and at the Jelgava College of Music with Jūlijs Grūtups. He studied at the Latvian State Conservatory in the clarinet class of Eduards Mednis and Ģirts Pāže (1986–1990) and Romualds Kalsons’ composition class (1991–1995).

As of 1986, Alvils Altmanis is an artist of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, playing the clarinet and bass clarinet. As of 1999, he is an associate professor in the music department at the Riga Pedagogical and Education managerial school. He has given solo concerts in Riga and other cities in Latvia, as a soloist he has performed together with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, and the orchestras of the Ventspils and Jelgava Colleges of Music. He has played in the wind orchestra Riga, the Jazz Orchestra of Latvian Radio, and the Jelgava big band Gamma. He has participated in jazz music competitions and festivals. At the festival Liepājas dzintars in 1981, he received the award of best instrumentalist. He has recorded many works for clarinet and bass clarinet at Latvian Radio.

While still a student of composition, Alvils Altmanis achieved 1st place at the international composition competition in Enschede, Holland. He is also an award winner at many Latvian competitions. Concerts of his works have taken place in Riga and other cities – Ventspils, Daugavpils, Jelgava. Alvils Altmanis is one of few Latvian composers who have capabilities in both academic genres and jazz music, since he also plays the saxophone. That is why at one time he can freely play, compose, arrange, and improvise in many different music fields and different arrangements.

As of 1994, Alvils Altmanis is a member of the Latvian Composers’ Union.


DISCOGRAPHY

Hallowed Eve/Svētvakars, Christmas cantata / NEW YORK LATVIAN Concert choir, SONORE choir of Riga, Latvia National opera orchestra, Conductor Andrejs Jansons // Christmas in Latvia – 1995, NYLCC 001

Ex similis consilio for saxophone quintet – 9’45” / Riga saxophone quartet and Jean-Pierre Baraglioli (soprano saxophone, France) // Le Pont Mirabeau (Mirabeau Bridge). Le Quatuor de Saxophones de Riga avec Jean-Pierre Baraglioli – 2000, Rigas skaņu ierakstu studija


LITERATURE

I. Olšteina, Neesmu radis būt uzmanības centrā (I was not Created to be the Centre of Attention) [interview] // Latvijas Jaunatne, November 25th, 1992 • L. Jakovļeva, Ugunskristības jeb pirmais autorconcerto (Baptism by Fire or the First Author’s Concerto) [review] // Rīgas Balss, February, 1994. • E. Goldšteins, Alvila Altmaņa autorkoncertā (Alvils Altmanis’ Author’s Concert) [review] // Labrīt, February 23rd, 1994 • G. Pupa, Lietus diena (Day of Rain) [review] // Literatūra un Māksla Latvijā, June 8th, 2000 • G. Pupa, Ir jānotic sev un jādara darbs, ko vislabāk proti... (You Have to Believe in Yourself and Do What You Do Best...) [interview regarding his 50th birthday] // Literatūra un Māksla Latvijā, June 29th, 2000 • I. Lūsiņa, Vēlīnais komponists, klarnetes bruņinieks (Late Composer, Clarinet Knight) [interview] // Diena, February 12th, 2001 • I. Liepiņa, Situācijas diagnostika (Situational Diagnostic) [review] // Forums, December 13th/20th, 2002 • I. Lūsiņa, Pašreizējais stāvoklis ir uz laika robežas (The Current Situation is on the Border of Time) [review] // Diena, November 28th, 2002. • I. Zemzaris, Pirmatskaņojumi novembrī (Premieres in November) [review] // Mūzikas Saule, 2002, no. 6, 32


Ligita Ašme, Mārīte Dombrovska
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