The Grand Folk Song Concert will bring together folk music groups and musicians to celebrate the Latvian tradition of ‘ziņģes’. Ziņģes are narrative songs that reflect various events in people’s lives – love and relationships, family, work, everyday occurrences and also events of the times. They are characterised by narrative lyrics, in which humour and wit are often found alongside serious life stories. Although the stories behind many ziņģes originated several decades ago, the tradition continues to thrive today. Ziņģes are sung in families, by folklore groups, at dance evenings and at folk music events.
The concert will feature ‘Teikas muzikanti’, ‘Zeidi’, ‘Kokle’, ‘Dzilna’, ‘Banga’, ‘Garataka’, the musicians of Skaņumāja and the Patjanko family band.