Aivars Kalējs (April 22, 1951,

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

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) is a Latvian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

Career

Aivars Kalējs has written more than 100 opuses of symphonic, organ, piano, chamber and choir music. His works have won several composition awards, e.g. symphonic work "Musica Dolente" - dedicated to the victims of the tragic events of

September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. His works are included in many CD's of the great musicians and collectives such as

Iveta Apkalna Iveta Apkalna (born 30 November 1976, Rēzekne, Latvia) is a Latvian organist and pianist. Biography Iveta Apkalna studied piano and organ at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, graduating in both instruments with distinction in 199 ...

Andris Nelsons Andris Nelsons (born 18 November 1978) is a Latvian conductor. He is currently music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and ''Gewandhauskapellmeister'' of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. He was previously music director of the Lat ...

, Maxim Novikov and Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, Vita Kalnciema released retrospective CD ''Flashes'' of Aivars Kalējs organ music recorded in

Riga Cathedral Riga Cathedral (; ) formally The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, is the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral in Riga, Latvia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Riga. The cathedral is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Latvia, and is featur ...

. Aivars Kalējs is a concert organist at the Dome Cathedral in Riga and chief organist for the New St. Gertrudes Lutheran Church. He has performed solo recitals, included participating in dozens of important international organ festivals, and toured with various ensembles throughout North America, Colombia, almost all European countries, and Asia, including prestigious venues as

Notre Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...

(only Latvian who had three recitals there),

Musikverein The ( or ; ), commonly shortened to , is a concert hall in Vienna, Austria, which is located in the Innere Stadt district. The building opened in 1870 and is the home of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. The acoustics of the building's 'Grea ...

, West Point Military Academy Cadet Chapel with largest pipe organ in the world. Kalējs is known as an enthusiast in search of undervalued works by famous composer and music by forgotten composers. Up to 2004, he has recorded six solo CDs and participated in 34 CD recordings, including as chief organist for the Riga Dome Boys' Choir. Kalējs has worked with such musicians as conductors

, Māris Sirmais, Andres Mustonen, Pierre Cao, Sigvards Kļava, Normunds Šnē,

Imants Kokars Imants Kokars (16 August 1921 in Gulbene, Latvia – 24 November 2011 in Riga, Latvia) was a Latvian people, Latvian pedagogue and Conducting, conductor. His twin brother Gido Kokars was also a conductor. Imants Kokar has been chief conductor of s ...

, Andris Veismanis and Tovy Lifshitz, violinists

Gidon Kremer Gidon Kremer (; born 27 February 1947) is a Latvian classical violinist, artistic director, and founder of Kremerata Baltica. Life and career Gidon Kremer was born in Riga. His father was Jewish and had survived the Holocaust. His mother had ...

, Valdis Zariņš and Elina Buksha, violist Maxim Novikov, cellist

Alexander Kniazev Alexandre Alexandrovitch Kniazev () (born 26 April 1961 in Moscow) is a Russian cellist and organist. He was named best musician of the year in Russia in 1999. Kniazev studied music at Moscow Conservatory. He entered the cello class of Alexand ...

, Eleonora Testeļeca, pianist Polina Osetinskaya, singers Inese Galante, Inga Kalna, Inga Šļubovska-Kancēviča, Kristīne Gailīte, Ieva Parša, Martina Doehring, Lina Mkrtchyan, Egils Siliņš, Jānis Sproģis, Ingus Pētersons, Rustam Yavaev, Sergejs Jēgers, flutists Dita Krenberga and Ilze Urbāne, oboe player Uldis Urbāns, saxophonist Artis Sīmanis and Riga Saxophone Quartet, such collectives as

Kremerata Baltica Kremerata Baltica is a chamber orchestra consisting of musicians from Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). It was founded by Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer in 1997. Gidon Kremer is an artistic director of Kremerata Baltica. Descript ...

, State Choir Latvija, Latvian Radio Choir, Chamber Choir AVE SOL, Choir ''Kamēr'' and many national symphony orchestras. Kalējs has led vocal ensemble ''Dardedze'' (1971-1991) and he has been piano accompanist in Leonīds Vīgners chamber choir and choir ''Mūza''. From 1980 to 1985, he worked on the monument board at the Latvian Ministry of Culture’s, focusing on research of the organs of Latvian churches, and accomplishing the addition of 250 organs to the index of protected cultural monuments. Aivars Kalējs’ writings about organ history can be read in music lexicons and periodicals.https://www.musicabaltica.com/en/composers-and-authors/kalejs-aivars/ Cultural momumemnts He studied under Ādolfs Skulte, Nikolajs Vanadziņš and Lūcija Garūta.

Works

* List of compositions by Aivars Kalējs ; Selected works for symphony orchestra by Aivars Kalējs:
''Musica dolente''
dedicated to the innocent victims of the tragic events of

''De profundis''
; Selected works for chamber music by Aivars Kalējs:
''Songs of Innocence''
for chamber choir, flute and organ, poetry by

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

*Fugue on the Chorale ''Ein Feste Burg ist unser Gott'' and Blues, for saxophone quartet and organ *''Spiritual evening songs'', for tenor, alto-saxophone and organ *''Ave Maria'' for voice and keyboard
''Viator Dei''
for French horn/viola/cello and organ/piano
Toccata
for violin solo
''Vēja dziesma (Wind Song)''
for flute and piano
Piano cycle ''French Album''
op. 55 dedicated to eleven French composers - J.P.

Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; ; – ) was a French composer and music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera a ...

, E. Satie, G. Fauré, C.

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

, M.

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

, F. Poulenc, O.

Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...

, M. Legrand, J. Alain, L. Boulanger and F. Lai (1997)
''Le stagioni per sotto voce'' (''Seasons in an Undertone'')
for piano ; Selected works for organ by Aivars Kalējs:
Chorale Sonata''Solitudinem faciunt''
in memory of victims in Zolitūde shopping centre roof collapse
Toccata on the Chorale ''Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr''Toccata in C, for organ duo''Per aspera ad astra''''Via dolorosa''''Lux aeterna''''Lux aeterna II''

''Perpetuum mobile''''Prayer''

References

External links

Contact and listen

Facebook — Aivars KalējsYoutube - Aivars Kalējs

Scores

Sheet music - Toccata for violin solo by KalējsSheet music - Songs of Innocence for female / children's choir, flute, organ / piano
* ttps://www.formblitz.de/products/piquenique-la-manire-de-manet-noten-aivars-kalejs-35992.html Sheet music - Pique-nique à la Manière de Manet for soprano and piano by Kalējsbr>Sheet music - "Via Dolorosa" by Kalējs
*[http://www.editionpeters.com/detail.php?productid=ST42128&proddesc=&supercategory=BRN00017&branch=&wcategory=CAT00026&catdesc=Organ+&treecode=TRE00000&super=0040BRN00017~0040CAT00026 Sheet music - Edition Peters - Kalējs, Aivars "Prayer" (Gebet, Lūgšana)] {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalejs, Aivars 1951 births Living people 20th-century Latvian classical composers 20th-century male musicians 21st-century classical composers 21st-century organists 21st-century Latvian male musicians Latvian organists Cathedral organists Classical organists Latvian male classical composers Male classical organists Musicians from Riga Organ improvisers