Armands Strazds
Armands Strazds (born March 10, 1970 in Riga, Latvia) is a Latvian politician, education researcher, composer, record producer and software developer.
He studied composition with Gederts Ramans at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and with Friedhelm Döhl at the Lübeck Academy of Music, where he also studied computer music with Dirk Reith.[1] His PhD studies with Atis Kapenieks at Riga Technical University were on new learning technologies. He and Kapenieks have published several papers in the area.[2]
Armands Strazds is the developer of the algorithmic composition systems, Digital Winds (1995)[3] and Hymnica (2003). In 2005, two of his compositions for theatre drama, Pulss (Pulse) and Es mīlēju viņu (I loved him) were broadcast on Latvian national radio.[4]
Strazds (together with Modris Tenisons) is the creator of the Zime Project[5] which was the central exhibit of the Latvia Pavilion at Expo 2000.[6] Zimes, from the Latvian word for "sign", are coloured graphic patterns generated by the computer encryption of texts, pictures, or sounds. During the course of Expo 2000, 300,000 visitors to the Latvia Pavilion generated their personal zimes, including the (then) President of Latvia, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga.[7][8]
Selected compositions
- The Prophet / Angels Forever in Flight (opera for soprano, tenor, mixed choir and orchestra, 2002, ~90’).
- Laudamus (symphony, 1994, ~12’).
- Elysium (an oratorio for five sopranos, two vibraphones, viola and ten violins, 1993, ~30’)
- Prayer (an oratorio for three sopranos, three tenors, three choirs, tubular bells, tam-tam, bass drum and cymbals, 1992, ~20’)
- Requiem (soprano, tenor, bass, double mixed choir and string orchestra, 1991, ~30’)
- Gitanjali (an oratorio for soprano, tenor, mixed choir, string orchestra and percussions, 1990, ~50’, CD CR 01 011 94)
- Vēstules tālajai zvaigznei / Letters to the Distant Star (a rock oratorio for soprano, tenor, mixed choir, piano, flute, cello and percussions, 1989, ~50’)
- Studies of Space / Studia spatii (two marimbas, dedicated to the Wooden Art Duo, 1994, ~8’)
- Studies of Rhythms and Color / Studia numeri et coloris (wind quintet, 1994, ~5’)
- Structure 4 (string quartet, based on G.M.Koenig’s Projekt 1, 1994, ~3’)
- Vedanta (cello, dedicated to Zheng Liu, 1994, ~11’)
- Hexagram (a palindrome for chamber orchestra, 1992, ~5’)
- Stikla pērlīšu spēle / Glassperlenspiel (piano and voice, 1989, ~5’)
- The Bride (music for tape, two digital celli, dedicated to the Leipzig Tanztrio, 1994, ~6’)
- Hymnica (computer and synthesizer, 2003)
- Simple Machines (IBM computers, 1994)
- The Wave (sine tones tape, 1993, 12’)
- Klangbilder nach Brahms (film music, produced at the Crea studio, 1997, 40’).
- Spirit of the Cities / Geist der Städte (film music, 2006, 25’)
Notes and references
- ^ Pupa, Guntars (2004)
- ^ e.g. A. Strazds, A. Kapenieks, (2007) "A new automated method of e-learner's satisfaction measurement", International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, Vol. 2, No. 2; B. Zuga, I. Slaidins, A. Kapenieks and A. Strazds (2006) "M-learning and Mobile Knowledge Management: Similarities and Differences", International Journal of Computing & Information Sciences, Vol. 4, No. 2.
- ^ Gourley, David et al. (2002) p. 58.
- ^ Radio Theatre Repertory Archives, Latvijas Radio. Accessed 20 September 2008
- ^ The Zime Project Official site. Accessed 20 September 2008
- ^ Profile, www.expo2000.de (in German). Accessed 20 September 2008
- ^ National Pavilions 98.eu:Expo 2000. Accessed 20 September 2008.
- ^ Photographs of President Vīķe-Freiberga generating her personal zime. Zime Project Official site. Accessed 20 September 2008.
External links
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Strazds, Armands |
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10 March 1970 |
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