German Duo Reimagines Beloved Latvian Choral Favorite in English

"Sometimes a big journey begins with a small spark – a feeling that is hard to explain, but which you immediately recognize. With "Morning and Evening Song", we both began our journey – not just by listening, but by trying to understand it – musically, emotionally, linguistically. From this respect and immersion came the desire to give the song a new form – an English version that builds bridges without losing the soul of the original," according to the duo. For Berliner Martin Pfeffer, this journey began several years ago, when he became acquainted with Latvian choral music. Martin is a professional musician and also gives private guitar lessons. A student from a Latvian-German family was studying with him, who showed him a video of the Latvian Song Festival concert, and Martin, who had previously known nothing about Latvia and its music, seemed to make a connection. "It was immediately clear - I had to be there! The guy had already told me this and that about Latvia before, but I have to admit, I didn't pay much attention to it. But when I saw the video from the Mežaparks stage... I asked - when is it happening? He said - every five years, but the next one is next year. But you will only get there if you sing in a Latvian choir, because it will be practically impossible to buy tickets. I said - but how will I get into a Latvian choir?! And he said - my mom sings in Berlin, come and see how everything goes there! It was Latvian Independence Day, the choir performed, I listened and realized - yes, I want to be in this choir!" says Martin. Martin fulfilled his dream and with the Berlin Latvian Choir he also participated in the XXVII General Latvian Song Festival in 2023. Today he still says that it was the most miraculous, the most incredible experience of his life: "It can neither be told nor described. Every time I even think about it, tears well up in my eyes." When Martin first heard "Morning and Evening Song", he fell in love with it from the first note. About a year ago, Martin and singer Martina Gotti founded the duo MIS, or "March in Space." The collaboration began gradually. Martin, who had already talked a lot about Latvian songs and shown video recordings, played Martina "Morning and Evening Song", which he had fallen in love with and her reaction was similar: "There was something in the melody and its quiet power that sounded like a call. He had felt it, and I felt it instantly too. I was also drawn to the special sound of Latvian music." English, not German, was chosen because the duo sings in English, and both wanted not only the melody, but also the lyrics to reach the widest possible audience. "We definitely wanted to keep the soul of this text. [Lyricist] Rasa Bugavičūte-Pēce is able to find really powerful words, she has a talent for making songs something very special. It was important to me that this feeling remains. And it was difficult! It took a long time until we were satisfied ourselves, and, it seems, we managed to get quite close to the original both in terms of content, feelings and message," says Martins. When the song was ready, the most important thing was missing – permission to perform it. Without it, the two did not even think of releasing it. Moreover, it was important for the musicians not only to legally sort everything out with both German and Latvian copyright organizations, but also to receive the acceptance of both authors of the song, which was eventually forthcoming. Martina says: "Our duo has only been around for a year, and although we have released a few of our songs, we are not widely known. Martin has been working in the music field for almost forty years, but [composer] Raimonds Tiguls, of course, cannot know that. And yet both authors listened and gave their acceptance. It was so sweet! Without any conditions or requirements, just – hey, it's great! It was great. The communication was human and sincere." The two have put the recorded song on various platforms so that as many people around the world as possible can hear it, including in the YouTube video above.