OjÃÂrs Raimonds Pauls (born 12 January 1936) is a Latvian composer and a pianist who is well known in the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe. He was the Minister of Culture of Latvia from 1988 to 1993.
His songs were performed by such popular singers as Alla Pugacheva, Valery Leontyev, Laima Vaikule, Jaak Joala, Roza Rymbayeva, Svetlana Loboda, Nora Bumbiere, Viktors LapÃÂenoks and others.
Raimonds Pauls is the second child of Iüãuciems' glass blowing factory worker VoldemÃÂrs Pauls and seamstress Alma Matilde Brodele. His father VoldemÃÂrs, began his career at the age of 15 years, when he joined his father (Raimonds Pauls' grandfather, ÃÂdolfs Pauls) at the factory. Meanwhile, VoldemÃÂrs' mother, Aleksandra, respectively Raimonds' grandmother, hired an assistant at her shop â Alma. In 1932, VoldemÃÂrs and Alma celebrated their wedding. Unfortunately, their firstborn son, GunÃÂrs VoldemÃÂrs died from meningitis at the age of four months.
As Raimonds' father has played drums and his grandfather â violin, VoldemÃÂrs decides that his son should also play a musical instrument. Equipped with an old violin, Raimonds got into Riga's Institute of Music kindergarten branch. As it was decided by the teachers that he was too young and "his fingers were unfit" for playing violin, Raimonds started with piano lessons.
In 1943, Raimonds began his studies at Riga's 7th Elementary school, while, in parallel, continuing to take piano lessons with the professor Valerijs Zosts and teachers Emma Eglëte and Juta Daugule.
In 1946, Raimonds was admitted to the Secondary Musical School of Emëls DÃÂrzià Âà ¡, combining his studies at the elementary school for three years. At the age of 14, Raimonds gained experience playing piano at restaurants and clubs with a violin and saxophone virtuoso, GunÃÂrs Kuà ¡Ã·is. In 1949, he finished his studies at Riga's 7th Elementary School. During this time, he independently developed a liking for playing jazz by studying and imitating various jazz records.
30 theatre performances, including:
Puppet shows:
Music for more than 30 movies, including:
Raimonds Pauls was a member of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR and served as Minister of Culture in the Latvian government from 1988 to 1993. In 1993 he became an advisor to the President of Latvia. In 1998, he was elected a Member of the Saeima, the Latvian parliament, initially as leader of the New Party. Before the 2002 elections he joined the People's Party and was elected on its party list in 2002 and 2006. Pauls ran in the 1999 presidential election and received the highest number of votes, but below the required majority. He chose to decline the post.
After Latvia re-established independence, Pauls continued his musical work, most notably working with , the most popular children's group in Latvia at the time. In 1996, he went on a tour with singer Laima Vaikule, which included concert locations in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and New York City.
As of 2004, Pauls has composed music for six musical films and musical theaters, three ballets and over 50 movies and theater performances. CDs with Pauls' music have been released in several countries outside Latvia, including Russia, Finland, and Japan. In 2006 he recorded a double album of jazz music, My Favourite Melodies/So Many Stars â a long-awaited venture by the pianist into the jazz genre.