Brauns: Daugava

Daugava by poet Rainis and composer Mārtiņš Brauns has great cultural and historical value. The work is closely linked with the birth of the Latvian state in the early 20th century as well as with the country’s path towards the restoration of its independence at the end of the 20th century.

“Sun, Thunder, Daugava” – the high point of the poem – has experienced a tremendous wave of popularity. As Rainis had “cried out” his Daugava against the slaughter of the nation, so Brauns replayed this drama, now as part of a new arc of development, against the loss of the nation’s identity.