Farewell to the Founder of 'Eolika': Composer Boris Reznik Has Passed Away 0 22

God of the Wind

Death occurred on the last day of 2025, but his wife publicly announced it only on January 1. "2025 ended tragically for me," she wrote on social media. "Yesterday, after a long illness, the person I was with for 53 years – my beloved husband Boris Reznik – passed away. I have not yet fully realized the loss; I did not report it yesterday so as not to spoil everyone’s holiday. Cherish your loved ones!"

"We worked under one roof at the Philharmonic of the Latvian SSR for ten years, but there are no bad memories of our time together, simply none," responded renowned Latvian composer Zigmar Liepinsh, author of the hit "I Am Not Afraid of the Ant." "Such was the talented musician, a professional, a sincere, kind person. That was Boris Reznik. Such will be the memories of you, Borya. A bright journey home, old friend!"

Reznik was indeed a person of incredibly kind soul, responsive, benevolent, and immensely talented! He was born on May 3, 1947, in Riga and lived his entire life in the Latvian capital (except for the last time when he settled in Skulte, near Saulkrasti). He graduated from the famous training ground for musical talent – the Emil Darzins School, and then received a diploma in choral conducting from the conservatory.

However, like his great colleague Raimonds Pauls, who is preparing for his ninetieth birthday these days, he became interested in jazz while still studying at the conservatory. It was then, in the late sixties, that the ensemble Varav?ksne ("Rainbow") emerged thanks to Boris, which in 1972 evolved into "Eolika." The unusual name was invented by Reznik, a well-educated person. After all, Aeolus is the ancient Greek god of the wind.

Recipe for a Hit

People of the older generation remember that this group sang at numerous weddings and friendly gatherings during those years. Later, having justly become a star of the Latvian pop scene, they came under the official roof of the Latvian Philharmonic.

Since then, the group has had many hits. One of the famous ones is precisely to the music of Reznik, "Labrit, with you Riga speaks." It is important that back then, in the seventies, the song was, as one might say now, bilingual. That is, in Latvian and Russian. It became known far beyond the borders of Latvia and became a kind of business card of the Latvian capital.

"The original lyrics belong to my very good friend Lev Malinsky," the composer said four years ago when preparing for a jubilee tour across the cities of Latvia. "Lev has been living in Israel for many years now. The song appeared in 1979, even before the current lineup of the 'Eolika' quartet. I honestly don’t remember how this song came about. I forgot because it was so long ago! Perhaps the words were born first. But an interesting detail is that we wrote this song at the 'Melody' studio, and back then, it was possible to afford to invite a chamber orchestra from the Philharmonic under the direction of the esteemed conductor, People’s Artist of the Latvian SSR Toviy Lifshitz!"

And there were also "Peace, Peace," "You Laughed in Your Sleep," "I Am Not Jane Fonda." In total, more than a hundred songs. As the founder of 'Eolika' himself said, he had no recipe for a hit. "Just to write one hit, you need to write about twenty songs before that, and then one of them might become popular," he said. "That is, you just need to work a lot. But the melody is the main thing in a song."

Zigzags of Fortune

The great Raimonds Pauls, by the way, wrote his songs for 'Eolika' as well, but it was the Maestro who conquered the pop Olympus. Here, according to the musician who has left us, luck is important. And it seemed that in the Olympic year of 1980, luck smiled upon 'Eolika' – the group's song made it into the midnight program of Central Television "New Year’s Fire," a broadcast watched by everyone on one-sixth of the earth's surface. There was a trip to Moscow, a recording at the Ostankino television studio, and on January 1, when everyone sat down in front of the TV with New Year salads, the members of 'Eolika' did not see themselves...

"And here luck turned its back on us. The thing is, just before our performance, the hosts went live and said they wanted to make a New Year’s surprise for the viewers – and they connected to the USSR national hockey team match against Canada, a live broadcast from Canada. This was unusual at the time – a live broadcast, and just such an event! And this broadcast overshadowed our performance! Unfortunately, as a result, no one saw us!"

Still, the group became incredibly popular, and everyone in Latvia knew them. Many hummed Reznik's songs, but he was not often recognized. He always remained in the shadow of the stars – even on stage, he sat in the corner, behind everyone, playing the keyboards. And likewise on stage, behind everyone, he played four years ago during a concert that turned out to be farewell. In recent years, Reznik worked in his studio on Krishjana Valdemara Street in Riga, and then, unfortunately, fell seriously ill.

How is it Back Home?

But many memories remain of a wonderful person and his creativity. Memories of past tours half a century ago across Russia and the entire USSR. And the most memorable concert for Boris was the one that took place in 1985 in Afghanistan, where Soviet troops were deployed.

"The concerts were attended by those who were serving there – during this, let’s say, war. And after each concert, someone from Latvia or from the nearby republics and regions – from Estonia, Lithuania, Kaliningrad, Leningrad – would come up to us. Many cried. And I remember someone from the Latvian soldiers asked me: 'Can I touch Olga Raetskaya?' And this was... a success. Emotional. And an extremely delicate moment that cannot be compared to anything. Because these concerts were for those who did not know if they would be alive the next day.

One can recall that this idiotic war was unnecessary for anyone. But I remember that during those concerts, people were happy! Soldiers would come up to us and ask with tears in their eyes how things were back home. It was an incredible feeling that I have never experienced again in my life and probably will not experience again. And thank God, I won’t..."

Boris Reznik was a recipient of the National Recording Award of Latvia (1997), an officer of the Order of the Three Stars (2010), and was awarded a certificate of honor from the President of Latvia (2021).

Deepest condolences to the family and fans of the musician's talent. Farewell to the founder of 'Eolika' Boris Reznik will take place at the Riga crematorium on Thursday, January 8 at 14:00.