As he congratulated Raimonds Pauls, President Levits said, ‘Esteemed Mr Pauls, Maestro, I am the sixth president of Latvia who has personally congratulated you on your birthday over the years. Presidents come and go, but Raimonds Pauls is always here. You are an idol of all Latvians here in Latvia and elsewhere in the world. I have to admit, you are a true legend. Several generations of Latvians grew up together with your music and continue to listen to it to this day. I myself remember playing and dancing to your songs at school discos. The power with which your music continues to resonate has not waned after all these tens of years. In music, as you know so well yourself, people may reach a peak of their popularity for some years and then gradually disappear from the limelight. But not you – you have always managed to stay relevant. It is an extraordinary quality, and so is your musical presence. You have done jazz, pop, classical, choral, theatre and film music. The legacy you have created during your life, with your work and dedication, is enormous. Absolutely phenomenal! I am deeply honoured to wish you happy birthday today present you a small token, a Presidential plaquette that Presidents can award as they see fit. And you are definitely up there as one of people who deserve to have it. Thank you so, so much! I am not a music expert myself, but I do love to listen to it. And my earliest recollections of hearing your songs, your music, go back to at least my middle-school years and span all the way to this day. Thank you!’
Raimonds Pauls thanked the President for plaquette and said, ‘We are meeting in a building that I have worked almost all my life in. It is really like my second home. Latvian Radio has always remained loyal to its listeners, even for all those years when that was very difficult. And that is what we expect it to remain. Latvian Radio must be the main media for our language and our culture. Thank you for taking the time out to come and congratulate me. I promise to keep going for as long as I can. I actually have to rush to Dzintari Concert Hall today. I have always celebrated my birthday’s behind a piano. Thank you!’
