Peteris Vasks: Chamber Music

On this CD:

1. Landscape With Birds for flute solo
Composed by Peteris Vasks
Performed by Dita Krenberga

2. Fantasia - Landscapes of a Burnt-out Earth
Composed by Peteris Vasks
Performed by Inara Zandmane

3. Episodi e canto perpetuo
Composed by Peteris Vasks
Performed by Latvian Philharmonic Trio

4. Music for a Deceased Friend
Composed by Peteris Vasks
Performed by Riga Wind Quintet

5. Book, for solo cello
Composed by Peteris Vasks
Performed by Kristine Blaumane

Peteris Vasks: Chamber Music, Music, Kristine Blaumane, Peteris Vasks, Latvian Philharmonic Trio, Riga Wind Quintet, Dita Krenberga, Inara Zandmane, Chamber, Chamber Music, Classical, Classical Music, Flute Solo/Sonata, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous Music

Baltic Voices 1 / Kreek Sandstrom / Rautavaara / Part / Vasks
Average customer rating:

Great 20th century choral music

Some enchanting music

Impeccable performances, soothing music

Ethereally amazing

Not great...

Baltic Voices 1 / Kreek Sandstrom / Rautavaara / Part / Vasks
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Baltic Voices 2

Baltic Voices 3

The Powers of Heaven: Orthodox Music of the 17th & 18th Centuries

Arvo Pärt: Da pacem

Veljo Tormis: Litany to Thunder

ASIN: B00006RNHD
Release Date: 2003-02-11

Tracks:

Cyrillus Kreek (from Psalms of David, 1923): Psalm 104 (Bless the Lord, O my soul)
Happy is the Man (from Psalms 1, 2 & 3)
Psalm 141 (O Lord, I call to Thee)
Psalm 121 (The sun will not strike you by day)
Hear my prayer, O Lord (1986), after Henry Purcell (Sven-David Sandstr
Einojuhani Rautavaara: Lorca Suite Op. 72 (1973): Cancie jinete (The Rider)
El Grito (The Scream)
La luna asoma (The Moon)
Malague
Veljo Tormis: Latvian Bourdon Songs (1982): Garais sauciens (Song of meeting)
Rota dziesma (Spring song)
Kazu apdzieda\232anas (Wedding song contest)
Seru dziesma (Funeral song)
Linu druva (The Flax field)
Ligo dziesma (Midsummer song)
Sven-David Sandstrs ist genug (It is enough) (1986)
Arvo P: ...which was the son of... (2000)
Peteris Vasks: Dona nobis pacem (Grant us peace) (1996/97)

Amazon.com

This remarkable collection of choral music by Baltic composers opens our ears to both their similarities and differences. There are folk influences aplenty (from Veijo Tormis in particular), but also some surprises. Sven-David Sandstrom's "Hear my prayer" takes Purcell's piece of the same name as a jumping-off point, and although his treatment is modern, the lamentation remains vivid. Arvo Part's history of Jesus' genealogy, sung in English, is almost fun in its seemingly endless repetition of "which was the son of," while Rautavaara's four-part, seven-minute Lorca Suite is a fascinating study in miniatures. Vasks's "Dona nobis pacem" (the only piece with orchestral accompaniment) has a hypnotic downward vocal sequence that contrasts with the rising strings. The other works hold the interest as well, and the ubiquitous and gifted Paul Hillier leads the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir in lush performances. Fans of the great Eastern choral tradition won't want to miss this. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Great 20th century choral music.......2007-02-07

This first volume of Baltic Voices, performed by the highly acclaimed Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, is a pure enjoyment for any fans of choral music as well as those interested in folk music. All pieces on this CD were pretty much written in the 20th century, starting with Cyrillus Kreek's enchanting Psalms of David (1923), sung in Estonian, and ending with Arvo Pärt's world premiere recording of "...which was the son of..." (2000)-- a fascinating, yet simple, depiction of the geneaology of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke (performed in English). Veljo Tormis does a beautiful job blending the old folk music themes with some new motives in the Latvian Bourdon Songs (1982). And there is much more to discover from other composers... The singing, the sound, and the recording are simply beautiful. The accompanying booklet offers additional details as well as translations.

Some enchanting music.......2006-12-08

Several tracks on this album are absolutely incredible.

I heard the first track (Bless the Lord, O My Soul) by chance on NPR one evening and was immediately spellbound by its unique phrasing.

The last track (Dona Nobis Pacem), aided by a climactic interplay of voice and string, stung me with a beautiful sensation which reaffirmed to my soul that music captures the reason for being alive.

As a newcomer to choral music, I cannot compare this work to many others. However, I can wholeheartedly declare that this album will appeal to those that kneel in humility to the beauty of the human voice.

Impeccable performances, soothing music.......2005-05-26

The very first time I heard a recording from this CD was on NPR several years ago, and it featured excerpts from the Cyrillus Kreek piece. Needless to say, I was in awe of what I heard and consequently had to get the CD. It was one of the most worthwhile purchases I ever made!

The choir performs with ubiquitous energy and notable vigor when a selection would require it. Furthermore, there are many contrasting works featured on this disc, from the ethereal Cyrillus Kreek selection, to the folk-inspired Spring Song and other, more avant-garde repertoire.

It may be the case that one will not instantly fall in love with every single track on this disc, but I would make a case for the fact that there are a number of universally appealing choral works on this disc that, next to the somewhat affordable price, would certainly warrant the purchase!

Ethereally amazing.......2004-07-02

Many composers from Baltic countries round out this incredible compact disc, sung by a collection of excellent voices. The vocal blending is tremendous, despite isolation of the voices over several parts in, at times, serious dissonance. The music is so haunting, I must say I've listened to it nearly every day since I bought it. I witnessed their concert in Houghton, New York last fall, and immediately bought both this CD and the Powers of Heaven.

Not great..........2004-03-17

Full choral sound, sounding very strident at times. Oddly, the recorded singing sounds distinctly enhanced, giving it a less than natural sound. The repertoire represented on this CD is hit and miss - some good, some unremarkable.

Average customer rating:

Baltic Voices 1 [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music

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Baltic Voices 2 - Choral Works - Paul Hillier leads the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir [Hybrid SACD]
Baltic Voices 3 [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B0000B003M
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Tracks:

Psalm 104: Bless The Lord, O My Soul
Psalms 1, 2 & 3: Happy Is The Man
Psalm 141: O Lord, I Call To Thee
Psalm 121: The Sun Will Not Strike You By Day
Hear My Prayer, O Lord
Cancion De Jinete
El Grito
La Luna Asoma
Malaguena
Song Of Meeting
Spring Song
Wedding Song Contest
Funeral Song
The Flax Field
Midsummer Song
It Is Enough
Which Was The Song Of...
Grant Us Peace

Northern Lights: Music of Contemplation for a New Age

Average customer rating:

je ne sais quoi
Great CD
Northern Lights
"It makes me think of tubular bells by Mike Oldfield"

Northern Lights: Music of Contemplation for a New Age

Manufacturer: Finlandia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

Relaxation | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Night Tracks
Cyril Scott: Symphony No. 3 "The Muses"; Piano Concerto No. 2; Neptune
The Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward - A New Approach
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

ASIN: B000005IFQ
Release Date: 1995-11-14

Tracks:

Northbound - Jukka Linkola
Maja - Urma Sisask
Trivium (Excerpt) - Rene Eespere
Oremus - Urma Sisask
The Forest - Jukka Linkola
Song Of The Watch - Uuno Klami
Song Without Words - Lauri Saikkola
Piece From The Year 1981 - Lepo Sumera
Dominus Vobiscum - Urmas Sisask
Insula Deserta (Excerpt) - Erkki-Sven Tuur
The Ancient Kannel (Excerpt) - Ester Magi
Adagio Religioso (Excerpt From Music For String Orchestra) - Joonas Kokkonen
Gerda And Kai - Jukka Linkola
Fantasy For Piano And Orchestra (Excerpt) - Olli Mustonen
Cantabile (Excerpt) - Peteris Vasks
Pater Noster - Urmas Sisask
Trivium (Excerpt) - Rene Eepere

Customer Reviews:

je ne sais quoi.......2005-07-02

The music on this CD is hauntingly beautiful and much of it fills me with strange and wistful longings--a sort of "happy sadness," perhaps correspondent to the German concept of Sehnsucht.

Great CD.......2002-01-10

There was only one song on this CD that I did not enjoy. All the rest were great.

Northern Lights.......2000-06-28

Better than most "New Age" offerings, thanks to the overall choices and imagery the music conjures up. Northbound is first cut and gives actual feel of travelling very fast over snow and ice. Sounds like a well-crafted soundtrack. Well worth buying when you need a beautiful, lilting symphonic head-journey-or when you just need/want to hear musicians other than U.S./British-born artists.

Some of the cuts are quite moving, some sturm und drang, and others reminiscent of the best of classical artists. One friend told me he could almost hear the ice crackling underfoot in one track, and another said he thought of the time he saw flights of geese southbound for the winter.

"It makes me think of tubular bells by Mike Oldfield".......1999-02-13

"Music composed by Sisask is classical but added with a touch of symphonical rock. It was the feast of recognising when I listend to compositions like the forest. I only hope that Sisask does not go to far into the forest of early rock and roll"

Average customer rating:

Excellent CD
Spectacular piano album
Very impressive
magical debut album
This cd is wonderful!

World Keys

Manufacturer: Reference Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Garden of Dreams
Nojima Plays Liszt
30th Anniversary Sampler
Nojima Plays Ravel
Yerba Buena Bounce

ASIN: B000FII2G6
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Tracks:

Sketch On Aksak Rhythm
Sonata No.3 In A Minor, Op.28
La Nuit Du Destin
Sayera
Instants D'un Opera De Pekin
Concert Paraphrase
...La Belle Rouquine
Nocturnal
So Rashch Wie Moglich
Andantino (Getragen)
Scherzo
Rondo
Kantate

Album Description

"A soaring talent." -LOS ANGELES TIMES "A superb pianist." -BOSTON GLOBE "A versatile and sensitive pianist - an impressive talent." -WASHINGTON POST

Debut album of outstanding young talent Joel Fan, known for his recordings and performances with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project. World Keys features rip-roaring performances of crowd-pleasing Schumann, Liszt, and Prokofiev works along with world-premiere recordings of important works by international composers. Fan was a prizewinner of several international competitions, such as the D'Angelo Young Artists International Competition in the U.S. and Italy's Busoni International Competition. The National Foundation for the Arts even named him a Presidential Scholar. In recent seasons, Fan has been performing as a member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, and is featured on the recent award-winning Sony Classical release of music from the Project. Chinese composer Qigang Chen was born in 1951 and started learning music from childhood. When the "Cultural Revolution" broke out in China, he was studying at the Music Middle School of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing! . His father, administrator of the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts, famous calligrapher and painter, was immediately judged "bourgeois" and "antirevolutionary" and sent to a labor camp. Young Qigang Chen was kept in confinement for three years and underwent "ideological re-education." Yet, his passion for music remained unwavering: he went on learning composition and scoring in spite of social and political anti-cultural pressure. In the mid-eighties, he was given a state grant to study with Olivier Messiaen in France. He became Messiaen's only pupil after the famous composer left the Paris Conservatory. In 2003, Virgin Classics issued the first recording of his orchestral music. Born in Tasmania in 1929, Peter Sculthorpe has become Australia's most eminent classical composer, and his works are regularly performed and recorded throughout the world. Likewise, Peteris Vasks (b. 1946) is the most eminent serious composer in his native land, Latvia, and his works have been widely performed and recorded. William Bolcom (b. 1938) is one of America's most popular and honored composers, having won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1988.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent CD.......2006-06-19

I found this to be one of the best instrumental CD's I've heard in a very long time. The playing, the compositions, the production values make this a CD I will listen to for years to come. I simply love it.

Spectacular piano album.......2006-06-18

This is a thrilling recording. I loved the contrasting styles between romantic playing, driving rhythm, and beautiful melodies. What a find.

Very impressive.......2006-06-14

Really a tour de force. I loved the range and variety of pieces, all performed with such a skilled, knowing touch. Just terrific. I'm looking forward to hearing what Fan does next!

magical debut album.......2006-06-14

Ten thumbs up! I have to say I was hesitant at first when I saw the lineup of composers & pieces I'd never heard of, but I have rarely enjoyed a new classical music album as much as Fan's. The album is dramatic, bold, and poetic, with sweeping musical ideas, the wonder of new pieces from faraway lands, and a shimmering palette of tones. Fan's playing is not only exuberant & elegant; he also has an impeccable technique. From the classics, I particularly loved his interpretation of the Prokofiev Sonata.

This cd is wonderful! .......2006-06-14

I first heard joel fan in connecticut where he played one of rachmaninov's concertos. It was very exciting, so when I heard about this CD I ordered it right away. The music is so contrasting and from different countries. my favorite track is the syrian music, it is dark and romantic.

Peteris Vasks: Symphony No. 2; Violin Concerto "Distant Light"

Average customer rating:

Confusion and search for gods ... this is rather profound music.
Classical Music is Alive and Well
Uninspiring interpretation...
Walking where no-one has walked
Thematically Stirring, A Brilliant Program

Peteris Vasks: Symphony No. 2; Violin Concerto "Distant Light"

Manufacturer: Ondine
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Music of Peteris Vasks
Peteris Vasks: Symphony No. 3; Cello Concerto [Hybrid SACD]
Peteris Vasks: String Quartet No. 4
Rautavaara: Angel of Light
Rautavaara: Symphony No. 6; Cello Concerto

ASIN: B00008GQGN
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

Symphony No. 2 - Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
Violin Concerto 'Tala Gaism' (Distant Light) - Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra

Amazon.com

This is the world premiere recording of Vasks' second symphony. It is a 40-minute, one-movement work which opens with a glorious bang, with the orchestra at its most powerful and busy. A few minutes in, Vasks offers us repose which is almost religious, there is a buildup and then more reflection, and a long crescendo to great might again. The work ends on a beautifully introspective, soft, haunting refrain. Vasks is primarily a Romantic, so the work is tonal; there are touches of Kancheli (but not as much breast-beating), Shostakovich (again, not as pessimistic). It's a beautiful, very satisfying work, and the scoring is fascinating in its use of bells, xylophone, and many woodwinds. The violin concerto is somewhat more thorny in its harmonic approachability, but it also has a faraway aura and texture to it at times which is both melancholy and mellow. Its cadenzas are real virtuoso moments, and John Storgårds plays it all beautifully (Juha Kangas conducts this work). The performances of both orchestras are sublime and the sound is big, clean and vibrant. The combination of familiarity and daring here is most worthwhile. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Confusion and search for gods ... this is rather profound music........2006-01-17

I don't expect to be of any help to the reader, (and I don't care one bit ;-) but anyhow, the following is what I have to say ...

There seems to be a truthfulness shining through in this music, a sense of mysticism, rooted in deeply religious/cultural/spiritual sensibilities that have been subdued (but never destroyed) by different regimes and socio-political upheavals over the centuries in Latvia (as in the rest of the Baltic states, which have always had profound indigenous religions of their own). These mystical-religious undercurrents seem to be feeding the deeply human core of this music, at the same time evoking the pain and sorrow of centuries of Modernity, of (world) war(s) and repression of indigenous - more mythically based - sensibilities, values and truths.
I would like to quote the profound words from the certain Lithuanian-American philosophical writer Vincent Vycinas, which in my view eminently capture what this music is trying to convey:

"By repeated inquiries into the meaning of man's way of being, [we] painstaikingly but persistently [try] to disclose his inner core and his way in his cultural world. [We do] this by repeatedly plunging into the event of Western philosophy with no intention to settle in any philosophical system, but with a tendency to protrude into the pre- or post-philosophical milieu. This milieu is mythical."

And, going on from there:

"Sometimes everything in a man's individual life or in the life of a society seems to run smoothly and with ease, but not for too long: very soon man or society experiences blows of destiny and is thrown around in confusion. Often this confusion is not of a superficial nature, affecting some secondary points in human life. A crisis frequently shakes up the very cornerstones of the cultural edifice. Digging himself out from the ruins of his fallen world, man, half buried in debries of his own creation, raises his head with the questions glaring in his eyes: who am I? What is the mission of my life? Which are the guiding criteria of my ways in my own world? What is my world? Lost and burdened with essential or principle problems man goes out looking firstly for unperishable powers of reality which would help him out from his entanglement in the confusion of perishable things or aims. After each of many crises in his world man steps out on the ways of a search for gods."

Classical Music is Alive and Well.......2005-12-11

It almost brought tears to my listening to this. And it was not the music, well it was the music. But the real reason was that I thought the creation of classical music was dead. But thankfully, it took a latvian, maybe too far for Papa Boulez to infect with his dying vision, to make me believe otherwise. To date, Vasks has composed some beautiful work, work which can appeal to the classical masses. But this symphony gives him status, historical status. Along with his Violin Concerto, and Musica Dolorsa(?cant remember the exact title) he has achieved mastepieces. I hope this symphony is only the beginning of a new period of inspiration for him. I feel that the torch is passing from Rautavarra to Vasks soon, and this is a very nice start. For those who would like to see what is good about classical music now-
Check out these titles and end with this one
Rautavarra-Symphony 7*...Piano Concerto 3...Isle of Bliss****....Violin Concerto.....Concerto for Harp*.....Symphony 8......Music for String Orchestra......Piano Concerto 2......Cantus Angelis???.....Angles and Visitation....

Vasks....Musica Dolorosa(Cello COncerto)......Violin Concerto*.....Symphony 1......Symphony 2*.......

Part....Lamentate......Alina*.......Spiegel en Spielel.....Fratres....

Of course there is more...but this is a good place to start...especially the ones with a *

There are also many great recent compostions on Naxos American Series, honestly check it out. Also Frank Martin is an exceptionally gifted composer..see his concerto's and sinfonia.

Uninspiring interpretation..........2005-08-28

Peteris Vasks has offered great music. I recall in particular a concert encore by the cellist Geringas extracted from book for cello solo that was extraordinary.
Hence I had a strong bias towards his music.
Enter Symphony n2... Shostakovitch, Prokofiev, Mahler and it feels like the same effects have been heard before and much better done. And the Kancheli like ups and downs, loud hanging kaboom and then soft winding going nowhere but surely and still immensely predictable. Add another climax or substract one would not matter at all. One has to compare with Schnittke's no 2 richness and depth to measure the ocean that separates these two works. Very disappointing.

The violin concerto appears more interesting but the mono dimensional playing of both soloist (who plays a very average instrument) and orchestra robs this music from any interesting exploration and from its various facets: the originally placed waltzes are flat and there is no relief in the dramaturgy. I mentioned book for solo cello, the work starts and end just like it.
Ondine's recording is very rich in midrange and in your face. It has good basses though.The edits could be spotted: suddenly the sound of the violin cadenzas are magnified and obviously no one else was in the hall at the time of recording. It is Ok if it's well done but here you can't miss it.

Perhaps a more inspired recording of the concerto will surface... but I cannot share the enthusiasm of other reviewers for this product.

Walking where no-one has walked.......2004-09-19

Seeing what no-one has seen - there's something of that in the appeal of this first-rate CD. But the exellent, almost unheard of music, which twists through many moods and voicings is the real selling point. Storgards plays brilliantly in 'Distant Light' and the orchestral support is excellent. Sonics are full and deliver the frequency extremes. Anyone with the a detectable sympathy for 20th Century music would enjoy this disc.

Thematically Stirring, A Brilliant Program.......2003-08-08

Peteris Vasks' recorded works stand alone in their power to evoke the mysticism of the spiritual loner. This tonal, Romantically inclined single movement symphony opens with a roar, like a beast let out of its cage only to reflect on what this newly wrought freedom portends. Like his heartbreaking chamber pieces, the music reflects inwardly. His is the work of a contemplative whose spiritual eruptions bring thought more so than joy.
John Storgards delivers this music with an unflinching eye toward the dialectics in the writing as well as in the message. The Tempere Philarmonic seems born to play this music. There is a going for it that you don't always hear in well executed overproduced pieces. This is analogous in avant garde music to King Crimson's mighty beast that can roar with frenetic energy in something like "Fractured", and then resolve all this dynamism in spiritual questions like "One Life." Nothing is resolved with this work: the progressions escalate and then leave the listener in free fall. Isn't spirituality just that. Much was always made of Kierkegaard's Leap of Faith. This is the music that accompanies the mendicant after the leap and before he has reached his safety, if in fact it exists.
Storgards returns to essay the Violin Concerto in the second piece of this remarkable program. Thematically complementary, it harkens to Vasks' remarkable "Message." The call and response of the Kangas' Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra heightens the drama.
Along with Rautavaara and Erki-Sven Tuur, the Scandanavian and Baltic movements in classical music have taken the directions in music of the late Twentieth Century and have sought to find a tonal refrain to the serialism, minimalism, free-jazz sensibilities that were championed. In dealing with the Soviet pessimism of Shostakovitch, the abstract detachment of Morton Feldman, these writers, like their countrymen caught in the middle, have sought to uncover the ground of Being, and there in find the human alive.
This is a stirring program start to finish. Masterfull and lyrical, human and profound, it is all we are when we stop for a moment and consider our place in the universe. Is that a distant light we see at the end of the tunnel of our lives, a new horizon, that first ray of a light that will reveal what is thinking, what is living.....

Average customer rating:

Totus Tuus

Manufacturer: Jade Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0009WFF18
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Tracks:

Totus Tuus Op.60
O Weisheit
O Adonai
O Spross Aus Isais Wurzel
O Schlussel Davids
O Morgenstern
O Konig Aller Volker
O Immanuel
Kyrie
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
Ave Verum Corpus
Dona Nobis Pacem
Eroffnungsvers Zum Ersten Festspielsonntag

Average customer rating:

A Very Good, Albeit Unorignal, Quartet
Vasks voices compassion at the end of a brutal century
Just beautiful
Great Work
Eventually combine the two, please

Peteris Vasks: String Quartet No. 4

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Music of Peteris Vasks
Alban Berg: Lyric Suite
Peteris Vasks: Symphony No. 2; Violin Concerto "Distant Light"
Peteris Vasks: Symphony No. 3; Cello Concerto [Hybrid SACD]
Mugam Sayagi: Music of Franghiz Ali-Zadeh

ASIN: B0000AN4FI
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Tracks:

I. Elegy
II. Toccata I
III. Chorale
IV. Toccata II
V. Meditation

Amazon.com

The contemporary Latvian composer Peteris Vasks has said "There has been so much bloodshed and destruction, and yet love's power and idealism have helped to keep the world in balance. I wanted to speak of these things in my new quartet; not from the sidelines, but with direct emotion and sensitivity," and, indeed, from the folksy melodies through to chaos and back again which he creates in this, his fourth quartet, we are taken through a myriad of feelings. His music is always intense and he knows how to build to a climax, relax, and return the listener to a heightened awareness of drama, and so forth. His meditative moments will remind listeners of Arvo Pärt; his disruptive passages bring Shostakovitch to mind. But the textures, so beautifully brought out by the great Kronos Quartet, are uniquely Vasks' and when, at the work's conclusion, after a return to the folk melody of the first movement, the strings fly up to their highest registers and simply disappear into the ethos, the effect is magical and, somehow, comforting. It's similar to the way he ends his violin concerto and it's just as effective. A fascinating release. --Robert Levine

Album Description

Full title - Peteris Vasks - String Quartet No. 4. Vasks' Fourth String Quartet, composed of five movements, was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet and was premiered in 2000 at the Theatre de la Ville in Paris. A somber reflection on the passing century, it incorporates Latvian folk songs, its movements variously meditative, strident, restless, subdued. Slipcase. Nonesuch. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

A Very Good, Albeit Unorignal, Quartet.......2005-12-05

Vasks' Fourth String Quartet is much like Shostakovich's Eight String Quartet, except not. Whereas Shostakovich's quartet is overwhelming, brooding, and relentless, Vasks' work is far more reserved. Tension is just beneath the surface.

Shostakovich's opus ends in defeat. The finale is an example of just how haunting music can be. The finale to Vasks' Fourth Quartet is again another example of how haunting music can be- but this time, in another way. The pensive finale, with its violin solo, reflects upon all the injustice wrought last century.

Vasks voices compassion at the end of a brutal century.......2004-11-01

The Kronos Quartet continues its devotion to contemporary works by Eastern European composers with this release. Lyrical and elegiac, the 4th String Quartet by Latvian composer Peteris Vasks is a meditation on the brutality and suffering of the 20th century. Commissioned for Kronos, it was first performed in May of 2000.

It is a five-movement work of about 30 minutes, and while not highly original, it has excellent models. Vasks declares that the second and fourth movements, Toccata I and Toccata II, are "in a spirit close to that of Shostakovich's style" -- "aggressive, and at times, ironic." This is a notable departure for Vasks, who is not known for anything dissonant or angry. These movements remind me specifically of Shostakovich's famous 8th Quartet, a work full of rage and sorrow dedicated to "the victims of war and fascism," and thought by many to be an indictment of Stalin as well (recorded by Kronos on BLACK ANGELS -- see my review). The first, third and fifth movements (Elegy, Chorale, and Meditation) are in the style that Vasks is known for, influenced by the "holy minimalism" of Part and Gorecki, with Latvian folksong motifs and romantic gestures that some might find to be overly ripe. He utilizes glissandos, seemingly representing movements up and down between the Earth to Heaven, which echo the powerful works of Sofia Gubaidulina. And Vasks draws on yet another influence -- the climax of the central Chorale parallels the well-known climax of Barber's "Adagio." The closing Meditation, the longest movement at 11:35, features a long, lovely solo for David Harrington's violin. This passage beautifully expresses the feeling of COMPASSION.

Vasks says of his 4th Quartet, "[t]here has been so much bloodshed and destruction, and yet love's power and idealism have helped keep the world in balance." Utilizing the recognizable works by Barber and Shostakovich, both emotionally direct and powerful works, couldn't make more sense. Vasks may not be the most original of contemporary composers, but he knows how to work with existing materials and create music that is accessible and moving.

Just beautiful.......2004-03-28

What is greater than purely beautiful, inspired music? Not much. Some think it would be better to combine this piece with the Berg Lyric Suite, putting them on the same CD. That would be better for your wallet, but I don't think it would serve the music as well as separate discs. They are two separate great pieces of music. They are completely different styles. They do not belong on the same CD. Each one is valuable and important on its own and needs no 'filler' to make the CDs worth the money.

Great Work.......2004-03-12

I agree with the comments that the release of this CD and the Berg CD separately is very irritating, however I would not want that to take away from the fact that this is a truly great piece of music and a beautiful recording. While it may be somewhat irritating to have to buy a CD with half an hour of music on it, if you are going to do that, I would highly recommend this one.

Eventually combine the two, please.......2004-02-10

Combining Vasks' Fourth String Quartet with Berg's Lyric Suite (the latter features an underused, unfocused Dawn Upshaw) would make a worthy, if not an interesting addition to anyone's contemporary music library. Currently, these pieces are available only as separate releases--by themselves, no filler--which leads one to surmise a regrettable marketing/creative miscalculation on the part of the record company or the musicians. Otherwise, the Kronos quartet deliver powerfully convincing performances of each, and one only hopes these recordings would be preserved in a future 1-CD release. Both were nominated for a Grammy this year so I got them both and took the (financial) bullet for them.

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Winter Songs

Manufacturer: Bis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000VV4SG
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Weill: Concerto for Violin & Wind Orchestra; Vasks: Concerto for Violin & String Orchestra 'Distant Light'

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Anthony Marwood could play the phone book...
The question and the answer

Weill: Concerto for Violin & Wind Orchestra; Vasks: Concerto for Violin & String Orchestra 'Distant Light'

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000B0XQQY
Release Date: 2005-11-15

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Anthony Marwood could play the phone book..........2007-05-12

and it would be a recording worth having. The two pieces seem appropriate for two separate CDs - and it's a somewhat jarring experience to go from one to the other. However, his musicianship - especially his passionate declamations within the Vasks piece - rises above all of the many challenges put forward. The Vasks is a piece I normally associate with Gidon Kremer - Marwood's performance is more lyrical, his tone is more sumptuous, and his fervor is just as evident. Great orchestral support - the small size of the ensemble allows the players to play out without having to artificially limit their sound production.

The question and the answer.......2006-09-13

Kurt Weill composed his violin concerto in 1924 when he was just 24, shortly before he transitioned away from the strictly classical. It shows the influence of Stravinsky and Schoenberg. There is also a noticeable jazz influence. It has been described as "wonderfully sleazy".

The violin concerto by Latvian-born Peteris Vasks (born 1946) could not be further removed from Weill's work. This work has been described as "fragile, beautiful, otherworldly", and (in Vasks' own words) "nostalgia with a touch of tragedy."

So what do these two excellent concertos have in common? For starters, I would say that they both have Anthony Marwood's inspired, devoted and flawless interpretation that infuses both with a sense of deep mystery, suggested in part by the darkly enigmatic art of Joseph Uhl which graces the cover. In addition, both works put forth a considered stance toward the existential darkness which seems to engulf modern life.

The Weill concerto seems to be saying, cope with the meaningless, embrace it, and try to find some dark humor in it. By contrast, the Vasks concerto urges a resolute inner strength that will eventually overwhelm the darkness so that the distant light, "the glittering stars millions of light years away" (Vasks) light our path and guide us forward in our quest for ultimate meaning.

These two works could not be more unalike in temperament, nor their styles more different. The Vasks concerto is elegiac, emotional, mournful, spiritual, tonal, and seering, whereas the Weill concerto is ironic, relatively atonal, cerebral, matter-of-fact, witty, urbane, and perfunctory.

Both are masterworks which produce different responses in the listener. Vasks' work grabs you by the throat, mesmerizes you, until the last ounce of resistance is wrung out of you. You grab hold and ride its emotional wave. Weill's work is dry, self-deprecating, sophisticated, and inventive. It is the product of a young man, filled with confidence, even a little cocky perhaps.

The Vasks concerto resides in a state of acute emotional crisis. It is torn between Yes and No. The great battle for Yes is fought in the fourth movement, but it is a short-lived battle. Immediately the fifth movement brings, if not resolution, then faith, earnestness, sincerety. The elegaic tone resumes, mournful, probing, touched with tragedy, reminiscence, wistfulness.

There is a sense in which the Weill concerto is a preface to the Vasks, or rather; the Weill concerto is the question - to which the Vasks concerto is the answer. Vasks' concerto gives the meditations of a composer far more mature than the twenty-four year old Weill. But Weill has asked the right question. And that is perhaps just as important.