Choir Music

Peteris Vasks is the Arvo Pärt of Latvia and thus something of a cult figure in his country. Like the music of Pärt, and for that matter of Tavener, Vasks's works have a distinctly spiritual dimension, obvious in this collection of his choral music. Vasks himself says about his music: "I write my music with as much honesty as I can, and I am pleased if my music is played. I write for people, not for my desk drawer. It's God's gift to me, and I accept it humbly." The programme spans a quarter of a century, from Mate Saule (Mother Sun) composed in 1975 to Dona Nobis Pacem (1998). The modern history of Latvia is also present in these works, for instance in Zemgale which ostensibly deals with an incident from the 13th century, but in fact carries references to the Soviet deportations during the 1940s. Of another piece, Litene, Vasks himself writes: "The composition is based on aleatory music and other special musical means which I thought to be suitable in telling about the never-healing wounds of my people." As shown by the fact that this work was commissioned by the Hilliard ensemble, Vasks has an international following - a following which will surely be delighted with this exceptional CD.