This luscious recording is for everyone. Peteris Vasks is a Latvian composer who might be referred to as “nationalistic”; at least he tends to tie much of his music in with his homeland. He seems to have the soul of a poet and his music and its involvement with his life (and the life of his countrymen) never appears forced or false. The title piece here is a concerto for violin and string orchestra–a single movement, half-hour work that goes through nature calls, periods of great introspection, and emotional outbursts all while offering melodic, contrapuntal, and rhythmic motifs to keep our interest. Voices is in three movements and is not far removed from the concerto’s sound world; sadness and hope seem to be inter-related and nature tends to be friendly (there are enough birdsongs here to satisfy Messiaen). The piece was composed in l99l as the Soviet Empire was disbanding–but not without great grief and much bloodshed. These facts shed light on the music but cannot explain its beauty. The playing by Gidon Kremer and his group is ravishing, and Teldec’s engineers should be lauded equally highly. A real stunner. [11/28/1999]
