The youth choir Kamēr…, which with visionary conductor Māris Sirmais at the helm is almost consistently considered the best amateur choir in Latvia, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2010. In addition to a sold-out performance at the Latvian National Opera, the choir released the compact disc Mīlas madrigāli, a collection of choir songs that in some manner are all related to the theme of love.

The album contains a broad range of styles, as well as works by both Latvian and international composers. Songs are also in many different languages: Latvian, French, English, German and Italian. The compositions also traverse the years—from the baroque of Claudio Monteverdi to today’s young Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds.

Though the title of the CD references madrigals, not all of the compositions on the record could be classified in the classic definition of “madrigal.” Perhaps the title simply alludes to the fact that songs of love appear in many different forms.

Mīlas madrigāli features a trio of songs by Latvian composer Zigmārs Liepiņš, each of which is based on a folk song of another nation. They include “Es palikšu pie tevis,” based on a German folk song; “Lai tevi salasītu,” a Greek folk song; and “Padre Frančesko,” which has its origins in an Italian folksong. “Padre Frančesko” isn’t much of a song actually; it has more of a spoken quality about it, particularly the male voices. The song tells the tale of Father Francesco, who, for reasons known only to himself, tells an old woman to leave him alone, but a young maiden is warmly welcomed.

A song that actually is in the style of a madrigal is Marģeris Zariņš’s “Četrbalsīgs madrigāls par vecmodīgu tēmu.” Although it is a modern composition, the song is very much in the lyrical and musical style of an English madrigal from a previous century. Granted, I am by no means a musical scholar, but are traditional madrigals sung at such a rapid pace as this song? Certainly it shows the pure technical ability and talent of the choir members, but the breakneck pace doesn’t really fit what is meant to be a breezy, lilting English-style madrigal.

The two true treasures on this album—perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not—both involve composer Ešenvalds. “Mazā bilžu rāmīti” is a song arranged by Ešenvalds, but with music originally written by Renārs Kaupērs (of the popular Latvian group Prāta Vētra), and lyrics by beloved poet Imants Ziedonis. Kaupers also provides guest vocals on the song. The album closes with Ešenvalds’s “Tāls ceļš,” which for me is the highlight of the album. The romantic lyrics by Paulīna Bārda are provided equally romantic music by Ešenvalds, to make for one of the more engaging songs on the album.

However, one thing that strikes me about these performances is that they are perhaps a bit too perfect. The singers in Kamēr… are, to my knowledge, near professionals (some in Latvia would even be up for debating the choir’s “amateur” status), and certainly the recordings are precise and technically outstanding. Listening to the album, at some points I get the sense that it could use just a bit more emotion, since it seems to me that there is even a bit of restraint from the choir. Technical precision serves the choir well with the World Sun Songs collection and my favourite Kamēr… CD, Veltījumi, which is a collection of the choir’s interpretations of contemporary choir works by Latvian composers. At times it seems like there is something missing. I guess I was more expecting a CD that could be played during a candlelit dinner, or some similar romantic occasion. Mīlas madrigāli is not quite that.

Overall Mīlas madrigāli is enjoyable, particularly the works by Ešenvalds. Not only does conductor Sirmais possess a unique talent in choir conducting, but he has the ability to build a choir that achieves world wide renown. While perhaps this CD is not the most memorable by Kamēr…, it is still a notable collection by a stellar choir.

The Latvian metal band Heaven Grey was formed in 1993. The group has released three albums, including last year’s Falling Mist. (Publicity photo)

Heaven Grey, which last year released a new album called Falling Mist, describes itself as a “doom gothic metal” band. That usually means aggressive guitars and drums are joined with keyboards and deep, often growled, vocals. The group compares itself to such venerable ensembles as Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride.

Though it has a very active metal scene, with a large number of bands and a surplus of talented musicians, Latvia has not had many heavy metal ensembles make much of a splash abroad, apart from pagan metal group Skyforger. Perhaps this is because a lot of the Latvian heavy metal music I have heard has either been somewhat generic and unoriginal, or so very aggressive and harsh that it becomes difficult to listen to.

Although I was not very familiar with Heaven Grey, what I had heard was very positive. I figured I would give Falling Mist a chance in the hope of hearing something that neither bored me nor assaulted my ears in a negative way.

The songs are also usually characterized by lyrics that are anything but positive. The group, founded in 1993, has been plying its trade for nearly two decades. Falling Mist is the third album by the band, which released Northwind in 1998 and Memory River in 1996. Heaven Grey has gone through a number of lineup changes, partly due to tragedy: guitarist Sigvard Balzhevich died in 2004 and original lead vocalist Ansis Melderis died in a motorcycle accident in 2005.

The lineup for this album includes Ervins (Verons) Francs on vocals, guitarists Vyacheslav Nikitin and Vladimir “Dr. Alien” Beluga, Andrey Rivars on bass, Olga Klubova on keyboards and Oleg Badulin playing the drums. Other featured musicians are the band’s former drummer Ervīns Ozoliņš, as well as Reinis Melbārdis, who recorded a number of cello lines.

Falling Mist, with songs in both English and Latvian, turns out to be a thoroughly enjoyable album, full of adept musicianship and crafty song writing. I think what I like the most is that this record has engaging melodies and music, which cannot be said about much of Latvian heavy metal music that often times seems to only aspire to play as fast and aggressively as possible.

The album begins to distinguish itself in the opening moments of the first song, “The Way Back is Gone,” with its melodic keyboard and cello duet, which is joined by drums and electric guitar. The group’s attention to melody comes across very strongly in this song, particularly in the guitar lines, as well as setting the tone for the entire album with lyrics like “I am cursed! I am cursed!”

A more aggressive sound is heard in the song “Zudusī dzīvība,” with some particularly intricate drumwork by Badulin. Perhaps inspired by the operatic female vocals of a group like Nightwish, the song “Life” features Eugenia Petrova on soaring vocals, but also has Francs singing in a more “normal” voice (which I actually think he should do a bit more often, since the growled vocals sometimes don’t quite fit in with the often clearer sounds of the instruments). One song is presented in both English (“It’s Time”) and Latvian (“Drīz”).

Possibly my favorite track on the album is “Upe,” which best represents Heaven Grey: the engaging melody of the guitar, the pained vocals, and the overall epic, almost symphonic, sound of the song. Because the lyrics are in a native language (Latvian), they are far more engaging than some of the English lyrics presented on the record.

The album also sounds great—instruments and vocals are distinct. Poor production is just about the most common criticism I could make about Latvian metal albums.

Certainly, the bulk of the songs are a bit on the depressing side, and vocalist Francs sounds like a soul in torment for most of the record. However, with engaging melodies, musical variety, and engrossing songs, Falling Mist is by far one of the best and most consistently satisfying Latvian metal albums that I have heard, and made for very enjoyable, if gloomy, listening.