For the 90th anniversary of railroading in Latvia, the Latvian Railway History Museum last year released a DVD, Latvijas dzelzceļu populārā vēsture, containing six short films relating to trains in the country.

The railway museum, owned by Latvijas dzelzceļš (Lavian Railway), also published a coffee table book, in Latvian and English, on the history of the railway, and a photo album entitled Dzelzceļš Rīgā un pieskārieni dvēselei (The Railway in Rīga – Soul-touching Reminiscences).

The DVD, just under an hour in total length, collects some intriguing and fascinating, though brief, glimpses of the history of trains in Latvia.

By far the most interesting film on the collection is “Mazbānītis de facto,” which is a documentary on the history of the narrow gauge countryside rails built in Latvia during World War I. Most all of these rails are gone today, but a particularly nice touch in the documentary is to provide historical pictures of where the stations used to be situated, as well as what stands there today (some station houses are still in place, though the rails have long been replaced by roads).

Also interesting is “Kādas lokomotīves stāsts,” which is a five-minute short on the restoration process of the ML 657 locomotive in Ventspils, and its journey to the Railway Museum in Rīga.

A 10-minute film simply called “Mazbānītis,” made by Ērmanis Rodis in 1985, presents a brief journey with a narrow gauge locomotive that is in his collection.

Additionally, there is “Sapņu ekspresis,” a flight of fancy in the imagination of a young child who sees himself as a conductor, engineer and as the station head. There is also a music video, “Vilciens nāk!,” set to the tune of “Lokomotīve jūras krastā” by Latvian electronic music pioneers Dzeltenie pastnieki. The collection is rounded out by “Muzeja nakts,” a 2-minute glimpse of the yearly event Museum Night, when most every museum in Latvia can be visited for free and stays open late, and usually provides some sort of unique activity or presentation for that night only.

All the features are in Latvian, but all selections feature subtitles in English and Russian. The DVD is also multi-region, so it can be played on DVD players worldwide.

The DVD is a fun watch, but is really rather brief. I would have been interested to see a more in-depth documentary on the whole of Latvian Railway, but I suppose this DVD is merely meant as a complement to the book, which offers a very thorough history of the Latvian rail system, with many pictures and historical notes on most every station that once was in the system. Though considering Latvia’s turbulent past there are still many untold stories in the history of the railway, this DVD provided a charming, yet short, overview of trains in Latvia.

In my youth, I had endlessly struggled—and admitted defeat—with the piano. About 10 years ago, a young pianist performed at the New York Latvian Ev.-Lutheran Church in Yonkers as part of the Nov. 18 celebration. After her performance, I remember thinking “Wow! She made that look really easy!” The impressive pianist’s name was Liene Circene.

Last year this same pianist released a solo album of performances, Šūpuļdziesmas, with the charming theme being Latvian lullabies.

Circene, who in 2004 received the Great Music Award for the most impressive debut among Latvian artists, has performed throughout Europe and North America with many orchestras as well as solo.

Šūpuļdziesmas features piano works from many eras, both classic and modern, of many different styles, including folk song arrangements and works that perhaps were not originally composed as lullabies, but whose tenderness certainly allows them to be interpreted as bedtime music.

A number of the songs are arrangements of Latvian folk song lullabies. The listener will have a chance to hear three distinct arrangements of the folk song “Velc, pelīte, saldu miegu” by composers Edgars Raginskis, Pēteris Plakidis and Lūcija Garūta, covering many eras of Latvian music. The young composer Raginskis’s arrangement is particularly striking, as this very simple folk song goes through multiple metamorphoses over the course of the work, starting as the tender melody, then a modern interpretation of it, then even a descent to the very bottom register of the piano.

A number of pieces are by perhaps the best known composer of the Latvian classic era, Jāzeps Vītols, including his “Prelude opus 19 no. 2” and “Prelude opus 20 no. 4.” Other “classic” Latvian composers represented include Jānis Mediņš (the compact disc features two of his “Dainas”—Nos. 3 and 14), as well works by Jānis Ivanovs and Alfrēds Kalniņš.

Diaspora Latvian composers are also represented here, including Tālivaldis Ķeniņš‘s “Bearlude for Alex” and Dace Aperāne’s arrangement of “Netīšām es iegāju.”

One usually might not think of composer Pēteris Vasks’s music as being appropriate for a lullabye, considering the tension and harshness of many of his works. However, Circene’s performance of his “Noktirne” from the cycle “Cikls,” though still exhibiting the melancholy and sadness of many of the composer’s works, brings out the soft and rich melody of the piece. It does not sound out of place at all in the collection.

The album appropriately concludes with the Vītols arrangement of maybe the most beloved Latvian lullabye, “Aijā, žūžū, lāča bērni.” It is perhaps one of the most beautiful performances on this album, a fitting end to a journey through the hours that approach bedtime.

Besides being Circene’s first solo album, this is also the first CD released by the Latvian concert agency Latvijas koncerti. The CD booklet features a biography of and notes by Circene, brief writeups of the featured composers (all in Latvian as well as English), as well as the music ande texts for the folk songs on the record.

One might think a CD made up of only lullabies could be a bit dull, but that is not the case. Both the classic and the modern come together to make a rich tapestry of delicate yet engrossing melodies. Actual lullabies as well as other gentle piano works, performed in Circene’s sensitive and evocative style, make for relaxing and enriching listening. Even though there are different styles and works from multiple eras, Circene’s seemingly effortless ability to extract beautiful performances out of the piano makes for an enjoyable collection of “a little night music.”

One of the most intriguing recent collaborations in Latvian music is that of composer Valts Pūce and the Georgian ensemble The Shin. Joining together on the recording entitled Es arī, their talents have produced a unique album, combining elements of Latvian and Georgian folk songs, as well as jazz and other world music elements.

Some readers might know Pūce from his music for the Latvian musical “Šveiks” (based on the satirical novel The Good Soldier Švejk by Czech author Jaroslav Hašek), particular the enduringly popular song “Ardievu, meitenes!” performed by Latvian pop group Prāta vētra.

Others may be aware of Pūce’s earlier world music work with Owl’s Ethnographic Orchestra (Pūces Etnogrāfiskais orķestris, pūce literally translating to “owl” in English) and the album Šaizemē / Taizemē. Pūce has dabbled in many types of composition, and those who had the opportunity to attend the 2008 Latvian Song Festival in Rīga would have heard two of his choral works at the closing concert, “Gaismeņa ausa, sauleite lēce” and “Ik rudeni valodiņa.”

Continuing his exploration of world music, Pūce and members of Owl’s Ethnographic Orchestra last year joined with The Shin (Zaza Miminoshvili, Zurab Gagnidze and Mamuka Gaganidze) to record an album inspired by Latvian and Georgian folk music. Also heard on Es arī are the well-known and respected folk singers Zane Šmite (who has performed with Iļģi and Lidojošais paklājs) and Kristīne Kārkle (who has performed with Laimas Muzykanti and Ceiruleits).

Though it is inspired by folk music, I would hesitate to call this a folk music album. It is certainly more “world music,” as there many other elements at work here, including jazz and perhaps even bits of new age. The music is difficult to characterize, as the style tends to change, frequently in mid-song. Vocals are in both Latvian and Georgian, and songs feature traditional instruments of both cultures. The album also features an eclectic mix of guest performers, such as Valdis Muktupāvels on kokles, Normunds Šnē on oboe and Raimonds Ozols on violin, among many others.

Someone once remarked to me that any Latvian folk music album is incomplete unless it has a song with “līgo” (referring to the Latvian midsummer celebration), “kaladū” (a frequently used refrain in folk songs that relate to winter), and references to “kumeliņš” (a young horse, an animal that frequently appears in Latvian folk songs). Es arī gets all three, with songs entitled “Līgo” and “Kaladoo,” plus references to “divi dzelteni kumeliņi” in the song “Es arī.”

“Līgo” begins sounding like a traditional midsummer song, with accordion, but swiftly moves into a mix of modern and traditional elements. Then, mid-song, it switches to Georgian elements. Though the switches in this and other songs is rather dramatic, they are never jarring and more often than not seem to be natural progressions to and from different folk elements.

Šmite has one of the most distinct voices in Latvian music—a rich alto that is unique and immediately recognizable to listeners. For example, in “Līgo” Šmite’s resonant voice adds a particularly robust feel to the song. And, in a song that could almost qualify as pop music, “E-O” (which features the vowels “E” and “O”) Šmite and Kārkle balance each other artfully to make the song one of the catchiest on the album.

My favorite song is the title track, “Es arī,” which begins with an almost Middle Eastern melody, transforms into melodic Georgian chanting, and then slowly and gradually builds up to a dramatic climax of Latvian melodies featuring Kārkle’s expressive and striking singing, and ends with a very ethereal Georgian a capella vocal.

Though the lyrics aren’t included in the packaging, the liner notes have a brief explanation of each song in English and in Latvian, as well as some quotes from Pūce and The Shin, plus pictures of the creation process.

Listeners who enjoy Kārkle’s and Šmite’s singing may also want to check out this year’s Latviešu tautasdziesmas by Trio Šmite Kārkle Cinkuss, which features them performing together with choir director Ivars Cinkuss.

Es arī is certainly one of my favorite compact discs of 2009. Unique, eclectic, original and memorable, the collaboration captivatingly balances the ancient and the modern, the Latvian and the Georgian, to make an album that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of listeners. Pūce and The Shin have made a truly remarkable and memorable record.