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.

Perhaps the most well known of Latvian symphonic works, and certainly one of the most popular, is “Symphony No. 4” by composer Imants Kalniņš. It is a composition that has been nicknamed by some as the “Rock” symphony, as it combines classical motifs with elements of rock to form a groundbreaking work.

The recording company Upe tuviem un tāliem last year released both compact disc and LP versions of the symphony performed by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra conducted by Imants Resnis.

Originally composed in 1973, “Symphony No. 4” was an immediate hit. However, at the time Soviet authorities forbade the performance of the symphony’s fourth movement (which features a soprano solo, the text of which is made up of selections from the poetry of American poet Kelly Cherry, which in turn quotes from poetry by Robert Browning). The original movement was only allowed to be restored much later.

Though there have been multiple recordings of the symphony (particularly notable is the 1998 release by MICREC, which featured a live performance by the Liepāja orchestra), this new release is the first studio recording to include the original fourth movement.

The elements of classical and rock can be immediately heard in the first movement of the work, with its driving beat and its sense of tension rising as the movement progresses, reaching a thunderous climax. The performance features the percussion performance of distinguished rock drummer Vilnis Krieviņš (who has played with a number of groups, most notably Līvi). Though the climax arrives early in the movement, the tension and drive is relentless, with the percussion providing the rhythmic foundation.

The second movement, in a rather abrupt change from the first, is musically far more relaxed and tender. Here one can hear more “Latvian” elements, giving some of the melodies an almost folk song-like quality.

The fourth and final movement, the one that caused the Soviet authorities grief in the early 1970s, is also a departure from the previous movements. The solo (on this recording, performed by mezzosoprano Ieva Parša) is brought forward as the orchestra stays in the background for most of the movement. The angst-filled poetry of Cherry returns the tension of the first movement, and Parša deftly adapts to the emotional changes necessary, as the words rapidly move between love, anger and sorrow.

I am extremely reluctant to even mention this, but, unfortunately, there are a few spots where the English diction is not as good as it could be. Though Parša is certainly one of the leading Latvian mezzosopranos (listen to her solo CD, Skaņu labirints, which feature modern vocal works by Latvian composers), there are a handful of spots where it is difficult to determine what she is singing. With the words—and, correspondingly, feelings and emotions—being so important in the fourth movement, diction is critical.

To be very honest, I slightly prefer the original 1998 recording of the work. Perhaps, since it was a live recording, there was a higher sense of tension in the recording, which adds to the dramatic effect of the symphony, particularly in the first movement. Additionally on that release, the solo vocal in the fourth movement was performed by American soprano Patti Cohenour, who is better able to express the nuances of the text than someone whose native language is not English.

The CD packaging includes the poetic text by Cherry, along with Latvian translation. It would have been helpful to have a bit of background of the work itself, perhaps commentary from the composer himself, if not some musicologists, as to what made this work so significant and beloved at the same time.

Make no mistake, this recording is highly enjoyable, reminding the listener of why this symphony is one of the key works in Latvian classical music. Though the symphony is almost 40 years old, it still sounds as vital as ever, and its dramatic effect is still as gripping as when it was first performed.