Like most reviewers, I tend to recycle material from time to time. Words and phrases get reused, sometimes deliberately, sometimes because I can’t think of anything better to say. Sometimes you want to say something nice about a song you like, but it is hard to put your finger on exactly why you like the song, so you just pick one of a number of stock phrases. I think the word that I am personally most guilty of overusing is “melancholy.”

Once again this word will be overused, this time in reviewing a recording of the instrument that perhaps best expresses melancholy: the cello. This cello is performed by distinguished Latvian artist Māris Villerušs on the exhaustive two compact disc set Spēlē Māris Villerušs.

I first became acquainted with Villerušs through his performance of the Latvian composer Jānis Ivanovs’ “Cello Concerto.” While unfortunately not included in this set, the full cello concerto with Villerušs can be heard on the Campion CD Janis Ivanovs: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 (Campion Records 2009). Besides being a fan of Ivanovs, the cello performance made me a fan of Villerušs as well. When I saw Spēlē Māris Villerušs at the record store, I had to pick it up.

And I was not disappointed. The set contains approximately two and a half hours of melancholy cello goodness! The recordings focus on the cello in a chamber music setting, with piano or solo cello. They also run the gamut from the baroque (a “Concerto for Cello” by Antonio Vivaldi) to the modern (Latvian composer Maija Einfelde’s “Monologue for Cello and Piano”) to just about everything in between. You can have your pick of Spanish (Isaac Albeniz’s “Malaguena”), French (Gabriel Faure’s “Revival” or Claude Debussy’s “Minstrelsy”), Russian (a few each from Sergei Rachmaninov and Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, including the full “Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Major” by Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky’s “Nocturne”). The Latvian representatives on this disc, though few, are Jāzeps Mediņš’ “Maza serenāde” (Little Serenade) and “Ārija” (Aria), as well as the aforementioned Einfelde piece. Villerušs proves himself to be capable of performing pieces from many different composers, over many different genres.

Accompaning Villerušs on piano on most of the recordings is his wife, Inta. One of my favorite tracks is the Karl Maria von Weber “Rondo.” Though short, it shows the cellist’s technical ability, as well as the interplay between the cello and the piano.

The recordings also span many different decades. They are all taken from the immense archives of Latvian Radio, which are full of some of the best performances by Latvian artists. The oldest recordings on the CD date back to 1962. Villerušs’ durability as a performer cannot be questioned—he has been playing now for better than half a century, and is still going strong.

The only orchestral work on the album is the Vivaldi “Cello Concerto.” It is performed with the Latvian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Tovijs Lifšics. It has been said that when you’ve heard one Vivaldi concerto, you have heard them all. Although many baroque compositions are “simpler” than music that came later, I think that makes them difficult to perform well. Though the melodies might be simple, only the best performers can make the work truly compelling. Starting with the sad and easy melody of the first movement, Villerušs is able to keep your attention throughout the entire concerto.

Another favorite is Mediņš’ “Ārija.” Once again accompanied by his wife, Villerušs is best qualified to performing this beautifully haunting melody.

Villerušs’ biography is provided in the liner notes by Oļģerts Grāvītis. The liner notes also have the dates of recording for each of the pieces.

This expansive collection is highly recommended for any cello fans or any fans of Latvian classical music. It reinforces why the cello is one of my (and many other people’s) favorite instruments. The cello in the hands of the best cello players provides a truly moving experience. Two full CDs of some of the best cello playing by Māris Villerušs—how could you go wrong?

After what seemed to be an interminable length of time, the MICREC recording house in August released Dziesmu izlase #3, the third and final compact disc compilation of Latvian rock group Pērkons’ early albums. The previous compilation came out in 1996.

Once again, the release features two albums on one CD, this time 1990’s Ballīte and 1991’s Latviskā virtuvē. Both original releases were long out of print (Ballīte was supposedly released on vinyl but I never saw it on any of my trips to Latvia, and Latviskā virtuve didn’t even have an official release, per se). MICREC has done a phenomenal job of releasing the pearls of Latvian music on CD and this is yet another treasure that I am very thankful has once again seen the light of day.

As with many Latvian groups, it is sometimes very difficult to know what to expect with Pērkons. The first compilation, Dziesmu izlase #1, collected songs from 1981 and 1982 featured some rather raw tracks, with the focus being on the guitar. However, it did have some more sublime moments, including the hit “Pie baltās lapas.” It is a beautiful song that has the distinction of being the very first to break Raimonds Pauls’ stranglehold on the Mikrofons song competition (achieving first place at the Mikrofons 83 competition).

The second compilation, Dziesmu izlase #2, reissued albums from 1985 and 1987. It was a far more mature effort and featured hit after hit (such as “Zaļā dziesma,” “Gandrīz tautas dziesma” and “Cik pulkstens”).

What to expect from the third compilation? Surprises abound, and there are enough great songs to make the lengthy wait for this release worthwhile.

I previously had heard only two songs on Dziesmu izlase #3. The first was megahit “Mēs pārtiekam viens no otra” (lyrics by Viks, who is composer Imants Kalniņš’ brother, Viktors Kalniņš), a song that once again got Pērkons to first place in the Mikrofons song competition, this time 1989. It is easy to understand why, as it is one of Pērkons’ most moving songs. The oft repeated lyric, “Mēs pārtiekam viens no otra, un neviss no pārtikas precēm,” also likely struck a chord in many listeners in those final days of Soviet occupation. The music and the lyrics combined perfectly.

The second song I had heard—on the 1990 Vecais ratiņš aptauja record—was “Ballīte” (lyrics provided by famous Latvian author Anšlāvs Eglītis), which is just about my favorite Pērkons song of all time. The title is appropriate for the song, as it actually makes me want to dance. It is such a rousing number. Just having this song finally on CD makes the entire collection worthwhile.

The major fault of this CD release is that lyrics are not included. I always have had trouble figuring out the words to “Ballīte.”

All of the music on this CD, as well as all on the other CDs, was composed by the group’s keyboardist, Juris Kulakovs. In recent times, he has made a name for himself by composing a number of “long form” pieces, as well as performing with the Latvian Three Tenors.

The rest of Pērkons includes Nauris Puntulis on vocals, Juris Sējāns on bass guitar and vocals, Leons Sējāns on guitars and vocals, Ikars Ruņģis on drums and Raimonds Bartaševics on vocals, as well as the famed singer Ieva Akurātere.

Though very able to craft hit singles, the band also had a number of songs that are at once unusual and creative, and often times the lyrics are either humorous or just plain strange. For example, the song “Lūgums,” with lyrics by Andris Žebers, is basically a request to not stand on the toilet with your feet, because that will leave black footprints (other people have to sit there, you know). Another example is one of my favorites, “Kamēr es tevi mīleju” (lyrics by Juris Kronbergs), which, for the most part, is a straight ahead rock song, with a guy detailing all the things a girl did while he loved her (she became a vegetarian, she fought for women’s rights, she went to the dentist, etc.). This song also features a vocal appearance by Kulakovs, who details how penicillin makes you weak and want to sleep all the time.

As with the second compilation, the capacity of the format limits the number of songs that could be put on the CD. The songs “Saule purā” and “Viss rudens,” as well as the instrumental finale to the play “Spēlēju, dancoju,” can only be found on the cassette version.

The packaging is skimpy: No lyrics, just pictures of the band members. It would have been nice to read some of the likely very interesting history of this band.

This third compilation illustrates again why Pērkons is one of the most beloved bands in Latvia. Even though these were the band’s last albums (released more than a decade ago now), the group is still popular and attracts concertgoers.

The future might even bring a new album, which I think will be eagerly anticipated by many. Hopefully that album will include the also-not-available-on-CD song “Kāzas,” which can only be found on the Mikrofons 93 cassette. Also worth releasing on CD are the “alternate” versions of “Gandrīz tautas dziesma” from the Mikrofons 87 record and “Mana dienišķā dziesma” from the Mikrofons 88 Stafete record. In any case, this CD has enough gems to tide me over for at least the foreseeable future.

Mārtiņš Freimanis, lead singer of the band Tumsa, seems dead set on becoming a pop star. Not content with leading his band in a more poppy direction, he is also part of the pop group F.L.Y. (along with Lauris Reiniks and Yana Kay), and F.L.Y. competed earlier this year in the holiest of Europop events, Eurovision 2003.

Perhaps because of his pop inclinations, Tumsa has come a long way since its debut, Putni. Putting that first album side by side with the latest compact disc, Spēlējot debesis, the average listener might be hard to convince that they are by the same band. Becoming slicker with each passing album, Tumsa has left behind its hard rock roots and is courting mass appeal.

Now, this does not mean that Spēlējot debesis is a bad album. On the contrary, I think it is quite good, and perhaps the band’s most consistent album to date. Having had this album for a while now, it still finds its way into my CD player quite often. It may be poppy and it may be slick, but it is still an excellent album.

The lineup remains as before: Freimanis on vocals and acoustic guitar (he’s also the principal songwriter), Jānis Daugalis on bass guitar, Aigars Šmits on keyboards, Haralds Drekslers on guitars and Kaspars Boroduško on drums.

Much like other Latvian bands, Tumsa is at its best when offering up more melancholy songs. Not coincidentally, my favorite songs on the album are the first track “Pēc mums (vēl ilgi zeme skums)” and “Es esmu mazliet don Kihots,” both of which show the band at the peak of its ability.

It’s not all melancholy, though. “Pēc mums” is followed by the far more cheery “Spēlējot debesis,” providing a nice balance to the more heartrending songs on the album.

The song “Logi mākoņos” (a rather sincere anti-drug song) features the Latvian rap group Device often repeating the main theme of the song, “Lūdzu nepadodies” (Don’t give in).

“This is not paradise” is the only song in English and features a saxophone solo by Alex Balinsky, not to mention an appearance by well-known Latvian violinist (and Bet Bet lead singer) Zigfrīds Muktupāvels. This is one of the more poppy songs on the album, practically a dance track.

Tumsa seems to be going for an Elton John feel on the song “Balāde par sirdīm salauztām,” what with piano and a soaring string section, added presumably for dramatic effect.

One of my favorites on the album is “Tu esi tāda viena,” a more up tempo number and probably the catchiest song on the album.

I may have misgivings about Tumsa’s transition to a more pop-oriented sound, but Spēlējot debesis is still a very well-crafted album, full of even more classic Tumsa songs. Also nice is that all the lyrics are included in the CD booklet. Perhaps now that Freimanis has become a bona fide pop star as a member of F.L.Y., he will be able to take out his pop agression there and return revitalized to Tumsa. There is no denying the songwriting talent of Freimanis (his name appears in the songwriting credits for many other artists) and that is why you can always count on Tumsa to put out excellent records, Spēlējot debesis included.