Perhaps the saddest event in the Latvian music world in 2012 was the death of composer Uldis Stabulnieks on September 27 at the age of 66.

Best known for his popular songs, particularly the song ‘Tik un tā’ (lyrics by Māra Zālīte), the composer, who was also a pianist and singer, had a career that spanned decades.

Latvian record label MicRec has released Stabulnieks’ final recordings on the collection Es mīlu dzīvi skaisto (MRCD 496). Recorded from 2005 to 2007, the recordings feature Stabulnieks singing and playing the piano, with compositions based upon the lyrics of many well-known Latvian poets, including Ojārs Vācietis, Imants Ziedonis, Aleksandrs Čaks, among others. The CD booklet includes a brief biography of Stabulnieks in Latvian by music journalist Daiga Mazvērsīte.

Micrec also released a collection of Stabulnieks’ most popular songs in 2002 entitled Tik un tā (MRCD 189).

Track listing:

1. Es mīlu dzīvi (J. Rokpelnis)

2. Kā ūdens nemitīgs (J. Ziemeļnieks)

3. Mazs putniņš (V. Belševica)

4. Melodija (O. Vācietis)

5. Mežs (I. Ziedonis)

6. Par sliedēm (J. Peters)

7. Sieru dziesma (G. Godiņš)

8. Tango (J. Peters)

    Piecas variācijas par Jāņa Sudrabkalna tēmu “Tāls vakars”

9. Variācija #1 (J. Sudrabkalns)

10. Variācija #2 (J. Sudrabkalns)

11. Variācija #3 (J. Sudrabkalns)

12. Variācija #4 (J. Sudrabkalns)

13. Variācija #5 (J. Sudrabkalns)

14. Vecā Rīga (A. Čaks)

15. Zviedru vārti (Ē. Ādamsons)

16. Kāds smilšu graudiņš (J.Sudrabkalns)

Renowned Latvian pianist Vestards Šimkus (known internationally as Vestard Šimkus) has released his latest album Wagner Idyll on the German ARS produktion label (ARS 38 123), containing four solo piano pieces by Richard Wagner.

What makes the album slightly unusual is that Wagner is not particularly known for his piano works – his opera works being far better known. In fact, three of the four selections on the CD are piano arrangements of Wagner works by other composers (including Šimkus himself).

The CD was recorded at the Immanuelskirche in Wuppertal, Germany in May of 2011. The CD booklet features a lengthy biography of Wagner, as well as a briefer biography of Šimkus in both German and English.

This is the second CD Šimkus has recorded for ARS – the first one being 2011’s Interview with Beethoven (ARS 38 099).

Vestards Šimkus’ website – http://www.vestard-shimkus.com
ARS produktion website – http://www.ars-produktion.de

Track listing:

1. Isolde’s Liebestod (transcription by Vestards Šimkus)

2. Fantasia in F sharp minor, WWV 22

3. Spinnerlied (Franz Liszt)

4. Siegfried Idyll (Glenn Gould)

The Latvian Radio Chamber Singers (Latvijas Radio kora grupa), made up of members of the larger Latvian Radio Choir, and conducted by Kaspars Putniņš, have released a new CD – Latvijas jaunā raža (New Latvian Harvest) featuring new choir compositions by Latvian composers.

The Chamber Singers, according to the CD booklet, were founded in the early 1990s with the goal of creating a smaller soloist ensemble to focus on contemporary, often experimental, choir works.

The CD, featuring compositions by younger Latvian composers such as Mārtiņš Viļums, Santa Ratniece, and Ēriks Ešenvalds, among others, also includes brief biographies of all the composers, brief commentary on the works, and all song texts in Latvian and English (as well as original language).

For more information on the Latvian Radio Choir, please visit their website at http://www.radiokoris.lv

Track listing:

1. Le temps scintille… – Mārtiņš Viļums

2. Verso l’alto (Part I – Ho atteso) – Ruta Paidere

3. Verso l’alto (Part II – Ma le mie urla) – Ruta Paidere

4. Verso l’alto (Part III – In quest’oscuro) – Ruta Paidere

5. Light Seeking Light – Gundega Šmite

6. Sleep – Rolands Kronlaks

7. horo horo hata hata – Santa Ratniece

8. Ligeija – Kristaps Pētersons

9. Sunset: St. Louis – Ēriks Ešenvalds