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

Swedish Latvian rock ensemble Alis P, led by Gundars Rullis, return with their third album Attiecību putra. Alis P, who began performing in 1979, is now made up of Rullis (vocals, guitar), Edgars Rubenis (bass) and Edgars Āboliņš (drums).

Attiecību putra follows 2009’s Uz priekšu, which was released after a twenty-one year gap after their first album, Alis iet pastaigāt (released on LP in 1988).

Attiecību putra is currently available only as a digital download, though the band may release the album on LP if there is demand for it.

For further information, visit the Alis P website at http://www.alispudelis.lv or their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/alispudelis. To preview Attiecību putra, visit http://alisp.bandcamp.com/album/attiec-bu-putra