One of the CD releases that many Latvian folklore fans most look forward to is the bi-yearly Latvian folk music collection Sviests. Full of new recordings of songs that are, in both direct and indirect ways, inspired by Latvian folk music and folklore, the series is one of the most eclectic collections of Latvian folk music available.

A particularly notable entry in the series was Sviests 3 in 2009 and one of the most striking and memorable songs on that release was “Es stāvēju agru rītu”, performed by a group named Vecpilsētas dziedātāji, which featured beautiful vocal harmonies.

Fast forward to 2013 and Sviests V, and, once again, a standout track on the collection is one by Vecpilsētas dziedātāji, this time the song is “Māras dziesma”, again featuring the characteristic vocal melodies.

Having already made a name for themselves with these songs, the group set about recording their first full-length album. The result was Puzurs, a collection of songs with a winter solstice (“Ziemassvētki”) theme. In fact, a ‘puzurs’ is an ornament that is normally hung from the ceiling during winter solstice time, made up of multiple triangles, and meant to represent the sun and light.

Though the group is inspired and rooted in Latvian folklore, more often than not the compositions and lyrics are their own, and they consider themselves a ‘post folklore’ group. The ensemble is actually quite large, which allows for the creation of quite rich musical and vocal textures and tapestries, which is used effectively on the album. The group is made up of Vēsma Keire on vocals and flute, Māra Abaja on vocals and percussion and kokle, Dace Sloka on vocals and guitar, Solveiga Kaļva on vocals, guitar, kokle, and piano, Inese Neimane on vocals, stabule, percussion, Linda Zonne on vocals, accordion, kokle and Anastasija Sliša on vocals, with additional bass guitar performed by Mārtiņš Abajs.

Latvian folk songs and folklore always have a hint of mysticism, particularly in songs about winter, and the arrangement of ‘Ziemassvētku kumeliņi’ (folk song texts, music by Solveiga Kaļva) features these mystical elements, with the solstice horses running from mountain to mountain on their silver horseshoes. To add to the magical sense of the song, a flute solo by Vēsma Keire entrances the listener on this fantastic journey.

Many themes relating to the winter solstice are explored, and one of them is the practice of going ‘ķekatās’ (mummering); of going, in disguise, from house to house. The song ‘Ķekatas’ (words by Linda Zonne and Solveiga Kaļva, music by Kaļva) is about this practice, and the lyrics tell the stories of the mummers going through the fields and through gardens, bringing dances and blessings to all houses.

The solstices, rooted in mythology, are also about the interplay between the sun and the moon, and this theme is explored in the song ‘Saules kāzas’, with folk song texts set to music by Dace Sloka. Sloka, who also sings lead vocal, with her rich alto voice, bears an eerie resemblance to well-known Latvian folk singer Zane Šmite, giving this song about the wedding between the sun and the moon a particularly majestic sense.

One of the highlights of the album is the dreamy, nearly seven minute-long ‘Meža māte’ (folk texts set to music by Dace Sloka), a song glorifying the Forest Mother, about being in the forest in the middle of winter, transporting the listener to a deep forest of spruce and pine, and left to meditate in this enchanting environment.

The solstice is also a time for transition and transformation, as the shortest day has been reached, and now the days become longer on the journey to the summer solstice. A related symbol of transition is the mouse, which is considered to be an animal that travels between this world and the other world. This is reflected in the playful ‘Peles dziesma’, a story of how a mouse that was sent to steal peas hid in a cave to escape capture, and, over the course of the song, explains, in a question and answer form, how the mouse was able to survive this ordeal.

The CD booklet contains the lyrics to all the songs, as well as brief explanations of the meanings of the songs in both Latvian and English.

Puzurs is one of the most striking folklore related releases in recent memory. The girls in the group have brought together an impressive array of musical and songwriting talents to create an engrossing vision of winter and the solstice. Though steeped in folklore traditions, these are modern and contemporary interpretations of ancient themes, bringing together a magical picture of deepest winter and the spiritual significance of this time of year.

Vecpilsētas dziedātāji ondraugiem.lv and on Facebook

The accordion is, without a doubt, a very popular instrument in Latvia. An essential aspect of most every countryside šlāger ensemble, the quaint sound made by air pushed through the instrument brings forth thoughts of evenings in French cafes or German beer gardens. Unfortunately, some might not consider the ‘accordion’ a serious instrument – relegated to being played by buskers on street corners.

However, as Latvians manage to excel at most every musical instrument they come across, it was inevitable that the accordion as well would finds its way into the hands of a talented musician, thereby joining the ranks of truly ‘serious’ instruments.  This musician is Ksenija Sidorova who has made quite a name for herself internationally performing the accordion.

Born in Riga, and encouraged to play the accordion at the age of five by her grandmother, Ksenija quickly made her way to the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she excelled with her accordion skills, winning many awards along the way.

In 2013, Ksenija released her second CD, Fairy Tales (her first CD was 2011’s simply titled Classical Accordion). Collecting a number of performances of works with themes of fantasy and the supernatural, Sidorova provides bravura performances with the ‘squeezebox’, making for an enchanting journey through fantastic worlds. Combining both solo performances, as well as performances accompanied by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Clark Rundell, the CD serves as an excellent showcase for the talents of this young musician.

One of the centerpieces of this recording is the seven movement “Fairy Tales Concerto” by Czech composer Vaclav Trojan. Going from the majestic in the sixth movement – “The Sailor and the Enchanted Accordion”, to the humorously frenetic fifth movement – “The Naughty Roundabout”, to the dreamy and romantic second movement – “The Sleepy Princess”, this series of fairy tales becomes a memorable way to allow Sidorova, using the accordion accompanied by the orchestra, to express a number of different of emotions and visions, creating a dazzling world filled with colorful characters.

The interplay between Sidorova and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales is on display in the performance of “Oblivion” by Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla, and the recording also features violinist Thomas Gould. This sentimental and melancholic work closes out the CD, showing that Sidorova is not only adept at playing more ‘flashy’ works, but can also use the accordion to express a range of emotions and feelings in a more subdued environment.

The solo works also allow Sidorova’s talent to shine through. For example, “Caprice Espagnol” by Moritz Moszkowski, a lively Spanish-style work with many opportunities for fireworks. Also present on this CD is the “Scherzo” from Felix Mendelssohn’s ballet music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This work, originally intended to bridge the point in the ballet when the setting changes from the earthly to the fairy realm – bridging the earthly with the unearthly – gives Sidorova the opportunity to display her dramatic talents.

The CD booklet features an extensive write-up of the performer in English, and also of the chosen pieces and composers.

Raising the profile of the accordion within the world of classical music is one of Sidorova’s main goals, and Fairy Tales has done a quite remarkable job of achieving just that. From virtuoso performances to emotive melodies, the accordion in Sidorova’s hands becomes something quite magical and memorable, sweeping the listener away through varied unearthly landscapes. Fairy Tales confirms that both Sidorova, and the accordion should be placed among the elite in the classical music world.

Artist website: http://www.ksenijasidorova.com

Perhaps one of the most memorable moments of the closing concert of the 2013 Latvian Song Festival was the song “Dvēseles dziesma”.

With its patriotic words by poet Anita Kārkliņa put to music in such a way that the tens of thousands of spectators were emotionally affected and moved, this final song in the ‘official’ part of the concert brought forth a wave of emotion through both singers and listeners alike. The composer responsible for this unforgettable moment? Ēriks Ešenvalds.

Ešenvalds, who has reaffirmed his compositional skills time and again in many areas of music, arguably finds his greatest artistic successes in the field of choir music. From epics like “Légende de la femme emmurée”, to sacred works like “Passion and Resurrection”, to truly Latvian works such as the aforementioned “Dvēseles dziesma”, Ešenvalds has shown quite the talent for bringing together music, text, and singers to create choir works of great emotion, passion, depth and power.

Recognizing the formidable choir compositional talents of this composer, the State Choir Latvia (of whom, perhaps not coincidentally, Ešenvalds is a former singer), led by another Latvian choir music visionary, conductor Māris Sirmais, undertook the task of recording of a number of Ešēnvalds’ more serious choir works, and released the CD At the Foot of the Sky in 2013.

The CD covers choral works written over the course of the last five years. Sparsely instrumented, these works are mostly secular works, and display a range of influences and styles, from classical styles to more modern approaches.

Many of Ešenvalds’ choir pieces have set the words of poet Sara Teasdale to music, and the work “Stars” is one of the many successful efforts. With its haunting, ethereal accompaniment provided by tuned glasses, Teasdale’s words about ‘a heaven full of stars’ become even more cosmic in nature, even magical.

First performed by the youth choir Kamēr…, ”Tāls ceļš” (originally released on the Mīlas madrigāli album), with words by Paulīna Bārda (written after the death of her husband, famed Latvian poet Fricis Bārda), is one of Ešenvalds’ most popular recent choir pieces. At first, it would appear to be a simple, sweet love song, however, in Ešenvalds’ hands, the lyrical song becomes a far more spiritual work, with an otherworldly block flute conclusion, played by Andis Klučnieks.

As the title of the album would indicate, the overarching theme of all these works is the sky – both in the literal sense, with songs about the various phenomena that appear in the sky, as well as the dreams that are inspired by the heavens. The mystical side of the heavens is displayed in the text to “Seneca’s Zodiac”, which contains fragments from the Chorus of Thyestes by Seneca the Younger. From its ominous opening, foretelling the end of the world – “Into one abyss shall fall the throng of gods”, the story continues with all the elements from the Zodiac calendar. The performance also features Ešenvalds himself playing the piano, adding another layer of mysticism to this engrossing journey through astrology.

The sacred aspect of the sky appears in the final work on the CD – “In Paradisum”, with text taken from the Requiem Mass. Beginning with the achingly melancholic string performances of Pēteris Trasūns on viola and Pēteris Ozoliņš on cello, this epic work about death and eternal rest carries an emotional weight and spiritual depth that is at once both powerful and subdued. The soprano solo by Sanita Sinkēviča adds to the imagery of angels awaiting the entrance of a soul into paradise.

The CD booklet features a lengthy essay on Ešenvalds and the works on the disc by British composer Gabriel Jackson (whose own works were performed by the State Choir Latvia on the recording A Ship with Unfurled Sails), as well as biographies of the composer and the choir, in both Latvian and English.

The past ten years have revealed that Ēriks Ešenvalds is one of the premier Latvian choir music composers. With a strong sense of melody, lyricism and the dramatic, the composer, via the voice of the choir, brings new colors and textures to the interpretations of these texts. In the hands of a premier choir such as the State Choir Latvia, and under the baton of Māris Sirmais, these works become almost transcendent, illuminating the majesty and mysticism of the sky, at once beautiful and reverent. At the Foot of the Sky is a truly captivating collection of some of Ešenvalds’ best choral work.

State Choir Latvija website: www.koris.lv
Ēriks Ešenvalds’ website: www.eriksesenvalds.com.