The distinguished and world renowned Baltic string orchestra Kremerata Baltica, led by artistic director and visionary violinist Gidon Kremer, in 2010 released a unique collection of string works entitled De Profundis.

Instead of focusing on a particular composer or style of music, the collection is of works by composers who were inspired to “cry out from the depths.” According to Kremer, they are works that cried out for a better world. The 12 works are by composers from many different centuries and styles—modern and classical, melodic and harsh, positive and negative.

Though Kremer writes in the liner notes that “it is not my intention to make De Profundis a political statement,” it is clear that it is. Kremer names the regimes of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Myanmar and Russia. He dedicates the collection specifically to Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky – a political enemy of Vladimir Putin—and broadly to “those who refuse to be silenced,” and also writes about the corruptive power of oil.

That being said, politics is mercifully absent from the works themselves. As Kremer writes in the notes, the collected works “send their own individual message to the listener…appealing to their profoundest emotions.” The varied range of works is masterfully handled by Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica, and though the styles vary rather dramatically throughout the recording, the performances are always compelling and make clear the orchestra’s versatility and ability to successfully interpret works from hundreds of years of musical history.

For example, the earliest work on this album is the “Minuet No. 3 and Trios in D minor” by Franz Schubert, an early Romantic era composer who, in his very brief life, created some truly beautiful music. The prolific Schubert, though better known for his Lieder, also achieved success in other forms of music, as shown by this recording. Schubert’s wonderful sense of melody is brought forth by Kremerata Baltica.

Though many composers in the 19th century were beset with tragedy, one of the most tragic was Robert Schumann, whose promising piano performance career was cut short by a hand injury, and, in later years, mental breakdown. De Profundis contains Schumann’s “Fugue No. 6” from “Six Fugues on the Name B.A.C.H.” Schumann, though known more for piano works, also shows his versatility in the field of orchestral composition, with his Baroque style “Fugue,” interplaying all the instruments of the orchestra to form a rich tapestry.

Baltic composers are represented on this collection as well. Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and his “Passacaglia,” is performed in the composer’s distinctive deliberate, measured minimalist style, with the violins adding a level of tension to the piece. Lithuania’s Raminta Šerkšnytė is represented by the work that gives the album its title, “De Profundis,” an intimate yet ominous composition. Also performed is the picturesque “Flowering Jasmine” by Georgs Pelēcis of Latvia, featuring Andrei Pushkarev on the vibraphone.

Not just European composers are found in the collection. Argentina’s Astor Piazzolla’s “Melodia en La menor (Canto de Octubre), though an orchestral work, clearly displays his tango mastery.

As the works are of a rather varied nature, it would have been interesting to find out more about how Kremer chose them. The jumping back and forth through the centuries can lead to some jarring juxtaposition to the listener. Going from the German early Romantic Schubert to modern Hungarian Stevan Tickmayer and then to Soviet Russian Dmitri Shostakovich makes for a bit of a roller coaster ride. However, the performances are impeccable.

As was Kremer’s intention, all of the works here are intended to appeal to emotions. Although the works are in dramatically different styles, they all have a similar emotional heft. Kremerata Baltica and Kremer provide a truly expressive and vivid journey throughout the centuries.

One of the bright spots of 2011 on the Latvian music scene was the debut album Dual by Laime Pilnīga.

Laime Pilnīga (Happiness Fulfilled) brings together old-school hard rock into generous compositions with a fresh and modern sound. The group has its beginnings as early as 2004, but got its first big break playing as special guests at Latvian rock icons Pērkons’ 25th anniversary concert.

The band members really can’t say how they got together, just that they had known each other from different musical projects and decided to form the band.

The four group members are Ervins Ramiņš on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and synthesizer, who also works as a vocal teacher; guitarist Mārcis Vasiļevskis, who is described by former Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis as a guitar virtuoso ; bassist Jānis Olekšs, has performed on many Latvian television music shows and played as session bassist in different groups; and drummer Elvijs Mamedovs, who is also been a session drummer in different Latvian bands. The group has performed at many different music festivals in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Hungary. It has made several videos that are available on YouTube.

Dual, a 10-song album, begins with the mystifying “Neverendless.” It sets the tone for this cosmic musical journey. The next track, “The Time Song,” has a lot of Led Zeppelin influence. It has a lot of syncopation with a good groove supplied by bassist Olekšs and drummer Mamedovs.

“Shaman,” which is the second single off the album, features excellent slide guitar by Vasiļevskis while vocalist Ramiņš blasts out the melody with excellent English pronunciation. The song was inspired by Ramiņš’ journey to Canada, where he met local Indian tribes.

Slowing things down with a classic 12-bar blues, “All Her Soul” really lets the singer take center stage with his soulful voice. “G.O.D.” is a two-part song that starts off with a syncopated beat and takes off in the second half, getting faster and faster, picking up more momentum towards the end. The track goes straight into “I’m in Love with the Money” with its acoustic guitar riff and falsetto vocal.

Some off-beat stuff is the album’s first single, “Terror Woman.” There’s some really interesting sound effects at the end of the track to link it up with “We Are Prayin’,” which is a nice little slow song featuring Madžo on tabla. This song has a dramatic bridge and ends off so serenely and calmly as it started.

“One Moment” (my favorite on the album) is again what is the Laime Pilnīga “sound.” It has a good sing-along chorus and a good coordinated bridge between the guitar, bass and drums. The song really rocks!

The longest song on the album is the last last one, “Sensations.” It has an eerie verse and a strong powerful chorus, plus lots of jazzy 7th and 9th chords and scales in the cosmic guitar solo with some melodic background vocals. The song ends after about six minutes, but is followed by 60 seconds of silence and ends with a little echo guitar. Good ending, very cosmic.

I really like this record and I think this group could have a good shot of gaining popularity outside of Latvia because their excellent musicianship and unique sound. Dual has been nominated for Best Rock Album and Best Debut Album of 2011 by the Latvian Music Industry Awards that will host its ceremony Feb. 28 in the National Opera in Rīga.

For more information, visit the band’s website, www.laimepilniga.com or see the band’s page on the draugiem.lv social network.

Drum and bagpipe ensemble Auļi occupies a particular niche not just in Latvian music, but in world music in general. Combining drums and bagpipes might not have been the most logical decision, but Auļi has found success and fame for its style and performances.

Making the band’s already eclectic niche even more unusual, Auļi has given a name to its style of music, which is used as the title of its most recent album, 2010’s Etnotranss (or ethno-trance music).

The general idea is that the drums and bagpipes, performing music inspired by Latvian folklore, will mesmerize and put you in a trance-like state, which is what Etnotranss quite effectively accomplishes.

Auļi is made up of bagpipe players Kaspars Bārbals, Leanne Barbo, Gatis Indrēvics, Māris Jēkabsons, Edgars Kārklis and Normunds Vaivads, as well as drummers Mikus Čavarts, Edgars Krūmiņš and Kaspars Indrēvics. The drum and bagpipe sounds are supplemented by Gatis Valters on trough fiddle and special guest Andris Grunte on double bass.

Though Etnotranss is now the group’s third album (after 2005’s Sen dzirdēju and 2007’s Auļos…), the group shows no sign of exhausting the possibilities of this style of music.

The album begins with the aggressive, almost military like “Diņķi,” the introduction to which features the sharp sound of the double bass, foretelling the sonic adventure that lays ahead.

In fact, much of the album is at a fast tempo, with few calm moments along the way. One of the brief moments of calm is the beginning of the song “Karotājs,” but it does not last very long, as the tempo picks up rather dramatically, with an almost Middle Eastern-like melody in the bagpipes.

“Ozols” is a majestic tribute to the mighty oak tree, filled with reverence and awe. My favorite composition is probably “Dieva dēli,” with a particularly catchy melody, and a quite enjoyable bagpipe arrangement, featuring creative interplay between the bagpipes. Also, the song is one of the few “milder” songs on the album, and it strikes me as being a kind of a celebratory dance.

Clearly Auļi is influenced by pagan Latvian traditions and symbolism, judging by the song titles the band has given to the compositions, such as “Dieva dēli,” “Austras koks” and “Krustukrusti.” I get the impression that the group wants to evoke the spirit of ancient Latvia, weaving together mythology and history.

The album booklet features brief essays in Latvian (with English translations) on each song and other topics by author Laima Muktupāvela. The essays are full of pagan Latvian spirituality and philosophy.

Though one might think that the possibilities of just drums and bagpipes might be limited, Auļi once again displays its creativity in the arrangements and performances. With so much of the album being in a fast, almost aggressive tempo, this music is not for the faint of heart! With barely a chance to relax over the course of the album, by the end the listener may very well be truly in a trance-like state, overwhelmed by the intensity of the interplay between the instruments. Etnotranss is truly a remarkable achievement, and the members of Auļi have certainly carved out a rather notable niche for themselves.