To celebrate their 15th anniversary, the mixed choir Sõla, of the Latvian Academy of Culture, commissioned new compositions from a number of distinguished Latvian composers to be performed at their anniversary concert in December of 2013. The theme of the compositions was the four elements – earth, water, air and fire.

Sõla, led by artistic director Kaspars Ādamsons, and assisted by conductors Rūdolfs Bacāns and Jēkabs Jančevskis  (also a composer), then proceeded to record these compositions and present them on their 2014 CD Stihiju spēles.

As a bonus, the choir recorded a second work by Jančevskis – ‘Adveniat Regnum’ – to represent the fifth element – the spirit.

This is now Sõla’s third CD, after 2008’s Pūra dziesmas, and 2014’s Jānim Cimzem – 200.

The choir Sõla, which, along with the youth choir Kamēr…, shared the Grand Prix Award at the 2013 Song Festival mixed choir competition, also represented Latvia at the Europe Sings choir festival in Vienna in May of 2014, which was broadcast to audiences all over Europe.

For more information, please visit Sola’s website.

Track listing

1. Mārtiņš Brauns / Knuts Skujenieks – “Kaut kāda melna uguns”
2. Arturs Maskats / Monta Kroma – “Ir vēsas lūpas”
3. Evija Skuķe – Vēja vocalize
4. Jēkabs Jančevskis / Latvian folk song texts – “Atsalums”
5. Andris Dzenītis / Dorothy Walters – “A Cloth of Fine Gold”
6. Andris Dzenītis / William Butler Yeats – “Everlasting Voices”
7. Indra Riše / Māra Cielēna – “Saule, vējš un pārējie”
8. Indra Riše / Māra Cielēna – “Lūgšana par mūsu zemi”
9. Indra Riše / Māra Cielēna – “Īsta princese”
10. Santa Ratniece / Inga Ābele – “Pēc vēja”
11. Selga Mence / Rainer Maria Rilke – “Herbst”
12. Jēkabs Jančevskis / Liturgical texts – “Adveniat Regnum”