Canadian Latvian composer Tālivaldis Ķeniņš, who was born in 1919 and passed away in 2008, through his many decades of composition and work in the music field, is a towering figure in Latvian academic music. Throughout his long and storied career, Ķeniņš wove together many styles of music – conductor Andris Poga notes “touches of modernism, expressionism and also Jazz” can be heard in his music.

For all his renown, Ķeniņš and his works are comparatively less well known in Latvia, likely due to Ķeniņš spending the bulk of his life in Canada as an exiled Latvian during the Soviet occupation of Latvia. However, with the centenary of Ķeniņš birth in 2019, interest in his work was heightened, and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Andris Poga performed and recorded several of his works. An album of three orchestral works – the Violin Concerto, the Concerto for Five Percussionists and Orchestra, and ‘Beatae voces tenebrae’ – was released in 2020.

The Violin Concerto, featuring soloist Eva Bindere, is a work of five movements (without any pauses between the movements) that is a near constant stream of musical activity. The almost frenetic work, which at a moment’s notice can go from a harsh sound to a lyrical melody, from a rapid, intense performance to a slower, methodical one, gives Bindere a showcase for her talents. The mournful, mysterious second movement is a highlight, as well as the final movement, much of which is Bindere performing solo. With her clear, lyrical tone, Bindere’s violin reveals the nuances and subtleness in Ķeniņš’ work, all the way to the dramatic and sudden conclusion.

The Concerto for Five Percussionists (on this recording they are Mikus Bāliņš, Elvijs Endelis, Elīna Endzele, Guntars Freibergs, and Ernests Mediņš – collectively the Perpetuum Ritmico ensemble) begins dramatically, almost ominously. An uneasy calm is present in the second movement, with the strings of the orchestra adding a dreamlike quality to the sound of the percussionists, which then transitions to the sharp, sudden sounds of the third movement. The percussionists, performing on a variety of percussive instruments, create a vivid sound palette throughout the work, culminating in the intense and thunderous concluding movement, with the percussion giving a slight military feel, with a sound almost like an alarm as the work concludes.

Ķeniņš rarely offered any programmatic notes for his works, simply entitling them ‘symphony’ or ‘concerto’ and letting the listeners decide for themselves what to think, but on the work ‘Beatae voces tenebrae’ Ķeniņš did offer some notes on the inspiration for it. Prior to the time of composition, the composer had lost two close friends, and the sorrow and anguish can be heard throughout the work. As the composer’s son, Juris Ķeniņš described it, the work is a “meditation about death and eternity”. From its reserved, somber beginning, to the funereal middle section, there are still elements of tenderness, as if remembering someone. The Orchestra, along with conductor Poga, bring forth the many emotions and moods of this layered work.

The CD booklet contains many fascinating notes about Ķeniņš’ life, how, prior to World War II, he studied in Paris, and, upon return to Latvia, was initially refused admission to the Latvian Conservatory by composer Jāzeps Vītols (who believed Ķeniņš wasn’t quite ready as a composer), but colleague, fellow composer Ādolfs Ābele, took on the responsibility to teach Ķeniņš. Ķeniņš returned to Paris as a refugee during World War II, and continued his education there, among his teachers was renowned French composer Olivier Messiaen. Ķeniņš later emigrated to Canada, where he became a professor at the University of Toronto.

Through his many decades of work, Tālivaldis Ķeniņš established himself as one of the premiere 20^th century composers, and this collection of his orchestral works confirms his place as one of the most distinguished Latvian, as well as Canadian, composers. The Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Andris Poga, as well as the soloists, provide vivid and dynamic performances, which are a tribute to this illustrious, venerable composer and his incomparable contribution to academic music.

For further information, please visit the Skani website and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra website.

Tālivaldis Ķeniņš

Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Andris Poga

LMIC/SKANI 088, 2020

Track listing

Violin Concerto (1974)

1. Moderato con moto
2. Piu lento
3. Doppio movimento. Scherzoso
4. Doppio piu lento
5. Cadenza. Senza misura

Concerto for Five Percussionists and Orchestra

• Vivo e marcato – Un poco meno mosso
• Tranquillo
• Molto animato
• Lento
• Coda. Presto

1. Beatae voces tenebrae

Young Latvian pianist Daumants Liepiņš has, in a few short years, become one of the most notable and accomplished musicians in Latvia. Having won the Best Debut award at the Latvian Great Music Awards in 2017, he went on to competition victories, and in 2021, is, as a pianist, an artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels.

To add to his achievements, Liepiņš recorded his first solo piano album, which was released in 2020, and contains works by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff and Latvian composer Imants Zemzaris. The works were selected by Liepiņš, to present the “majesty of nature and the fragility of the soul”.

Zemzaris’ Piano Sonata No. 3 is subtitled ‘Kaija’ (or ‘Seagull’), as the music is based upon incidental music Zemzaris composed for a production of the Anton Chekov play at the Valmiera Theater in 2001. In 2008, the composer refashioned the music into a proper piano sonata. The first movement has a fleeting quality about it, perhaps like a bird that is ready to fly away. The second movement becomes weightier and more somber. Zemzaris noted that the music is for the character of Konstantin Treplyov (also spelled Treplev), to show the character’s “stingingly freezing loneliness”. The music was also imagined to be a work that Treplyov himself composes offstage. The third movement is more melodic, dance-like, intertwining classical elements with more modern elements, almost playfully at times, though with hints of melancholy. This then leads to a thunderous crash at the beginning of the final movement, with a rumbling melody in the lower register of the piano, full of foreboding, even a sense of dread. Liepiņš provides a rich, thoughtful performance of Zemzaris’ composition, presenting the theatrical and dramatic elements of the work in an engrossing, riveting interpretation.

Rachmaninoff’s Etude-tableaux, Op. 39 No. 2 is a tender, almost fragile work, though it does have dramatic moments. Liepiņš compares the music of Rachmaninoff to water, waves in the sea, and this interpretation is imbued in Liepiņš’ performance – a flowing, undulating sound, at times calm, others stormy. Liepiņš plays with confidence, but also delicately, perhaps presenting the fragility of nature in his performance.

Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2 (1931 revision) is a stormy, tempestuous work, technically challenging, requiring a robust performance, which Liepiņš assuredly provides. A listener might hear the sound of bells in this work, particularly in the resonant descending intervals. Rachmaninoff often incorporated the sound of bells in his music, and musicologist Ināra Jakubone notes in the CD booklet that “allusions to the sound of bells are considered one of the musical symbols of Russia in Rachmaninoff’s music.” There is a respite to the storm in the second movement, while the grand third movement, Rachmaninoff alternates between thundering passages with brief bursts of melody in the upper register, as the work reaches its culmination. Liepiņš deftly handles this difficult work, with a monumental performance that encompasses both drama and lyricism.

Daumants Liepiņš has convincingly established himself as one of the premiere pianists in Latvia, and this album of music by Imants Zemzaris and Sergei Rachmaninoff confirms his talent and abilities, not just in performance but also dramatic interpretation.

For further information, please visit Daumants Liepiņš’ website

Rachmaninoff. Zemzaris

Daumants Liepiņš

LMIC/SKANI 084, 2020

Track listing

Sergei Rachmaninoff

1. Etude-tableaux, Op. 39 No. 2

Imants Zemzaris

Piano Sonata No. 3 Kaija (Seagull) (2008)

• Allegro
• Andantino rubato
• Moderato
• Andante

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 36 (1931 version)

• Allegro agitato
• Non allegro – Lento
• L’istesso tempo – Allegro molto

Latvian composer Rihards Dubra, has, in the past decade, established himself as one of the premiere composers of sacred music in Latvia. Finding inspiration in his Catholic faith, as well as the music of composers like Arvo Part and John Taverner, Dubra has composed extensively in the choral music genre, and his large-scale choral work ‘Te Deum’ won the Latvian Great Music Award in 2003.

Besides his works for choir, Dubra has also composed several symphonic works. Recognizing Dubra’s contribution to the field of Latvian symphonic music, the Latvian national record label Skani, in 2020, released a CD of two symphonic works – Symphony No. 2 and ‘Mystery of His Birth’. The recordings, made in 2015, were performed by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and conductor Atvars Lakstīgala.

A mournful tolling of a bell can be heard at the beginning of the first movement of Symphony No. 2 (subtitled ‘Visio’), which is then joined by a solemn melody performed in the brass section, which gradually expands and swells, then suddenly turns into a tense, rapid performance in the strings, punctuated by brief bursts of sound from the brasses. The bursts of sound continue, with a kind of an echo from the percussion. The turmoil goes on, but then suddenly changes into a serene, quiet melody in the middle of the movement. This then gradually builds to a crescendo near the end of the movement, as the turbulence returns, and the movement closes out with a dramatic, lengthy tonal descent.

The subtitle for the second movement is ‘Cantus’, and the music is meant to evoke a sacred choral song. A solemn, slow melody begins the movement, performed reverently by the orchestra. The performance is atmospheric and mysterious, and it retains its choral character until the very end, when there is a slight crescendo, and all the orchestra’s instruments come together like voices in a choir, elevating the performance. The movement concludes much as it began, with a quiet, reserved melody, in an almost tender performance.

The Book of Revelations provides inspiration for the third and final movement, entitled ‘Et vidi…’, and is by far the most dramatic section of the Symphony. Dubra himself calls the movement ‘apocalyptic’, and the intense, deliberate brass sounds accent the ominous nature of this section. Discordance, and an uneasy trepidation are woven throughout, and the intensity of the music continues until the conclusion. Still, even considering the apocalyptic nature of the music, the Symphony ends on a positive, bright note, with a flourish in the orchestra. A gong crash concludes the work, as perhaps a final warning.

“Mystery of his Birth”, a musical account of the events of Christmas Eve, features cello soloist Ēriks Kiršfelds, who, through the sounds of the cello, brings forth the mysticism and wonder of the work. The celebratory nature of the piece is accentuated by bells, as well as the rising melody in the brass instruments. The work ends rather suddenly, with an ascending melody in the cello supplemented by bells.

The CD booklet includes an extensive interview with the composer, where he gives insights into his influences and compositional style. Interesting tidbits include his interest in art rock, groups such as Yes and Gentle Giant, and that he also includes Gregorian themes in his compositions. Still, one would have liked to read more about the works themselves.

At times dramatic and ominous, at other times uplifting and positive, the symphonic music of Rihards Dubra distinguishes itself with both its intensity, as well as its deep spirituality. In the booklet notes, Dubra says he will “be happy if this music helps someone to persevere and overcome, to gain peace of mind”, revealing the personal and spiritual nature of his work – that music can be comforting and reassuring. The Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, along with conductor Atvars Lakstīgala, bring forth the many facets of Dubra’s music, confirming the singular talents of the composer and the many layers of his symphonic works.

For further information, please visit the composer’s page at the Latvian Music Information Center, and the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra website.

Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, conductor Atvars Lakstīgala

Rihards Dubra – Symphony No. 2 / The Mystery of His Birth

LMIC 080, 2020

Track listing:

Symphony No. 2

1. Visio
2. 2. Cantus
3. 3. Et vidi…

4. Mystery of His Birth