The Finnish record label Ondine, in cooperation with Latvijas koncerti, has released Plainscapes, a collection of Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks’ choral music performed by the Latvian Radio Choir and conducted by Sigvards Kļava.

The compact disc collects a broad range of Vasks’ secular choral music, with works from the 1970s through 1990s, as well as the first decade of the new millennium.

All lyrics are in Latvian, with poetry by well-known Latvian authors such as Uldis Bērziņš, Knuts Skujenieks and Inese Zandere.

Including such better known works such as “Zīles ziņa” (The Tomtit’s Message) and “Klusās dziesmas” (Silent Songs), Plainscapes also features some works that are being released on CD for the first time, such as “Mūsu māšu vārdi” (Our Mothers’ Names), “Skumjā māte” (The Sad Mother), “Vasara” (Summer) and “Mazi, silti svētki” (Small, Warm Holiday).

The CD booklet also contains an in-depth interview with the composer (in English) by Ināra Jakubone of the Latvian Music Information Centre.

This is the second Ondine CD to feature the Latvian Radio Choir performing the choral works of Vasks. The first, Pater noster, featured sacred works and was released in 2007. Ondine has released a number of CDs featuring the works of Vasks, including his Symphony No. 2 and Violin Concerto “Distant Light” in 2003 and Symphony No. 3 and Cello Concerto in 2006. The Latvian Radio Choir has also recorded the works of other composers for Ondine, for example Rachmaninov’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in 2010.

Tracks on the CD include:

1. The Tomtit’s Message (Zīles ziņa, 1981/2004) and Silent Songs (Klusās dziesmas, 1979/1992)
2. I. Nosāpi pārsāpi
3. II. Dusi dusi
4. III. Trīs meži
5. IV. Paldies tev vēlā saule
6. Our Mothers’ Names (Mūsu māšu vārdi, 1977/2003)
7. The Sad Mother (Skumja māte, 1980/91)
8. Summer (Vasara, 1978)
9. Plainscapes (Līdzenuma ainavas, 2002)
10. Small, Warm Holiday (Mazi, silti svētki, 1988)
11. Birth (Piedzimšana, 2008)

For more on Vasks, visit the Latvian Music Information Centre’s website, www.lmic.lv. For information on the Latvian Radio Choir, visit www.radiokoris.lv.

Latvia’s official Facebook page, featuring video of a folksy white-haired man tossing logs into a stove, has been unveiled by the Latvian Institute, the government’s information and public relations agency.

The page invites Facebook visitors to “like” Latvia with the slogan, “If you like Latvia, Latvia likes you.” Whenever someone adds their support for the page, the man in the video—a baker played by actor Kaspars Pūce—thanks the visitor. The goal is to get 100,000 followers by the end of the year, according to the Latvian Institute’s Jan. 27 announcement.

The page, with the rather long address of www.facebook.com/IfYouLikeLatviaLatviaLikesYou, was designed by advertising agency Leo Burnett Riga after a competition to find the best solution for the country’s Facebook presence.

“Latvia’s official Facebook page is a unique opportunity to creatively, innovatively and attractively communicate to the world about Latvia,” Karina Pētersone, director of the Latvian Institute, said in the press release. “It allows us to boast about the country’s success stories, unique events in social and political life, innovative businesses, and events in the areas of culture and sports.”

For now the site does not have much material other than the “Grand opening” video and a “Latvian anatomy” section, which offers readers a look at Latvians in relation to other cultures. In that section, readers learn that, “Just like our hair, the Russians have always been beside us—sometimes more, sometimes less. Sometimes tame and easy to comb, sometimes tousled and uncontrollable as the hair of a rebellious rock ‘n’ roll teenager.” Germans, Swedes, Finns, the British and other nationalities are also mentioned.

The Facebook site will feature contests and other attractions, according to the press release. The “Grand Opening” page includes a questionnaire. Those who complete it will have their names entered into a raffle to win one of 300 loaves of Latvian bread, shipped anywhere in the world.

By the end of the Jan. 27 workday in Latvia, almost 4,000 visitors had “liked” the Facebook page.