Latvian composer Jānis Mediņš, who would have celebrated his 135th birthday in 2025, left a lasting legacy in Latvian classical music. Besides being the composer of the first Latvian opera and the first Latvian ballet, his contributions to the field of piano music created an enduring foundation for all Latvian music.

Recognizing and celebrating Mediņš’ contributions, Latvian pianist Reinis Zariņš recorded an album of the composer’s piano works. Entitled simply Jānis Mediņš. Klaviermūzika, the album, which contains both solo piano works and a recording of Mediņš’s Piano Concerto (also the first of its kind in Latvian music), was released in 2025.

The cornerstone of the album is Mediņš’ Piano Concerto, recorded here with the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and conductor Kaspars Ādamsons. Completed in 1934 and premiered in 1935, the dramatic and majestic work is also highly complex, and evokes comparisons to the piano concertos of Rachmaninoff. The first movement, with its almost non-stop motion and driving character, is a musical whirlwind, and the orchestra and conductor Ādamsons match the intensity of the piano performance throughout this almost frenetic performance. The deliberate, at times ominous second movement offers a respite to the tempestuous first, and begins with a mournful melody in the horns, then gradually builds in intensity until it reaches a beautiful and resplendent crescendo, then slowly dissipates at its conclusion. The anxious third movement returns to the breathless pace of the first, with quiet, mystical interludes in the woodwinds, as it reaches its exhilarating conclusion.

Mediņš left a large body of work for solo piano, and Zariņš has selected highlights from the composer’s oeuvre. Perhaps Mediņš’ best known works are his 24 Dainas, composed over the course of forty years. Even though they are called dainas (folk songs), they are not actually based on any Latvian folk melodies, but perhaps the composer meant to convey that these brief miniatures had a similar, simple beauty to them as Latvian folk songs do. Zariņš’ reserved and gentle approach to them – the tender and wistful Daina no. 6, the romantic no. 14 and expansive no. 17 – reveals the many emotions and nuances contained within.

After World War II, Mediņš was a refugee and settled in Sweden and continued to compose. As a composer in exile, his style changed and became more modern and influenced by Western European trends, and this collection also includes works composed during this time, including the Caprice which is playful at times, dissonant at others, and the three movement Sonatina, which melds Latvian elements with  French impressionism. Zariņš’ performance is both delicate and precise, particularly in the third movement of the Sonatina, with its rhythmic pulsation and percussive qualities.

The CD booklet, which includes notes on the composer and his works written by musicologist Orests Silabriedis, includes many fascinating anecdotes from Mediņš’ life, such as how he carried the 30 kilogram score of his opera Uguns un nakts on his back during his time in Siberia prior to World War I, as well as his return to Soviet occupied Latvia in the 1960s, shortly prior to his death in 1966.

Reinis Zariņš’ precise performances and nuanced interpretations bring out the many layers of Jānis Mediņš’ piano works on Jānis Mediņš. Klaviermūzika. The collection highlights the broad spectrum of Mediņš contributions to the field of Latvian piano music throughout his long compositional career, and reconfirms his stature as one of the most notable and essential Latvian composers. Zariņš, with his technical skill and artistic abilities, especially when joined by such a talented ensemble as the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and dynamic conductor Kaspars Ādamsons, reveal the depth and beauty of Mediņš’ works for piano.

For further information, please visit Reinis Zariņš’ website and the Skani website.

Reinis Zariņš

Jānis Mediņš. Klaviermūzika

LMIC/SKANI 175, 2025

Track listing:

Klavierkoncerts / Piano Concerto

1. I. Allegro moderato

2. II. Lento

3. III. Allegro

4. Daina No. 6

5. Spēle / Play

6. Daina No. 17

7. Kaprise / Caprice

8. Daina No. 14

Sonatīne / Sonatina

9. I. Allegro moderato

10. II. Moderato assai

11. III. Allegro moderato

12. Balāde / Ballade

13. Ārija no Pirmās orķestra svītas / Aria from Suite No. 1 for Orchestra arr. Reinis Zariņš

Digital listeners also have a bonus track – Skice (Sketch)