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Vasks: Viatore, Distant Light & Voices / Madić, Repušic, Munich Radio Orchestra
BR Klassik

Vasks: Viatore, Distant Light & Voices / Madić, Repušic, Munich Radio Orchestra

$19.99 Only 2 left

Details

Composer
VASKS, PETERIS
Artist
Madic, Muenchner Rundfunkorchester, Repusic
Format
CD
Label
BR Klassik
Released
Nov 06, 2020
Catalog #
BRK900334
UPC
4035719003345

About

The beauty that the Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks evokes in his works would not be possible without the experience of violence and cruelty in this world. He grew up in a country deprived of liberty, and because of his faith and his artistic convictions he was exposed to reprisals from Russian cultural doctrine. His father, a Baptist pastor, was regarded as an “enemy of the people”, and his homeland was under Soviet control. As a result, Vasks developed a vision of freedom and subtle protest in his music. In the so-called “singing revolution”, the countries of the Baltic region with their traditional love of choral music initiated their independence from Soviet rule. Vasks' expressive, direct and often deliberately simple music quickly became the mouthpiece of the long-suppressed Latvian people, giving the nation a proud voice that can be heard worldwide.

Today, alongside Arvo Pärt, Vasks is one of the most famous composers from the Baltic states of the former Soviet Union. The works on this release are for chamber-music string ensembles: his first symphony "Balsis - Voices" (1991), the haunting violin concerto "Tala gaisma - Distant Light" (1996/97), and the piece "Viatore” (the traveler; 2001), dedicated to Arvo Pärt, here in a version for eleven solo strings by the conductor, church musician and arranger Stefan Vanselow. The Münchner Rundfunkorchester plays under its chief conductor Ivan Repušic, and the concerto soloist is Stanko Madic, first concertmaster of the MRO.

REVIEW

Distant Light's heartfelt, rooted performance may well prove a front runner in a field more competitive than that of any other concerto by a living composer. There is a strong sense of narrative sound from Repušić’s orchestra but also from Madić, whose control of vibrato and tone colour ranges from nervous intensity to still radiance. The cantabile movements retreat without exactly relaxing, the cadenzas are determinedly articulate and the overall power is cumulative more than choreographed. The difficult-to-record ending comes off well.

Recommended as a string-only immersion in Vasks’s world, a competitive account of his most famous work or just something to keep you going until the light actually returns.

–Gramophone

Tracklist 12 tracks

  1. 1 Viatore (arr. S. Vanselow for 11 solo strings) 16:08
    Track
    1
    Title
    Viatore (arr. S. Vanselow for 11 solo strings)
    Duration
    16:08
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić
  2. 2 I. Andante 05:35
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Andante
    Duration
    05:35
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Performer
    Stanko Madić
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić
  3. 3 II. Cadenza I 01:46
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Cadenza I
    Duration
    01:46
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Performer
    Stanko Madić
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić
  4. 4 III. Cantabile 03:03
    Track
    4
    Title
    III. Cantabile
    Duration
    03:03
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Performer
    Stanko Madić
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić
  5. 5 IV. Mosso 01:40
    Track
    5
    Title
    IV. Mosso
    Duration
    01:40
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Performer
    Stanko Madić
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić
  6. 6 V. Cadenza II 02:21
    Track
    6
    Title
    V. Cadenza II
    Duration
    02:21
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Performer
    Stanko Madić
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić
  7. 7 VI. Cantabile 04:20
    Track
    7
    Title
    VI. Cantabile
    Duration
    04:20
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Performer
    Stanko Madić
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić
  8. 8 VII. Candenza III 03:48
    Track
    8
    Title
    VII. Candenza III
    Duration
    03:48
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Performer
    Stanko Madić
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić
  9. 9 VIII. Andante 06:56
    Track
    9
    Title
    VIII. Andante
    Duration
    06:56
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Performer
    Stanko Madić
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić
  10. 10 I. Klusuma balsis (Voices of Silence) 05:07
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Klusuma balsis (Voices of Silence)
    Duration
    05:07
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić
  11. 11 II. Dzīvības balsis (Voices of Life) 13:19
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Dzīvības balsis (Voices of Life)
    Duration
    13:19
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić
  12. 12 III. Sirdsapziņas balss (Voice of Conscience) 07:26
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Sirdsapziņas balss (Voice of Conscience)
    Duration
    07:26
    Composer
    Pēteris Vasks
    Ensemble
    Münchner Rundfunkorchester
    Conductor
    Ivan Repušić