A vocal quintet tells the tale in Albanian, in a Balkan singing style, with grief and woe expressed vividly in the performance. The tragic ‘Legend of the Walled-In Woman’, based on an Albanian folksong about a young maiden Rozafa, who, to ensure the castle remained standing, was sacrificed by being walled in in the walls of the castle that bears her name.
Bells are often heard throughout the work, perhaps to represent the tolling of the church bells of Vineta. The choir creates an immersive performance – at times fearful, other times mystical, expressing a longing for this lost city. For the text, Ešenvalds used the poetry of German poet Wilhelm Müller.
The soloists, whose voices flow together as if in a deep meditation, are enhanced by the wordless background vocalists, as well as the performance of handbells, which gives the work an otherworldly sound – appropriate, considering Petersen’s text referencing the moon.Įšenvalds often presents stories in his music, allowing a choir to become a storyteller or a narrator, and one such legend presented on this CD is the story of Vineta, a mythical city on the Baltic Sea that was lost in a flood, due to its excessive ways. Scored for a quartet of soloists, as well as a background choir quintet, the work ‘Translation’, with poetry by Paulann Petersen, is a reserved, meditative work. Combined with the performance of the soaring soprano soloists Kate Ledington and Maeve Stier, whose duet elevates this work to a truly heavenly level, this work has rightfully become one of the most performed of the composer’s choir songs. The piece features many of Ešēnvalds’ trademark compositional approaches, such as the rich harmonies of the choir, spiritual longing, and beautiful textures. One of Ešenvalds’ most popular choir works is the spiritually moving ‘O salutaris hostia’, a prayer for peace. The choir has followed that recording up with Translations, released in 2020, which contains seven of Ešenvalds’ compositions. Many choirs internationally have actively championed Ešenvalds’ works, among them being the Portland State Chamber Choir, conducted by Ethan Sperry, who released an album of Ešenvalds’ choir compositions, entitled The Doors of Heaven, in 2017. Even if a listener does not understand the language of the text, Ešenvalds’ skills with melody and harmony allow him to speak clearly and personally to an audience. The choir works of Latvian choral composer Ēriks Ešenvalds have been sung and heard all over the world. The album can be heard via multiple streaming services.įor more information, please visit the Tarkšķi Facebook page The recording was made in the Lauska studio, with producer Kaspars Bārbals, and the American Latvian Association helped finance the recording. The group includes children from 2 to 18 years of age. The songs were arranged by the ensemble’s director Kristīne Karele, and feature instruments such as the Latvian kokle, mandolin, violin, and others. The album also includes instrumental-only versions of the songs. The album includes such popular children’s songs as ‘Aiz kalniņa dūmi kūpa’, ‘Kur tad tu nu biji’ and ‘Kur tu teci’, among many others. Featuring the youngest members of the ensemble, the digital only album collects performances of children’s folk songs. The Latvian folklore ensemble Tarkšķi, based out of Iecava, released an album for younger listeners entitled Sadziedam? in late 2020.
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