Search - Peteris Vasks, Normund Sne, Riga Sinfonietta :: Peteris Vasks: Viatore

Another very good disc of Vasks, but 26 dollars?

Ryan Morris | Chicago, IL | 11/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Vasks and the Sinfonietta Riga have already turned out several remarkable albums of the composers music. This one, in terms of playing and execution, is by far the best revealing the Riga's experience with the composers stylistic idiom. That said, the music on this disc is highly accessible and will be appealing to everyone.

The album begins with Musica Adventus, a string orchestra expansion of his brilliant string quartet number 3 which runs around 27 minutes. It is really one of the finest Vasks pieces I have heard in a while, kind of like a modern take on the Strauss Metamorphosis.

The second piece is one of my favourite pieces by Vasks, the brilliant Viatore. This must now be considered the defintive version. This piece, along with his Violin Concerto, are Vasks at his best.

The disk ends with Vasks Concerto for Cor Englese, another fantastic work that receives it second recording. This performance has been engineered better than the previous version and the playing is of a much higher calibre. I would have to recommend this disc as the first place one should when wanting to explore Vasks. I do have a minor quibble with the price, 26$ for one disc of music. Doesnt make too much sense but that seems how Wergo has been doing it lately[or maybe that accounts for the high production quality]"