Customer Reviews

Voices From Latvia

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If it is possible to know the heart of a people through their music, then this collection is one sweet way to the heart of Latvia.

It's unfortunate that "Christmas" is part of the title, since that no doubt limits this disk's exposure to a broader audience than those few in search of Baltic holiday music. The fact is that if you don't understand Latvian (I don't), you'd never know this was Christmas music--no "Jingle Bells," no "Drummer Boy," none of the weary, worn out tunes that flood our public spaces from the first hint of autumn through New Year's Day.

This music (all choral) stands on its own in any season. The disk is nicely balanced with mens', womens', and childrens' voices. If you like sophisticated concert choral music that hasn't forgotten its folkish heritage, music that's eminently listenable but still new, choral works you haven't heard a hundred thousand times before, this disk is a splendid addition to any collection.

That it should be, at this writing, only No. 43,283 in the list of Amazon's most popular CDs isn't exactly a surprise, but it is a shame. Little countries can make big music. Fine music!

For such a small country, Latvia does produce a lot of music. However, mostly because of low-budgets, it never really gets the exposure or the distribution it deserves. This CD does its best to showcase new Latvian talents and make their names known outside of Latvia. On this CD, as in most Latvian music, the folk heritage can rarely be detached from clasical tradition or contemporary trends. The mix of styles produces a unique type of music which is a pleasure to listen to. The previous reviewer said that this music could stand well on it's own, without the Christmas label. I fully agree, since it would be a shame if this quality music would be taken out for a listen only a few weeks out of the year. But for those of us who do understand Latvian, this definitely is Christmas music, especially in the pieces where the traditional holiday refrain "kalado" or "kaladu" are repeated. Let's hope that this CD will enhance the exposure of Latvian composers and Latvian music. It is a shame that Amazon.com does not offer more samples of Latvian music, traditional, contemporary or classical.