Nature and the Soul
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Jāzeps Vītols, Emilis Melngailis, Jēkabs Graubiņš, Emīls Dārziņš, Jānis Zālītis
Genre:
Vocal
Label: LMIC/SKANI
Magazine Review Date: AW17
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 59
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 054
![](https://reviews.azureedge.net/gramophone/media-thumbnails/15_517aiol5hl.jpg)
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
The Broken Pines |
Emīls Dārziņš, Composer
Emīls Dārziņš, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
Long Ago |
Emīls Dārziņš, Composer
Emīls Dārziņš, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
Moonbeams |
Emīls Dārziņš, Composer
Emīls Dārziņš, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
Night has entered the forest |
Jēkabs Graubiņš, Composer
Jēkabs Graubiņš, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
Doomsday |
Emilis Melngailis, Composer
Emilis Melngailis, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
Gently, slowly |
Emilis Melngailis, Composer
Emilis Melngailis, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
Latvian Requiem |
Emilis Melngailis, Composer
Emilis Melngailis, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
Move gently and quietly |
Emilis Melngailis, Composer
Emilis Melngailis, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
Nature and the Soul |
Emilis Melngailis, Composer
Emilis Melngailis, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
The Sun is Setting |
Emilis Melngailis, Composer
Emilis Melngailis, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
David Before Saul |
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
The Day is Ending |
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
The Dwarves and the Old Man of the Forest |
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
The Enchanted Forest |
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
The King and the Mushroom |
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
The Moon Lied |
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
The Sun’s Revelry |
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer
Jāzeps Vītols, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
The Goblet on the Isle of the Dead |
Jānis Zālītis, Composer
Jānis Zālītis, Composer Kaspars Putnins, Conductor Latvian Radio Choir |
Author: Ivan Moody
It sounds that way. One is gripped by the very first track, the atmospheric, insistent prophecy that is ‘Senatne’ (‘Long Ago’) by Emīls Dārziņš (1875-1910), every nuance of which is captured by the Latvian Radio Choir. Did they weep while recording the second song by Darzinš, ‘Mēness staro stīgo’ (‘Moonbeams’)? I did. They sing with every fibre of their being.
There is, in fact, something extraordinary about Latvian choirs: they sing as though their very lives depend on it, and when they are singing Latvian music their immediate connection with the language makes this even more apparent. There is both Nordic clarity and Slavic profundity to be heard in the sound of a Latvian choir, and there is also what I might call a poetic sense, an instinctive knowledge of how to phrase. All this is beautifully, movingly evident on this disc. All five of the composers recorded here are outstanding but what stays with me is the music by Darzinš and the wonderful, disturbing ‘Biķeris miroņu salā’ (‘The Goblet on the Isle of the Dead’) by Jānis Zālītis. At all events, this is a celebration of Latvian choral music that should not be missed. As Putninš also writes, ‘Many returns of the day, dear Latvia!’
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