Pēteris Vasks

Not readily identifiable with any single school of composition, composer Peteris Vasks has an original voice that is engaged deeply with the historical epoch in which he lived. He is regarded as a major figure in Eastern European music of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

Vasks was born on April 16, 1946, in Aizpute, Latvia. His father was a Baptist pastor. Early in his career, Vasks played the violin, which he studied at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music. He was also trained as a double bassist, studying at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre with Vitautas Sereikaan, and in the 1960s and '70s, he was active as an orchestral musician in Latvia. Vasks turned to composition, studying for a time in Lithuania and facing problems from Soviet authorities because of his family's religious faith. Early Vasks works include Cantabile (1979), Musica Dolorosa for string orchestra (1983), and Lauda for orchestra (1986). In some works from the first part of his career, Vasks followed composer <a href="spotify:artist:5Ks8fS8lZJnTFbtvxkDOkM">Witold Lutoslawski</a> in experimenting with aleatoric (chance) techniques. He also drew on Latvian folk sources as an inspiration, notably in the pastoral Concerto for cor anglais and orchestra of 1989.

Several works propelled Vasks to international prominence in the '90s. One was the Symphony No. 1 ("Voices") of 1990-1991, which set depictions of nature against a despairing cacophony and seemed to reflect Latvia's long struggle for independence. Another was the violin concerto "Distant Light" of 1996-1997, which was championed by violinist and conductor <a href="spotify:artist:24ibCRKLtfIZcfrixiBAsm">Gidon Kremer</a>. Whatever its genre (he wrote large numbers of orchestral, choral, chamber, and keyboard works), Vasks' music had a distinctive spiritual quality. His often-transparent tonal language has led some to group him with other minimalist composers from the Baltic countries, but his expressive world is unique. Two of his string quartets, the String Quartet No. 4 (1999) and String Quartet No. 5 (2004), were composed for the immensely popular <a href="spotify:artist:0M6xcJTswOl2qvExCJhiS3">Kronos Quartet</a> in the U.S. Vasks has served many residencies and been richly honored in the West as well as in Eastern Europe, and he has remained active into old age; violinist Sebastian Bohren issued a recording of his new Violin Concerto No. 2 in 2024. By that time, at least 100 of Vasks' works were available on recordings. ~ James Manheim, Rovi