Vasks: Violin Concerto / Musica Dolorosa / Viatore

Featuring

Katarina Andreasson
Mats Levin
Svenska Kammarorkestern
Pēteris Vasks

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Performer Biography

Katarina Andreasson, a leading Swedish violinist, became leader of the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra in Denmark at just 22 years old and later held the same position with the Gothenburg Opera Orchestra.

Performer Biography

The Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Scandinavia's only full-time chamber orchestra, was founded in 1995 and performs around 100 concerts annually, including national and international tours.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Vasks views his work as "l'art pour l'homme" (art for people) rather than "l'art pour l'art" (art for art's sake), intending his music to provide comfort and provoke thought for a wide audience, including those in hospitals and prisons.

Compositional Technique

Vasks frequently uses the diatonic scale as a melodic starting point, associating it with nature's beauty, while chromaticism is reserved for allusions to evil or 'murky shadows' in his musical landscape.

Recording & Production

The recording of Vasks's works on this album was a collaboration with the composer, Pēteris Vasks, who was present at the recording sessions and open to the musicians' interpretations.

Compositional Technique

The string orchestra is a preferred medium for Vasks, offering a homogeneous yet versatile sound with a wide range and variety of instrumental combinations.

Composer Biography

Pēteris Vasks, born in Latvia in 1946, was initially denied access to the conservatory in Riga due to his father being a Baptist minister, a religious profession that was repressed under Soviet rule.