Imago Dei 2012: Latvian Radio Choir - Lux Aeterna

Latvian Radio Choir
Lux Aeterna

Johann Sebastian Bach/ Knut Nystedt | Komm, süßer Tod
John Cage | Four² (1990)
Rytis Mažulis | Canon Solus (1998)
Juris Abols | Karawane (1994)
Santa Ratniece | Cu dál (2009)
Peteris Vasks | Ziles Zina (1981)
Lasse Thoresen | Mythes Étoilés (2010)

Anders Hillborg | Mou:aa:yiy:oum (1983-1985)
György Ligeti | Lux aeterna (1966)
Toivo Tulev | Tanto Gentile (2010)

Latvian Radio Choir: Kristine Barkovska, Agate Burkina, Ieva Ezeriete, Inga Martinsone, Iveta Romancane, Inita Vindava (soprano), Inga Balta, Ilze Berzina, Antra Drege, Santa Kokina, Gundega Krumina, Dace Strautmane, Inga Zilinska (alto); Rudolfs Bertins, Egils Jakobsons, Normunds Kirsis, Ferijs Millers, Aigars Reinis, Karlis Rutentals (tenor); Aldis Andersons, Karlis Bimbers, Gundars Dzilums, Janis Kokins, Janis Strazdins, Arijs Skepasts (bass); Sigvards Klava (conductor)

In the beginning there is light. A clear sound in György Ligeti’s 16-voice choir work “Lux aeterna”. From there, it becomes increasingly blurry and shimmers in oscillating accord layers until a new light emerges. With his composition’s movement, the Hungarian composer brings the light into our worldly mind rather than carrying it away to a mystic state of glorification. The human voice creates a brightness of our being. Transcendence takes place on Earth, realized by “the most versatile professional choral group in the world today”, as the daily paper The Times wrote about the Latvian Radio Choir.

The Baltic ensemble opens its a capella cosmos that embraces all forms of vocal expressions with Knut Nystedt’s polyphonic diversification of Bach’s spiritual song melody “Come Sweet Death” (“Komm, süßer Tod”) and leads their caravan with melodic figures and harmonic characters from John Cage’s overtone-rich meditation practice “Four2” to a resurrected realm of Franko-Flamish vocal art full of canonical glory and up to the 2500-metre high heavenly Namtso lake in Tibet whose “still waters” are being reflected as holy sound in a composition by Santa Ratniece.

The Latvian choir also sings about their home country, about the history and regularly gagged people of which Peteris Vasks painted a tragic and dramatic choir fresco. The eternal light starts in the microtonal spectrum of Lasse Thoresen’s “star myth” and with the spiritual verses of the Italian composer and poet Giacinto Scelsi reaches into every single corner of the human voice from Scandinavian folk to Mongolian overtone singing. Ligeti’s world light sound accompanying the closing words of the requiem mass is followed by Toivo Tuley’s choir composition of the beautiful verbal harmonics of Dante Alighieri’s love sonnet “Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare”—“So gentle and virtuous she appears…“

In cooperation with
Chorszene Niederösterreich