Latvian  composer  Pēteris  Vasks  (b. 1946) has earned  much international acclaim through his deeply spiritual works of choral music, symphonies and concertos. Vasks’ list of works also includes several pieces of chamber music. This album by Trio Palladio from Latvia includes Vasks’ works for the piano trio.

Episodi e Canto perpetuo dating from 1985 is one of Vasks’ key works in chamber music. The work is dedicated to Olivier Messiaen and was written during time when Latvia was still experiencing the Soviet times. The work has eight movements which are played consecutively. The work was inspired by Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, which was used as a kind of a template when writing the work, but contain no musical references to Messiaen’s music.

Plainscapes (2011) was a work originally written for the choir, violin and cello. This deeply atmospheric piece was inspired by the Latvian nature as many other works by the composer: “In the Zemgale plains, you see the starry sky right span to the horizon. It is past comprehension, but I almost want to embrace the unembraceable,“ composer tells.

Lonely Angel (2019) is a new adaption specially created by Vasks for this album  of  the  5th   movement  of  his  String  Quartet  No.  4.  Previously  the composer had also written an arrangement of the piece for violin and strings premiered by Gidon Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica.

Trio  Palladio  is  a  chamber  music  ensemble  of  three  established  Latvian soloists, avid chamber musicians and acclaimed recording artists Eva Bindere, Kristīna Blaumane and Reinis Zariņš. Each of them is the laureate of the Grand Music Award of Latvia, and in 2019 they were nominated for this prestigious award as a trio. Recently the trio   had its debut recital at the London Wigmore Hall and the trio’s interpretations have been broadcast live on the BBC Radio 3, as well as the Polish and Latvian radio. Trio Palladio creates conceptual programmes with rich variety of classical, romantic and contemporary chamber music, with particular focus on works by Latvian and Baltic composers.