Pēteris Vasks

Plainscapes

In my adaptation of a work originally composed in 2002 for eight-voice choir, violin and violoncello, I was particularly interested in recreating the tonal spectrum of the three extended vocalises (sung by the choir) for the piano in my new version for piano trio. While the piano part had to accommodate the entire choral texture, the parts for violin and violoncello remained almost unaltered. This was however not a mere transcription: above all, I significantly expanded the ecstatic climax occurring towards the end of the version for choir, which expresses a vision of dawn breaking and the awakening of nature with its profusion of birdsong. Peteris Vasks