The many choral festivals organised in the Baltic states as early as the 1920s and 1930s, even under Soviet rule, played an important role early on in preserving local folk songs.
Composer Emilis Melngailis had a key role in this process. His style is lyrical, folk-like, for the greater part tonal and rooted in the 19th century.
In contrast, the work of his compatriot Romualds Kalsons is clearly a product of the 20th century, a time when the ubiquitous influence of Dmitri Shostakovich in the Soviet Union was hard to escape. Such is the case in Kalsons’ only String Quartet.
Even though the slightly younger Peteris Vasks was initially equally bound to general Soviet rules, he let go and relaxed the reins during the 1970s. In his String Quartet no. 1, he was still fascinated by timbres, tone and sharp contrasts between consonant and dissonant. But in the final movement, we can already detect a hint of the subdued and contemplative style that has brought Vasks so much success.
Emilis Melngailis (1874-1954) – Quasi un quartetto (1946)
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- Introduction, 2. Oh Young Brother, 3. The Gold of the Stars, 4. The Two of Us, 5. Finale
Latvian Philharmonic String Quartet
CD: SKANI
Romualds Kalsons (1936-1924) – String Quartet (1973)
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- Sostenuto, 2. Allegro scherzando, 3. Adagio
Latvian Philharmonic String Quartet
CD: SKANI
Peteris Vasks (*1946) – String Quartet no. 1 (1977)
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- Intrada. Moderato, 2. Sonata. Allegro, 3. Melodia. Tranquillo
Navarra Quartet
CD: Challenge Classics
