Pēteris Vasks

Wind Quintet No. 1

This is the first of two works by the successful Latvian composer for this instrumentation. It was written in 1977 and shows his early compositional style: while freely notated in the beginning, improvisational sections then change over to chordal passages with sharply accentuated rhythm. It is particularly in the freely notated parts of the work that birdcalls and nature sounds appear as onomatopoeic sounds.The particular challenge is not in the virtuosity of the individual part, but in creating the special atmosphere through perfect harmony.As in most other works by the composer, the bond with nature plays a special role. Unlike any other composer, he gives nature a musical voice.