Pēteris Vasks

Ziles zina

It is particularly in his choral music that Peteris Vasks reveals his strong attachment to his Latvian home country. Nature, customs and traditions and the idea of freedom are the central themes of the texts he sets to music, while carefully using modern techniques of choral singing as well. Alternating with traditional, even archaic singing, the music creates a multi-faceted, immediately effective sound image in the listener's mind.The poem 'Ziles zina' by the contemporary Latvian poet Uldis Berzins (*1944) centres on the themes of man, nature and transience in aphoristic brevity.Vasks wrote a piece of music on this poem which contains downright rewarding tasks for the choir and opens up to the listener a fascinating world of sound.