Pēteris Vasks - "Musica dolorosa" for string orchestra (Score Video)

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Performed by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Katarina Andreasson
Solo cello part played by Mats Levin

Pēteris Vasks (1946-) is a Latvian composer. Originally trained as a violinist and double bassist, Vasks' early works have their roots in aleatoricism, elements of which he later brought into a more melodic style influenced by Latvian folk music. His mature music is characterized by contrasts; it often features consonance followed by dissonance and decay or slow lyrical sections interrupted by the sudden appearance of marches or waltzes. The son of a Baptist pastor, Vasks emphasizes a spiritual dimension in his works and is also inspired by issues of environmental conservation.

"Musica dolorosa", written in 1984, was the first work of a tetralogy for string orchestra also comprising "Musica adventus" (1996), "Musica appassionata" (2002), and "Musica serena" (2015). A visceral and poignant work written during the dark times of Soviet rule in Latvia, it is dedicated to the memory of Vasks' sister Marta.

As the composer himself described "Musica dolorosa", "This is my most tragic opus, the only one in which there is no optimism and no hope, only pain..." Discussing it several years later, he said, "I am a part of my nation, for which it was a dark and tragic time when it seemed that even the greatest idealists and optimists were beginning to lose hope for our survival: will we be able to endure all this? It all hurt and I wanted those who hear [the composition] to hurt as well. [I wanted] for such an openly painful canto to address you, purify you and show the existence and possibility of another dimension. And that is the mission of music, after all." (Quotes courtesy of https://kulturaskanons.lv/)