Volume 23 Issue 5 - February 2018

A palette of sounds that evoke
amazing things – the popping of the
trees in deep cold, the wind over
the land, the sounds of birds in the
pitch black of night.
DMITRY MOKEYEV
Northern Lights in Latvia
and mythologized. Latvian skies rarely see the lights, but they are
not unknown. Folklore tells stories of fallen warriors continuing
their fights across the sky. To some, it is a giant fox jumping around,
throwing the lights up into the sky along with the snow. For others,
it is spirits playing soccer. Some of the stories are more sinister: if you
whistle at the lights, they’ll chop your head off.
Robert Cooper, conductor of Orpheus, is a strong supporter of
Ešenvalds. In 2011, one of Cooper’s singers returned from a trip
to Latvia with a pile of Ešenvalds’ music, a name that was virtually
unknown at the time outside of Latvia. “I was so intrigued by
his music,” says Cooper, “especially his longer piece Passion and
Resurrection, unlike his other smaller works. I’m always looking for
extended works for Orpheus and this was dramatic and theatric with
semi-chorus and a demanding soprano line.” Cooper performed the
Passion in 2011 and again in 2013, with Ešenvalds visiting the second
time as his popularity increased.
Cooper recalls: “Ēriks started telling me about this story, about all
the stories around Nordic Light and I was very intrigued.” Orpheus
joined with the Pacific Lutheran University Choral Union, the State
Choir of Latvia, the Berlin Radio Choir, the Melbourne Symphony
Orchestra and chorus, and the City of London Sinfonia to commission
the Symphony.
With Ešenvalds himself coming, many choral educators and groups
across the region became interested in having him workshop. The
program has evolved to incorporate various regions, multiple choirs
and several Canadian cities, all made possible by the incredible
support of Latvian Canadians, but also as part of Latvia’s international
celebrations of 100 years of independence. As Ešenvalds’ popularity
has grown, so too has that of Riga-based music publisher Musica
Baltica. Distributed internationally under Edition Peters, Musica
Baltica will be touring with Ešenvalds as a lead in the centenary celebrations
and were a key partner in this tour.
Ešenvalds is particularly excited about his visits to universities
along the trip. He will be visiting Mark Vuorinen, at Conrad Grebel
University College, University of Waterloo (February 26); Jean-
Sébastien Vallée, at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University
(February 27); and John Armstrong at the University of Ottawa
(February 28). Ešenvalds himself is an educator, having studied at the
Latvian Academy of Music where he now teaches, since completing
his Cambridge University residency.
In Toronto, the Orpheus Choir and That Choir are joined by their
music directors – Bob Cooper and Craig Pike, respectively – for the
Nordic Light Gala performance. Pike says: “Rehearsing Ešenvalds
works, apart from being incredibly fulfilling, challenges us spiritually,
musically and existentially.” Both ensembles are enjoying the
experience. “He writes with a great deal of depth. There’s a quiet inner
spirit,” shares Cooper. “You know that something is happening behind
his notes that he has really considered.”
Prior to the performance, there will be the Canadian premiere of
the documentary Nordic Light: A Composer’s Diary followed by a
one-on-one with Ešenvalds. Over the course of the visit, Ešenvalds
will engage with audiences and musicians from Kitchener to Toronto,
Ottawa to Montreal. He’ll be back in Canada for Podium 2018 in St
John’s, Newfoundland.
Composers of Ešenvalds’ calibre are rare finds; evocative storytellers
at heart who listen to the world a little differently than the rest
of us. And in listening, they can create a palette of sounds that evoke
amazing things – the popping of the trees in deep cold, the wind over
the land, the sounds of birds in the pitch black of night, and the especially
powerful sound of hearing whales breathing in the fjords of
Iceland – things heard and recreated in music by Ešenvalds. In many
ways, Nordic Light is an act of listening, translated through Ešenvalds’
unique way of hearing the world.
TORONTO EVENTS
A Choral Encounter with Ēriks Ešenvalds
A seminar and singer’s workshop for choirs, conductors and fans
of choral music. Wednesday February 21, 2018, 7pm. St John’s
Evangelical Latvian Lutheran Church, Toronto.
Canadian Premiere of Nordic Light: A Composer’s Diary and
One-on-One with Ēriks Ešenvalds. Saturday February 24, 2018, 3pm.
Metropolitan United Church, Toronto.
Nordic Light Gala Concert featuring the Canadian Premiere of the
Nordic Light Symphony. Saturday February 24, 2018, 7:30pm.
Metropolitan United Church, Toronto.
KITCHENER-WATERLOO:
A Choral Encounter with Ēriks Ešenvalds
A seminar and singer’s workshop for choirs, conductors and fans
of choral music. Monday February 26, 2018, 7pm. Conrad Grebel
University College, Waterloo.
MONTREAL:
A Choral Encounter with Ēriks Ešenvalds
A seminar and singer’s workshop for choirs, conductors and fans of
choral music. Tuesday February 27, 2018, 7:30pm. Schulich School of
Music, McGill University, Montreal.
OTTAWA:
A Choral Encounter with Ēriks Ešenvalds
A seminar and singer’s workshop for choirs, conductors and fans
of choral music. Wednesday February 28, 2018, 7pm. St Joseph’s
Church, Ottawa.
Follow Brian on Twitter @bfchang
Send info/media/tips to choralscene@thewholenote.com.
14 | February 2018 thewholenote.com