One can't accuse Latvian-born violinist Gidon Kremer of forgetting his roots. He continues to perform the music of his homeland and even formed chamber ensemble Kremerata Musica so that young musicians from Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania could bathe in the spotlight. On this disc, Kremer showcases some of the very best music composed by Baltic-based composers in the last 50 years. With Vadim Sacharov on piano and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Kremer delivers soul-stirring intensity to these seldom-heard compositions. Balys Dvarionas's moving
Elegy for Violin and String Orchestra teeters between romantic passages and somber string movements. Peteris Vasks's
Musica Dolorosa for String Orchestra is atmospheric and grand.
Two Grasshopper Dances for Solo Violin by Peteris Plakidis are stunning, short pieces that play on atonal harmonics and a cute folk melody. Arvo Pärt's
Fratres is one composition you may have heard before, but Kremer delivers a stunning, intense performance. All in all, a great showcase of underappreciated composers, and of Kremer himself.
--Jason Verlinde
