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Track(s) taken from CDA67968

Lugums naktij 'Prayer to the night'

First line:
Nakts …
composer
1978
author of text

Royal Holloway Choir, Rupert Gough (conductor)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
Recording details: June 2012
All Hallows, Gospel Oak, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Adrian Peacock
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: July 2013
Total duration: 2 minutes 59 seconds

Cover artwork: Front illustration based on a photograph by Dr Tracy Langkilde, Pennsylvania State University Biology Department.
 

Reviews

‘The Choir of Royal Holloway's championship of the music of the Baltic countries is a true feather in their cap, as this recording proves once again … these simple, memorable melodies are couched in Kõrvits's lush (but never too lush) arrangements … performances and recording are outstanding’ (Gramophone)

‘Kõrvits is euphoniously fanciful, threading together elements of Lutheran hymnody with runic song, and vocal ornamentation with chamber-musical textures … this Baltic compilation is given gently sympathetic performances by the student singers of Royal Holloway College and the Britten Sinfonia under Rupert Gough’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘This album proclaims the excellence of British choral singing and the remarkable quality of contemporary choral music from the Baltic countries. If you think that only indigenous choirs can bring out the best in music from this part of the world, then these magnificent performances, the latest in a Hyperion series, will make you think again … melodies to die for … this is a lovely work that casts its spell immediately. Gough and his forces deliver a spellbinding performance’ (International Record Review)
The poem by Juris Helds is hard to translate—like so much Latvian poetry it speaks very freely of natural images. Much of the colour of the text also comes from the shape and character of the Latvian language, especially in the use of the recurring word ‘nakts’ (‘night’). This is an early work dating from the composer’s time as a student.

from notes by Rupert Gough © 2013

Le poème de Juris Helds, difficile à traduire—comme si souvent dans la poésie lettonne, il parle très librement d’images de la nature—, tire l’essentiel de sa couleur de la forme et du caractère de la langue lettonne, surtout de l’usage du récurrent «nakts» («nuit»). Maskats composa cette œuvre alors qu’il était encore étudiant.

extrait des notes rédigées par Rupert Gough © 2013
Français: Hypérion

Das Gedicht von Juris Helds läßt sich kaum übersetzen: wie viele lettische Gedichte erzählt es sehr frei von Naturbildern. Die Farbigkeit des Textes ergibt sich häufig durch Form und Eigenart der lettischen Sprache, besonders in der wiederholten Verwendung des Wortes „nakts“ („Nacht“). Dieses Frühwerk stammt aus der Studentenzeit des Komponisten.

aus dem Begleittext von Rupert Gough © 2013
Deutsch: Christiane Frobenius

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