"My music may contain sadness, but it also contains a lot of optimism and idealism. Beauty and harmony may be rare in life, but possible in music." This oft-quoted statement by the Latvian composer Peteris Vasks is typical of a composer from the former Eastern bloc, who did not become widely known until after the fall of the Iron Curtain. A number of CDs with works by Vasks have now been released
… on the BMG label, including chamber music and a cello concerto. This CD by the Miami String Quartet is a welcome addition to Vasks' existing discography, although this CD was released too early to also record the "Fourth String Quartet". The composer only started working on this quartet when this CD was already in production. (HJ) _more
