Riga String Quartet

Pēteris Vasks

The Riga Quartet is not only Latvia’s premier string quartet but also one of the foremost string quartets on the international scene.

The quartet consists of Uldis-Viesturs Sprudzsand and Juris Savkins, violion; Einars Rozevics, viola; and Agne Stepina, violoncello.

The ensemble was founded in 1983 while the members were students at the Latvian Academy of Music. They continued their studies at the conservatories in Moscow and St.Petersburg. The quartet won international recognition after being awarded a prize at the Prague Spring International String Quartet Competition, after which they received many concert opportunities. Today, all the members are teachers at the Latvian Academy of Music.

The Riga Quartet has toured extensively and appeared at important music festivals such as the Ashland Festival in the United States, the Victoria Music Festival in Canada, the Latvian International Music Festival, and The Chamber Music Festival in Kaustinen, Finland.

On this CD we can hear the increasingly popular Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks’ String Quartet No. 2, “Summer Songs” (1984), as well as his String Quartet No. 3 (1995). The recording was made in Riga.

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        • Total playtime 50'37
      • String Quartet No. 2 Music: Pēteris Vasks
        • 1.
          Coming into bloom
          6'23
        • 2.
          Birds
          8'20
        • 3.
          Elegy
          9'16
      • String Quartet No. 3 Music: Pēteris Vasks
        • 4.
          Moderato
          5'15
        • 5.
          Allegro energico
          5'30
        • 6.
          Adagio
          7'32
        • 7.
          Moderato
          7'41
    • Total playtime 50'37

    Compact Disc // CAP 21635 // Classical // Releasedate: 1 January, 1999