The Latvian kokle, a plucked string zither-like instrument, is an indelible element of Latvian folklore. However, the instrument is often considered, unfairly, to be purely a traditional instrument, mainly meant for Latvian folk songs or dances. This would be a very short-sighted view of the kokle, whose sounds can be used to convey many different emotions, and can be used to exquisitely perform both the classic and modern repertoire.

Anda Eglīte, the head of the kokle and guitar classes at the Latvian Academy of Music, has for many decades been one of the premiere kokle performers, both as a solo artist as well as a member of the Altera Veritas quartet. Among the awards she has won are the Latvian Great Music award in 2003 and the Annual Folk Music Award in 2007. She has recorded six albums of kokle music for the Prima Classic label, the most recent of which is 2025’s Sandglass.

As per the album’s press release, “Sandglass invites you into a world of peace and reflection”, as the recordings on this album spotlight the dreamy and meditative sound of the kokle through both early and modern compositions.

Eglīte presents beautiful arrangements of baroque compositions, including Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude from Suite No. 1, the famous Canon by Johann Pachelbel, and the Andante from Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Mandolins. These ancient, yet timeless melodies are given new textures in the sound and the music of the kokle.

Eglīte’s repertoire also includes works by contemporary Latvian composers, including two works dedicated to Eglīte – ‘Feeling? Like an endless stream, love flows…’ by Agnese Boitmane and ‘Mood’ by Dzintra Kurme-Gedroica. Boitmane’s contemplative and emotionally rich work is a kind of rumination on love, with both gentle and more tempestuous moments. ‘Mood’ is pensive and introspective, and Eglīte’s kokle creates a reflective and melodic ambience. Eglīte herself is also a composer, and she displays her compositional skills on the atmospheric and mystical ‘Paraphrase’.

Eglīte’s confident, yet delicate performances on Sandglass take the listener on a dreamy and calming musical journey, guided by the ethereal and gentle sound of the kokle. With a selection of works that cover a span of many centuries, Eglīte’s kokle talents reveal how the instrument can beautifully and memorably capture the spirit of many different eras.

For further information, please visit the Prima Classic Anda Eglīte page.

Sandglass

Anda Eglīte

Prima Classic, PRIMA070, 2025

Track listing:

1. Sandglass – Līga Ančevska

2. Suite No. 1 in G Major BWV 1007: I. Prelude – Johann Sebastian Bach

3. Paraphrase – Anda Eglīte

4. Dances D’Automne: No.5 – Bernard Andrès

5. Canon and Gigue in D major: Canon (Arr. by Jenifer Cook) – Johann Pachelbel 

6. Feeling? Like an endless stream, love flows… – Agnese Boitmane

7. Pavana – Francisco Tárrega

8. Souvenir – Freddy Alberti

9. Concerto for Two Mandolins in G major, RV 532: II. Andante (Arr. by Fred Nachbaur) – Antonio Vivaldi

10. Father’s house – Vilnis Salaks

11. Mood – Dzintra Kurme-Gedroica

12. Suite No. 1: Remembrance – Domenico Sodero

The Latvian kokle, a plucked string zither-like instrument, is an indelible element of Latvian folklore. However, the instrument is often considered, unfairly, to be purely a traditional instrument, mainly meant for Latvian folk songs or dances. This would be a very short-sighted view of the kokle, whose sounds can be used to convey many different emotions, and can be used to exquisitely perform both the classic and modern repertoire.

Anda Eglīte, the head of the kokle and guitar classes at the Latvian Academy of Music, has for many decades been one of the premiere kokle performers, both as a solo artist as well as a member of the Altera Veritas quartet. Among the awards she has won are the Latvian Great Music award in 2003 and the Annual Folk Music Award in 2007. She has recorded six albums of kokle music for the Prima Classic label, the most recent of which is 2025’s Sandglass.

As per the album’s press release, “Sandglass invites you into a world of peace and reflection”, as the recordings on this album spotlight the dreamy and meditative sound of the kokle through both early and modern compositions.

Eglīte presents beautiful arrangements of baroque compositions, including Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude from Suite No. 1, the famous Canon by Johann Pachelbel, and the Andante from Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Mandolins. These ancient, yet timeless melodies are given new textures in the sound and the music of the kokle.

Eglīte’s repertoire also includes works by contemporary Latvian composers, including two works dedicated to Eglīte – ‘Feeling? Like an endless stream, love flows…’ by Agnese Boitmane and ‘Mood’ by Dzintra Kurme-Gedroica. Boitmane’s contemplative and emotionally rich work is a kind of rumination on love, with both gentle and more tempestuous moments. ‘Mood’ is pensive and introspective, and Eglīte’s kokle creates a reflective and melodic ambience. Eglīte herself is also a composer, and she displays her compositional skills on the atmospheric and mystical ‘Paraphrase’.

Eglīte’s confident, yet delicate performances on Sandglass take the listener on a dreamy and calming musical journey, guided by the ethereal and gentle sound of the kokle. With a selection of works that cover a span of many centuries, Eglīte’s kokle talents reveal how the instrument can beautifully and memorably capture the spirit of many different eras.

For further information, please visit the Prima Classic Anda Eglīte page.

Sandglass

Anda Eglīte

Prima Classic, PRIMA070, 2025

Track listing:

1. Sandglass – Līga Ančevska

2. Suite No. 1 in G Major BWV 1007: I. Prelude – Johann Sebastian Bach

3. Paraphrase – Anda Eglīte

4. Dances D’Automne: No.5 – Bernard Andrès

5. Canon and Gigue in D major: Canon (Arr. by Jenifer Cook) – Johann Pachelbel 

6. Feeling? Like an endless stream, love flows… – Agnese Boitmane

7. Pavana – Francisco Tárrega

8. Souvenir – Freddy Alberti

9. Concerto for Two Mandolins in G major, RV 532: II. Andante (Arr. by Fred Nachbaur) – Antonio Vivaldi

10. Father’s house – Vilnis Salaks

11. Mood – Dzintra Kurme-Gedroica

12. Suite No. 1: Remembrance – Domenico Sodero

Latvian composer Andris Dzenītis has, throughout the past few decades, become one of the most respected and notable composers in Latvian academic music. His vivid and expressive works exhibit great creativity and talent, particularly his symphonic works.

To document his symphonic composing skills, the Liepāja Symphony orchestra, along with conductor and artistic director Guntis Kuzma and guest conductor Christian Lindberg recorded three of Dzenītis’ symphonic works – his Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2, as well as the symphonic fantasy “Vientuļā priede. Falsifikācija un epitāfija” (The Lonely Pine Tree. Falsification and Epitaph), which was released in 2025 by the Latvian national record label Skani.

Dzenītis describes his first symphony – titled ‘Mīlestība ir stiprāka’ (Love is Stronger) as ‘an observation of the planet we live on’ – and the work does have a kind of global scope to it. The single movement work, nearly thirty minutes in length, is crammed full of many ideas and emotions, from its quiet, trepid introduction through to its turbulent conclusion. Though the title of the work would seem to indicate a positive, hopeful message, there is little of that in the music, and the composer himself says that ‘love appears as the music fades away’ – perhaps then this music is meant to appear as a stark contrast to love. The orchestra and conductor Kuzma maintain the sense of uneasiness throughout the work, deftly handling the many tempo and mood changes.

Though Dzenītis normally eschews traditional melodies and melodic forms, ‘Vientuļā priede’ hearkens to a previous era, as Dzenītis endeavors to recreate (or perhaps reimagine) a symphonic work by beloved 20^th century Latvian composer Emīls Dārziņš – a work that Dārziņš almost completely destroyed (save for a few instrumental parts) due to its supposed similarity to a work by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Dzenītis skillfully melds the music of two centuries together in a work that both pays homage to Dārziņš beautiful and romantic music and imagines what Darziņš music might sound like via a 21^st  century prism, and conductor Christian Lindberg adds a picturesque touch to the performance.

Many Latvian composers have found inspiration in Latvian nature, and Dzenītis’ Symphony No. 2 – subtitled ‘Silts vējš’ (Warm Wind) originated from walks along the Latvian coast, and experiencing brief moments of warmth in an otherwise chilly autumn. The work is dramatic and forceful, and the listener can imagine different aspects of the Latvian shoreline throughout the composition. The orchestra and Kuzma adroitly navigate the various scenes and landscapes, highlighting the many nuances and layers in Dzenītis’ symphony.

The CD booklet includes detailed notes on the compositions from both musicologist Dāvis Eņģelis and the composer himself, and the composer’s words often are just as abstract as his music, for example characterizing his music as ‘the layering of dissonant fanfares in parallel dimensions of time over blissful internal harmony’.

Complex, challenging and often highly abstract, the symphonic music of composer Andris Dzenītis can be difficult to comprehend. However, the music’s many layers and nuances are vividly revealed by the skilled and talented Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and conductors Guntis Kuzma and Christian Lindberg. With his sonic paintings and soundscapes, often acting as a kind of music laboratory, Dzenītis has established himself as one of the leading creative forces in Latvian symphonic music.

For further information, please visit the Skani website and Andris Dzenītis’ website.

Andris Dzenītis. Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2

Liepāja Symphony Orchestra

LMIC/SKANi 177, 2025

Track listing:

1. Symphony No. 1  Mīlestība ir stiprāka
2. Vientuļā priede. Falsifikācija un epitāfija
3. Symphony No. 3 Silts vējš