Northwind Carion

• Imants Zemzaris (1951- ):
• 1 4 Preludes on a Theme by Alfrēds Kalniņš: No. 1, Allegretto 06:29
• 2 4 Preludes on a Theme by Alfrēds Kalniņš: No. 2, Allegretto 03:15
• 3 4 Preludes on a Theme by Alfrēds Kalniņš: No. 3, Allegretto 03:17
• 4 4 Preludes on a Theme by Alfrēds Kalniņš: No. 4, Andante, rubato 03:06
• 5 Voice 06:17
• Pēteris Plakidis (1947- ):
• 6 Prelude 02:10
• 7 Prelude & Pulsation: Pulsation 04:28
• 8 2 Sketches: No. 1, Rubato 03:30
• 9 2 Sketches: No. 2, Poco vivo 01:59
• Pēteris Vasks (1946- ):
• 10 Music for Fleeting Birds 08:59
• 11 In Memory of a Friend 10:48
• Total Runtime 54:18

Info for Northwind

If you read Carion’s notes about the music on this album, you probably notice that they accent the word “beautiful”.

In Latvian music, the word “beautiful” is usually used to describe lyric expression, a personal attitude towards the world. Composer Imants Zemzaris, who is also known in Latvia as a music writer, has written an unpublished essay about Latvian music titled “The land of lyricism”. This description contains both a personal manifestation in art as well as a certain reference to poetry and meditativeness – Latvian composers have always been closely linked with their fellow artists, the poets.

This album introduces listeners to three completely different Latvian composers who are united precisely by this lyric tendril of creativity and a specific time period, namely 1975 to 1985. At that time, the Woodwind Quintet of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (Vilnis Strautiņš, flute; Ģirts Pāže, clarinet; Vilnis Pelnēns, oboe; Jānis Barinskis, bassoon; Arvīds Klišāns, horn) was very active, and many composers wrote works for it, including the three included on this album.

1975 to 1985 was also a time when a change was taking place in Eastern Europe from the secretly practised (and thus not fully developed) avantgarde to neo-romanticism and folklorism. This was most vividly expressed in the so-called New Polish School (Krzysztof Penderecki’s creative turn towards post-romanticism, the music of the holy minimalist Henryk Mikołaj Górecki) as well as the work of the emerging Eastern stars Arvo Pärt and Giya Kancheli and the “new folklore wave” that was washing over the Eastern European countries. This album contains both neo-romantic lyricism and the echo of ancient rites in contemporary times. …

Carion

Carion
The prize-winning Danish ensemble injects new life into the woodwind quintet genre and promises an extraordinary concert experience. CARION makes visible the architecture of both classical and modern compositions through their engaged music-making. They achieve this by communicating with one another as well as with the audience. Sometimes a particular facial expression or gesture is all that is required in order to develop fascinating interactions that add to the enjoyment of both listening and “spectating”. CARION toys with this new-found freedom! Instrumentalists don’t stare at the score – they perform all music from memory and are thus able to concentrate entirely on the performance itself. Like actors in a play, each musician internalizes his or her role as a soloist and blends into the ensemble as required by the music, providing ideal conditions for an interpretation that penetrates to the core of the composition. This opens natural, direct and irresistible approach to music.

Since the success in the Danish Radio Chamber music competition in 2004, CARION has launched an international music career. The highlights include Rheingau Festival, Kissingen Sommer Festival, Usedomer Festival, Münster H1 Master series, Dubai Master Series, Al Bustan Festival, Helsinki Festival, Roskilde Festival, Louisiana Concert Series, regular tours for Swedish organization like Musik i Väst, Musik i Syd, Musik i Halland, Musik i Gavleborg and others. Carion has won prizes at several chamber music competitions, among them the Danish National Radio Chamber Music Competition in 2004. They placed first at the Marco Fiorino International Chamber Music Competition in Turin, Italy in 2006. Carion won Bronze medal in 2011 and Silver medal in 2015 Osaka International Chamber music Competitions and Festas.

Today Carion is one of the worlds most sought after woodwind ensembles. The Ensemble’s regular CD and video releases for Dacapo, ARS and Odradek labels continue to receive high critical acclaim, including five star reviews on Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine, The Best Classical album of 2015 on iTunes, CD of the week on Danish Radio P2, Ensemble of the Year 2015 nomination by Danish Broadcasting Corporation and many others. Please read more in our press reviews section.

Booklet for Northwind