Gidon Kremer and Friends. Homage to Tālivaldis Ķeniņš

31 July, The Latvian national recording company SKANi released the new KREMERATA BALTICA chamber music album, Gidon Kremer and Friends. A Tribute to Tālivaldis Ķeniņš.

Dedicated to the distinguished Latvian-born composer Tālivaldis Ķeniņš, the album features sixteen works (fifteen on the physical CD edition), performed by Kremerata Lettonica together with Canadian cellist Luka Coetzee, Lithuanian pianist Andrius Žlabys, who is based in the United States, and other guest artists.

The album is already available on the major streaming platforms, while the CD edition will reach listeners in 80 countries worldwide this September.

Album is available on Spotify: ej.uz/skani-kenins-spotify2026

and Apple Music: ej.uz/skani-kenins-apple2026

“The music of Tālivaldis Ķeniņš demonstrates a unique combination of classical thinking and the stylistics and techniques of contemporary music. It is precisely this synthesis that makes his personal musical signature so distinctive. By recording several works of chamber music together with the outstanding soloists of Kremerata Baltica and musicians who share the spirit of the Kremerata musical family, we have succeeded in creating a truly special album. I hope this album, in the creation of which I myself have participated, will enchant and inspire many listeners”, – says one of the world’s leading violinists Gidon Kremer.

Tālivaldis Ķeniņš is one of the most prominent Latvian composers – a stark, vital, technically virtuosic master of form and content with a Baroque and Neo-Romantic sensibility. He was born in Latvia, studied in France, and lived in Canada from the end of the Second World War until his death. Ķeniņš is one of Canada’s most frequently performed composers. A long-time lecturer in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, he became a professor in 1973. Ķeniņš was active in the Canadian League of Composers, serving as its president for two years. Ķeniņš’s contributions are both academic and practical, a fact recognised by the university administration and the Canadian government.

Ķeniņš’s oeuvre consists mainly of instrumental music – eight symphonies, symphonic miniatures, more than ten instrumental concerti, an impressive series of works for chamber ensembles, piano and organ – but it also includes solo and choral songs, three cantatas and an oratorio. In this selection of works by Ķeniņš, curated by the musicians of Kremerata Baltica, we encounter this beauty and mastery in vivid, original and unique progression.

Kremerata Lettonica is an offshoot of Kremerata Baltica and consists of Latvian musicians from the Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra. The ensemble was formed during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when international collaboration was not possible. The ensemble balances a dedication to classical masterpieces with a commitment to musical exploration. It actively seeks out rare and previously undiscovered scores and also commissions new works dedicated specifically to Kremerata Lettonica. Kremerata Lettonica is featured on the album PPP – Plakidis, Pētersons, Pelēcis (released by the Skani label), which won the “Zelta Mikrofons” (Golden Microphone) Latvian Music Recording Industry Award for best classical music recording.

LINE-UP:

Gidon Kremer – violin

Luka Coetzee – cello

Andrius Žlabys – piano

Andrejs Osokins – piano

Rihards Plešanovs — piano

Kremerata Lettonica

Madara Pētersone, Zane Kalniņa – violin

Jevgēnija Frolova, Katrīna Anna Pelnēna – viola

Pēteris Čirkšis, Magdalena Ceple – cello

Iurii Gavryliuk – double bass

Kremerata Baltica Nonet

Džeraldas Bidva – violin

Madara Pētersone – violin

Dainius Peseckas – violin

Linas Valickas – violin

Katrīna Anna Pelnēna – viola

Karolis Rudokas – viola

Kristers Šīmanis – cello

Rūta Balčiūtė – cello

Iurii Gavryliuk – double bass

Recorded at: Palieses castle, 2024, 2025 (1-5, 9, 11-15), Latvian Radio 1st studio, 2025 (6-8, 10)

Recording producer & sound engineer: Vilius Keras (1-5, 9, 11-15), Modris Bērziņš (6-8), Varis Kurmiņš (10)

Editing, mixing: Vilius Keras (1-5, 9, 11-15), Modris Bērziņš (6-8), Varis Kurmiņš (10)

Mastering: Vilius Keras, Baltic Mobile Recordings

Executive producers: Ingrīda Zemzare, Egīls Šēfers
℗ © LMIC/SKANi 178, 2026

COMPOSITIONS: 

1. Aria per corde for string quintet (1984) 7:12

Concertino barocco “Omaggio à J. S. Bach” for two violins (1985) 11:07

2. I. Maestoso – Vivace quasi presto 3:14
3. II. Adagio 5:32
4. III. Molto animato 2:22

5. Movement IV Allegro molto from the Sonata for Cello and Piano (1950) 4:03

Piano Quartet No. 1 (1958) 19:21

6. I. Moderato e espressivo 7:37
7. II. Largo sostenuto 6:45
8. III. Vivace e marcato 4:59

9. Movement II Lento assai from the Concerto for Violin, Cello and Strings (1965) 9:33
10. Colloquens patriae, reflections on a theme by Imants Zemzaris (1989) 13:12

Quintet for Piano and Strings (1994) 17:04

11. I. Adagietto amabile 2:36
12. II. Vivacissimo 3:51
13. III. Lento 3:49
14. IV. Agitato: Doppio movimento 1:47
15. V. Epilogo: Andante tranquillo 5:00

TT 79:37:41

Booklet, audio files and visual materials available here: https://ej.uz/skani178 

SKANi is a division of the Latvian Music Information Centre (LMIC). Funded by the Latvian Ministry of Culture, its goal is to produce high quality recordings of Latvian classical music performed by both emerging and established Latvian musicians and promote Latvia’s classical music heritage through its distinctive and varied programming. Founded in 2014, it has released more than 170 recordings and has longstanding relationships with the Latvian Radio Choir, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, State Choir “Latvia”, Sinfonietta Riga, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and many other soloists and chamber music groups.