De Profundis (2010)

The Baltic countries, just a couple of decades old in their current incarnations, have emerged as hotbeds of contemporary music, resting on a triad of experimentalism, community music-making, and a few big stars committed to the growth of a distinctive homegrown scene. Among the latter group, violinist Gidon Kremer has made consistently successful recordings, artistically and commercially, with his handpicked group of young Latvian musicians, Kremerata Baltica. Many of these have displayed Kremer's knack for combining ... Read More

The Baltic countries, just a couple of decades old in their current incarnations, have emerged as hotbeds of contemporary music, resting on a triad of experimentalism, community music-making, and a few big stars committed to the growth of a distinctive homegrown scene. Among the latter group, violinist Gidon Kremer has made consistently successful recordings, artistically and commercially, with his handpicked group of young Latvian musicians, Kremerata Baltica. Many of these have displayed Kremer's knack for combining contemporary music, tango, and established repertory in compelling thematic combinations. The booklet for De Profundis (in English only) contain only an explanation of the concept: the opening words of Psalm 130, "De profundis clamavi a te, Domine," "Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord," have a unique relevance in today's world of repression and exploitation; otherwise the music is left to speak for itself. Arvo Pärt's choral setting of this psalm is not included, and the only direct... Read Less