Composers > Ēriks Ešenvalds

Ēriks Ešenvalds

"When composing a work, I give myself over to the temptation of the creative process – a journey, whose twisting roads persistently, but convincingly, bring me to the final sounds of the score. And only then do I exhale."

Ēriks Ešenvalds


BIOGRAPHY

Ēriks Ešenvalds was born in Priekule, Latvia in 1977. He studied at the Priekule School of Music and the Liepāja First Secondary School, and then at the Latvian Baptist Theological Seminary. He received his Bachelor’s (2002) and Master’s (2004) degrees in composition from the Latvian Academy of Music, studying with Selga Mence.

Ešenvalds has participated in festivals and master classes throughout Europe, studying under Richard Danielpour, Michael Finnissy, Guy Reibel, Marek Kopelent, Klaus Huber, Richard Ayres, Jonathan Harvey, Phillippe Manoury, Ole Lützow-Holm, Nils Henrik Asheim, and many others. He is a recipient of the Jāzeps Vītols Scholarship (1999, 2002), as well as scholarships from the Vernisāža Musical Centre (2002), the Latvian Creative Fund (2002), and the Latvian Ministry of Culture (2003, 2004).

Among Ešenvalds‘ awards and recognitions are an Honourable Mention from the International Clarinet Association competition in Miami, USA for Iespaidi Sāremā (Impressions of Saaremaa), and first place in the Young Composers Category of the 2006 International Rostrum for Composers Competition for Légende de la femme emmurée. In 2005, he received the Latvian Great Music Award, and he has been a member of the Latvian Composers’ Union since 2004.

Ešenvalds‘ music has been performed internationally, at such venues and festivals as the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Klangspuren festival in Austria, the Latvian Organ Music Festival in New York, and the Internationales Gitarren Festival Münster in Germany, and other.

Ešenvalds has worked as a teacher at the Riga Thirty-first Secondary School. Since 1999, he has been music director at the Riga Vīlande Baptist Congregation, and he has performed in the State Choir Latvija since 2002.


DISCOGRAPHY

Cryptic for flute, accordion and two kokles / Altera veritas – 10’ // Skatoties... sapņojot – 2005, Brīvās mūzikas aģentūra

Laika robežas (Frontiers of Time) for string orchestra / Rīgas kamermūziķi, conductor Normunds Šnē – 16’08” // Symphonia Ipsa. CD 2 – 2005, LMIC CD-2005-5/6

Passion and Resurrection, oratorio for soprano, mixed choir and string orchestra / Kristīne Gailīte, the State Academic Choir Latvija, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, conductor Māris Sirmais – 26’05” // Ēriks Ešenvalds. Passion and Resurrection. Rihards Dubra. Te Deum – 2006, the State Academic Choir Latvija, VAK-0601

Jūras ainava (Seascape) for piano / Juris Žvikovs – 8’08” // Latviešu klaviermūzikas antoloģija. Anthology of Latvian Piano Music – 2006, Juris Žvikovs

Légende de la femme emmurée for mixed choir / Latvian Radio Choir, Conductor Sigvards Kļava – 11’55” // Winning Music. Award Winning Compositions by Latvian Composers – 2006, LMIC, 007

Amazing Grace for mixed choir – 5’41” / A Drop in the Ocean for mixed choir – 6’27” / Youth Choir Kamēr..., conductor Māris Sirmais / Aizej, lietiņ! (Go Away, Rain) for mixed choir and instrumental ensemble / Youth Choir Kamēr..., ensemble Altera veritas (Ieva Mežgaile, Anda Zaborovska, Andis Klučnieks, Marko Ojala), Rihards Zaļupe (percussion), conductor Māris Sirmais – 6’21” // Veltījumi jauniešu korim Kamēr... – 2007, Youth Choir Kamēr..., KCD008

Légende de la femme emmurée for mixed choir / Latvian Radio Choir, conductor Sigvards Kļava – 11’55” // Glorious Hill – 2007, GB Records, BCGBCD09

Amazing Grace for mixed choir – 5’41” / A Drop in the Ocean for mixed choir – 6’27” / Youth Choir Kamēr..., conductor Māris Sirmais / Aizej, lietiņ! (Go Away, Rain) for mixed choir and instrumental ensemble / Youth Choir Kamēr..., ensemble Altera veritas (Ieva Mežgaile, Anda Zaborovska, Andis Klučnieks, Marko Ojala), Rihards Zaļupe (percussion), conductor Māris Sirmais – 6’21” // Dawn Is Breaking – 2007, Quartz, QTZ2065

Klusuma dziesmas (Songs of Silence) for acoustic guitar and string orchestra / Reinberts Everss (guitar), St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra Vilnius, conductor Donatas Katkus // Mirage. Baltic Compositions for Guitar and Orchestra – 2007, ambitus music production, amb 96901

Iespaidi Sāremā (Impressions of Saaremaa) for clarinet and cello / Česlavs Grods (clarinet), Baiba Jūrmale (cello) – 12’13” // Music for Winds by Latvian Composers – 2008, LMIC 016

Protest for trombone-tuba quartet and electronics / The trombone-tuba quartet Shady Brass Q (Uldis Zilberts, Artūrs Bērziņš, Vairis Nartišs, Jānis Retenais) // Latvian Composers – 2008, Shady Brass Q, CD-SBQ 1

Pūt, vējiņi! (Blow, Wind!) for Suiti vocal ensemble, narrator, mixed choir with instrumental accompaniment (two bagpipes, accordion, drums, piano, double-bass) / Ensemble Suitu sievas, Jānis Paukštello (narrator), Latvian Radio Choir, Kaspars Bārbals, Māris Jēkabsons (bagpipes) Evita Dūra (accordion), Aldis Liepiņš (piano), Ginta Garūta (double-bass), conductor Sigvards Kļava – 5’10” / Suitu sievu Jāņu diena (Midsummer of the Women of Suiti) for Suiti vocal ensemble, mixed choir with instrumental accompaniment (two bagpipes, accordion, drums, piano, double-bass) / Ensemble Suitu sievas, soloists Elīna Libauere, Kārlis Rūtentāls, Latvian Radio Choir, Ginta Garūta (double-bass), conductor Sigvards Kļava – 3’08” // Latvijas Radio koris un suitu sievas. Suitu mēle – 2008, Latvijas Radio, LRCD050

Evening for mixed choir / State Choir Latvija, conductor Māris Sirmais – 3’43” // From the Baltic Coast – 2008, State Choir Latvija, VAK-0801

Amazing Grace for mixed choir / The Stellenbosch University Choir, conductor André van der Merwe – 4’35” // Laudate – 2009, The Stellenbosch University Choir

Evening for mixed choir / University of Louisville Cardinal Singers, conductor Kent Hatteberg // Music of the Northern Horizon. Choral Music from Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, and Estonia – 2009

Tāls ceļš (Long Road) for mixed choir / Youth Choir Kamēr..., conductor Māris Sirmais – 6’06” // Mīlas madrigāli / The Madrigals of Love – 2010, Youth Choir Kamēr..., KCD1010

Passion and Resurrection, oratorio for soprano, mixed choir and string orchestra / Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Choir Polyphony, Britten Sinfonia, conductor Stephen Layton / Evening for mixed choir / Night Prayer for mixed choir / A drop in the Ocean for mixed choir / Légende de la femme emmurée for mixed choir / Long Road for mixed choir / Choir Polyphony, conductor Stephen Layton // Passion and Resurrection – 2011, Hyperion Records


LITERATURE (a selection)

I. Lūsiņa, Pašreizējais stāvoklis ir uz laika robežas (The Current State is on the Frontiers of Time) [a review of the concert by the Rīgas kamermūziķu, including the premiere of the work Laika robežas (Frontiers of Time)] // Diena, November 28th, 2002 • A. Dzenītis, …zelta kokles, vara stīgas… (...Golden Kokles, Copper Strings...) [a review of the concert by Altera veritas, including the performance of the work Cryptic] // Forums, April 25th/May 2nd, 2003 • A. Dzenītis, Sievišķīgais trijstūris (Feminine Triangle) [a review of the concert by the Rīgas kamermūziķu, including the Latvian premiere of the work Visions fugitives] // Mūzikas Saule, 2005, no. 2, 43 • I. Liepiņa, Ērika Ešenvalda laika robežas (The Frontiers of Time of Ēriks Ešenvalds) [about the composer]; Nekas nav burtiski pateikts (Nothing is Said Literally) [interview] // Kultūras Forums, February 18th/25th, 2005 • A. Saulītis, Satikšana un patikšana (Greeting and Liking) [about symphonic music stylistics] // Kultūras Forums, February 18th/25th, 2005 • I. Šarkovska-Liepiņa, Ēriks Ešenvalds – sākums (Ēriks Ešenvalds – the Beginnings) [about the composer] // Mūzikas Saule, 2005, no. 3, 18–20 • I. Lūsiņa, Skaistums, ne abrakadabra (Beauty, not Abracadabra) [interview] // Diena, in the attachment Kultūras Diena, August 13th, 2005 • I. Vasiļjeva, Kvalitāte. Līdzsvars. Piepildījums (Quality. Balance. Fruition) [a review of the premiere of the work Passion and Resurrection] // Kultūras Forums, September 2nd/9th, 2005 • I. Šarkovska-Liepiņa, Ērika Ešenvalda mūzika Cilvēkam (The Music of Ēriks Ešenvalds for Man) [about the composer] // Māksla Plus, 2005, no. 5, 54–55 • R. Kronlaks, Orķestris latviešu zīmē (The Orchestra in a Latvian Sign) [a review of the Riga Festival Orchestra concert, including the premiere of the work Mākoņi (Clouds)] // Kultūras Forums, April 7th/21st, 2006 • M. Guseva, Man vajadzīgs miers un laiks (I Need Peace and Time) [interview] // Pasaules Atbalss, April 20th-27th, 2006


Lolita Fūrmane, Guntars Pupa, Mārīte Dombrovska
Photo - Edmunds Mickus
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