Jānis Ķepītis: Piano Miniatures from the Manuscripts, Volume Two
The Latvian composer Jānis Ķepītis (1908–89) has a fairly low profile even in his home country, never mind beyond its borders. His output was nonetheless substantial, with no fewer than six symphonies to his name, ten concertos, a number of large-scale choral-orchestral pieces, countless songs and choruses and a voluminous body of chamber music – almost all of it unknown. Ķepītis was himself a gifted pianist, and his hundred or so compositions for piano show a predilection for the miniature. The works here, most of them discovered among his manuscripts, inhabit a world downstream from Skryabin and Rachmaninov, with a gentle hint of Debussy, an occasional wisp of Latvian folk-music,
and, here and there, just a hint of jazz.
Nora Lūse, piano
Jānis Ķepītis, piano (Track 30, rec. 1935)
Listen To This Recording:
Snowflakes (1939) (11:28)
- I. A Little Cloud (1:43)
- II. Flakes Fall (1:04)
- III. Vortex (1:05)
- IV. The Story of the Flakes (1:49)
- V. Christmas Tree Dreams (2:11)
- VI. Waltz (1:10)
- VII. Thaw (1:49)
- VIII. And Spring Again (0:37)
Portraits (1946) (14:17)
- I. Andulis (2:35)
- II. Elvīra (3:06)
- III. Nanny (1:38)
- IV. Vija (1:35)
- V. Biruta (2:43)
- VI. Niko (2:40)
Mood-Paintings (1956) (20:14)
- I. Evening Song (2:10)
- II. Anxiety (1:52)
- III. Sadness (3:32)
- IV. Delight (3:40)
- V. Frolic (3:18)
- VI. Laugh (1:17)
- VII. Solace (4:25)
Mood-Paintings: In the Meadows (1965) (14:14)
- I. A Ray of Sunshine (2:11)
- II. Butterfly and Boy (2:30)
- III. Youthful Delight (3:24)
- IV. The Black Cloud (4:10)
- V. After Rain (1:59)
Impressions of an Evening (1974) (4:28)
- I. Moderato (1:13)
- II. Andante tranquillo (1:12)
- III. In Movimento (2:03)
Līgo Night (1935)
- III. St. John’s Fire (5:59)
First Recordings
Fanfare Magazine :
‘[his music]is expertly constructed and easy on the ear, and Ķepītis does a very good job of finding crisp distinctions among the varied little nuggets of his works. […]
[Nora Lūse’s] playing is solid and unflashy, with smart pacing, which suits the music well. The bonus track here has Ķepītis himself playing the premiere of his 1935 St John’s Fire from his first piano cycle, Ligo Night. It stands out from the rest of the music here for its intensity and brilliance, or perhaps it just seems so due to his stunning virtuosity. This is a fine example of what many piano connoisseurs consider “golden age” playing, with his glowing tone and plush phrasing. It is the cherry on top of a sweet musical treat.’
—Peter Burwasser, Fanfare Magazine, February 2025
American Record Guide :
‘The music is varied and inventive […] They are unpretentious personal statements and quite appealing. […]
Nora Luse, who also wrote the informative liner notes, […] plays firmly and with good expression. The works of Kepitis are well worth discovering.’
—Bruno Repp, American Record Guide, January 2025