Music of Vasks
Vasks (b. 1946 in Latvia) is one of the rising stars of the Baltic region. His music has  some affinities with that of Pärt and Tormis, and while Vasks isn't afraid to tap into different  stylistic modes, like Schnittke, his music remains mostly tonal and doggedly idealistic.Musica  Dolorosa(1983) is a masterpiece, plain and simple. Its combined strings create a sound world  similar to Gorecki's famous Symphony 3. The major work here is the SymphonyStimmen(Voices) for string orchestra. It's unimaginably beautiful, full of flirtatious string-borne melodies  and shadows of sadness here and there.--Paul Cook