Ars Musica Festival 2026 — ARCTIC FEVER

Peteris Vasks

Peteris Vasks

©Janis_Porietis

Maris Pasjuste

Maris Pasjuste

PĒTERIS VASKS AT 80 | IN PARADISUM

To celebrate the 80th birthday of Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks, this special day continues with an impressive Baltic choir, showing how voices can connect us to a better world.

The music of Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks is deeply rooted in his country’s cultural heritage. It reflects a strong ecological awareness and evokes the lost paradise of a disappearing natural world. Drawing on a timeless tradition, his work blends the flowing melodies of folk dances with the quiet spirituality of slow, contemplative choral music.

Over the course of several decades, Vasks has built an impressive body of work, ranging from solo piano pieces and chamber music to symphonic and concertante works, with the voice often playing a central role. His clear, refined and understated musical language has made him one of the leading figures in Baltic music.

We celebrate his 80th birthday with a special day devoted to both instrumental and vocal music.

This second concert focuses on Baltic vocal music and is almost entirely a cappella. From Veljo Tormis to Ēriks Ešenvalds, the programme celebrates the richness of the Baltic choral tradition before culminating in Vasks’ In paradisum, a luminous musical journey in which voices intertwine with violin and cello.

Conductor

Maris Pajuste · Karlis Ostrovskis

Collegium Balticum – including:

  • Eva Pusker – viola
  • Anne-Gabrielle Lia-Aragnouet – cello

Program

  • Pēteris Vasks – Madrigals
  • Pēteris Vasks – Savā tautā
  • Veljo Tormis – Latvian Bourdon Songs
  • Ēriks Ešenvalds – In paradisum

Tickets

  • €8 / €6 / €1.25
  • 3-concert pass: €20 / €14

This concert is part of the Ars Musica 2026 programme, themed Arctic Fever. From Iceland to the Baltic states, this edition explores the musical landscapes of a North where vast expanses of ice, water and forests resonate through contemporary creation. In Vasks’ work, this relationship with nature takes on a particular resonance: nature, at once refuge, memory and a fragile world, runs through his music as an essential presence.