Amazon.com The grand scale of Arvo Pärt and Giya Kancheli, some very striking climaxes, and the nostalgic strains of Latvian folk music seem to collide in the compositions of Peteris Vasks. Romantic, melancholic, and utterly enjoyable, Vasks sounds at times like Pärt for people with short attention spans--as glacial as his music can get, an explosive violin solo or familiar waltz is just around the corner. There's an unmistakable sadness that never escapes his work, obviously reflective of the tumultuous nature of his Latvian homeland. But this emotion-filled music seems tailor-made for violinist Gidon Kremer, who--accompanied here by his hand-picked KremerATA Baltica ensemble of young Baltic-area musicians--clearly embraces the works. Distant Light is a 30-minute single-movement concerto, where graceful string passages give way to soaring violin solos. Voices is a symphony for strings with quiet expanses, birdsong, and a tumultuous third movement. Simply put, these are gorgeous works. Vasks is clearly a composer to watch and Kremer, as usual, is brilliant. --Jason Verlinde