Gidon Kremer is a gifted violinist and someone who makes room for many contemporary composers in his diverse repertoire – or who is commissioned by them to perform their works. He enjoys performing such compositions with his Kremerata Baltica, as he does on their latest album, *Pages of a Biography*.

The title *Pages of a Biography* is also the title of a composition by the Latvian composer Georgs Pelēcis, whose works are featured alongside those of the Lithuanian Andrius Žlabys and the Estonian Arvo Pärt. With a running time of almost 30 minutes, the title track makes up around half of the performance and encompasses the emotions that are articulated in individual movements within the other works. It is well worth listening to the pages of this musical biography; indeed, the entire album is an aural treat.

From solitary violin and vibraphone tones to orchestral splendour, *Pages of a Biography* – both the piece and the album – unfold a wide spectrum of musical expression. The variety of moods resonates beautifully with the subtlety and sensitivity of the ensemble, which makes the recording a delight in its own right.

Added to this is the exquisite acoustic quality of the recording. The fact that ECM has opened up to classical music with its New Series is a real boon. The experience gained from many years of working with small, often acoustic, jazz set-ups – which ECM has always portrayed with magnificent clarity and immediacy – lends the Kremerata Baltica a fascinating clarity and intensity.

With *Pages of a Biography*, both the Kremerata Baltica and ECM demonstrate once again just how intense and magnificent music can be.

A marvellous album. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)

Gidon Kremer, violin
Geneva Lewis, violin
Andrei Pushkarev, vibraphone, tubular bell
Kremerata Baltica

Photo: ©Angie Kremer