Mid-November, Melbourne-based Latvian violinist Sophia Kirsanova released her debut album The Morning Mist with SKANI. The album presents a collection of contemporary Latvian violin music by Ešenvalds, Vasks, Leimane, Buravicky, and Kalējs. Kirsanova is accompanied by the Syzygy Ensemble, Amir Farid (piano), Georgina Lewis (piano), and Agnese Eglina (piano). Among the premiere recordings of commissioned work is Ēriks’ The Morning Mist for violin and piano, which was commissioned for Kirsanova by Anita and Graham Anderson and premiered by Duo Kirsanova-Lewis at the Melbourne Recital Centre in August 2022.
Enjoying an international career, Kirsanova has performed with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Israel Camerata and Sinfonietta Riga, among others. She frequently gives solo recitals and performs chamber music in concerts and festivals. Kirsanova is the founder and lead violinist of the string ensemble Melbourne Strings. She hold a PhD (Performance) from the University of Melbourne and teaches at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
From the album notes: The album The Morning Mist is a musical reflection on important pages in Latvian history — the period that saw the Singing Revolution, the collapse of the Soviet Union and Latvia regaining its independence. The music selection on this album is stylistically diverse, showcasing the dynamics of these years of transition. The two premiere recordings of the commissioned works by Ešenvalds and Leimane and Buravicky Angel’s Gaze represent the Latvian violin music of today. Although they are stylistically different, the violin is central in all of them. Ešenvalds’ music accents the connection to the Singing Revolution and the tradition of choral music in Latvia. Vasks is represented here as one of Latvia’s most important composers of music for string instruments, and his earlier work referencing Latvian folk music serves as a distinctive example of the expression of Latvianness. The Toccata by Kalējs, for its part, is as a monumental work for solo violin that illustrates the long-standing violin traditions in Latvia.