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2018 Program Notes, Book 2
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33
JUNE 20 AND 22, 2018
composition at the Latvian Academy of Music; he has also participated
in master classes with Richard Danielpour, Michael Finnissy, Klaus Huber,
Philippe Manoury and Jonathan Harvey. Ešenvalds was a member of the
State Choir Latvija from 2002 to 2011, after which he served as a Fellow
Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, for
two years before joining the faculty of the Latvian Academy of Music. He is
also known as a gifted lecturer, conductor and mentor.
FROM THE COMPOSER
I am inspired by nature’s beauty, and many of my compositions tell
stories about it. The aurora borealis, sea, sky, volcanoes and stars have
all been featured in my music, with myths and legends from around
the world providing wonderful stories and texts. The Pleiades star
cluster has triggered the imagination of people for centuries and
gave me an excellent subject. Clearly visible to the naked eye, the
Pleiades can be seen in almost every part of the world at some
time during the year. Important as a practical navigational marker in
ancient times, especially for sailors, the seven brightest stars have a
huge significance when it comes to cultural identity. They have been
described as the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology, daughters of
Atlas and Pleione. They are mentioned in the Bible and revered in
Hindu mythology as Kartika, the mothers of the war god Skanda. In
the Hawaiian language, they are Na hiku o Makali’l, the Seven Little
Eyes, and in Maori are known as Matariki and thought of as a mother
and six daughters. In a Polynesian legend, the stars were created from
a single star smashed by the god Tane, angry at its bright boastfulness.
The celestial appearance and disappearance of the Pleiades is still
seen as a calendar marker. For the Zuni of New Mexico, the Pleiades
are known as the Seed Stars because their springtime disappearance
starts the planting season. Similarly, their appearance to the south
African Xhosa means it is time to begin working the soil. The Khoikhoi
of southwest Africa call them Khuseti, the Rain Stars, because their
appearance brings the rainy season. This time-marking was also
used by Bronze Age Europeans, for whom the Pleiades were associated
with mourning; the Celts saw the stars as the entrance to the Otherworld.
In my piece, I have set stories from the cultural heritage of the first
native American Pawnee, who call the Pleiades ‘Chakaa,’ as well as
the Zuni people. Another Native American myth tells the story of
seven dancer boys spinning right off the earth. I found a love story
from the South American Nez Perce tribe explaining how one of the
seven stars is forever less bright; for the Inuit, the stars are the result
of a pack of dogs chasing a bear and falling off the edge of the
world. Like so many people before me, I have been inspired to write
a musical story. I am certain I will not be the last.
—Ē
riks Ešenvalds