Ēriks Ešenvalds - The Doors of Heaven

The Guardian 60

(Naxos)

The Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds (b1977) has enjoyed enormous popularity with his complex, multilayered choral compositions, sometimes in eight or even 16 parts, often overwhelming in their rich, tonal colour and bursting with imagination. But creative endeavour is no guarantee of complete success. This album, his first recorded by an American ensemble, explores Ešenvalds’ distinctly uneven responses to nature, religious faith and legend in four large narrative pieces. It takes its title from the most successful work in the collection, Rivers of Light, a gorgeous evocation of the northern lights. Less focused is his incoherent Passion and Resurrection, though impressive throughout is the splendid singing of the Portland State Chamber Choir.