Pēteris Vasks is one of the most important composers of his native Latvia. His intense, communicative, and clear-textured musical language is finding ever-wider appreciation, closely informed by his environmental concerns and his noted appreciation for the natural world. This is the world-premiere recording of his Concerto for Viola & String Orchestra, a stunningly beautiful, mournful work from 2014/15 encapsulating a sense of sorrow and struggle wholly in tune with the times. Vasks takes the viola on a poignant, richly scored journey from struggle to glorious major-key conclusion. Soloist Maxim Rysanov digs deep with playing of rare intensity. Symphony No. 1, scored for strings, conjures equally powerful, melancholy atmospheres, its wiry textures exquisitely wrought by Sinfonietta Riga.