Choral Anthology 3 for Upper Voices: Choral Works (inc. Oratorios)

This collection showcases Ešenvalds at his most versatile, pairing luminous sacred texts like Ubi Caritas and O Salutaris Hostia with evocative secular works rooted in Latvian identity. The eight pieces offer upper voice directors a range of moods and technical demands without overwhelming singers; each work stands alone but together they reveal the composer's consistent gift for making contemporary harmony feel inevitable rather than imposed.

Light filtered through mist; ethereal yet grounded. Ešenvalds writes for upper voices with a transparency that lets individual lines breathe while building shimmering harmonic clouds. The music moves between introspection and luminosity, often within a single piece.

Upper voice choirs seeking contemporary sacred and secular repertoire that feels both singable and artistically substantial. Directors looking to expand beyond German and English choral traditions will find the Latvian perspective refreshing without requiring specialized knowledge of that culture.

• Pay attention to the suspended harmonies in pieces like Northern Lights; these aren't meant to resolve quickly, so commit fully to the tension before moving forward.
• Connect the text intimately even in wordless passages; these pieces carry narrative weight regardless of whether lyrics are present.
• Tune carefully through the modal and quartal harmonies typical of Ešenvalds' style; intonation here relies more on interval relationships than traditional major-minor tonality.

Select pieces from this anthology to create thematic programming around seasonal or spiritual themes. Northern Lights works beautifully in winter programs, while Spring and the folk-song texts anchor spring concerts. The sacred works integrate seamlessly into choral services or concert programs focused on contemporary settings of traditional liturgy.

• Reading and sustaining quartal and modal harmonies
• Balancing blend across suspended chords and non-functional harmonic progressions
• Singing with textural clarity in contemporary music with minimal doubling
• Interpreting text in both English and liturgical Latin with contemporary musical language
• Listening to relationships between independent melodic lines rather than relying on harmonic resolution