I have loved hours at sea: Choral Works (inc. Oratorios)

Ešenvalds writes for choir in a way that honors singers' voices while offering genuine musical substance. This collection showcases his gift for setting texts with clarity and emotional directness, making his work accessible to ensembles while remaining artistically rewarding for audiences.

The music opens quietly, inviting singers and listeners into contemplative spaces. Ešenvalds's harmonic language creates moments of luminous calm interrupted by passages of lyrical intensity, evoking the natural landscape and emotional life of his Baltic homeland.

This collection serves choirs seeking repertoire that combines accessibility with artistic depth. It works well for groups with some choral experience who want to expand beyond standard repertoire without requiring advanced vocal technique.

• Attend closely to the relationship between text and musical line; Ešenvalds's phrasing often follows the natural contours of language rather than strict metrical convention.
• Balance the ensemble's blend against the need for individual voice parts to project clearly; these pieces reward singers who listen actively to each other.
• Take time in rehearsal to explore the harmonic language, which often employs unexpected resolutions that shift the emotional landscape within a single phrase.

Program individual movements or complete works as centerpieces in concerts focused on contemporary choral music or music from Northern Europe. These pieces pair well with texts of spiritual or maritime significance and work effectively as either concert openers or closing pieces.

• Reading and sustaining extended harmonic structures
• Balancing lyrical line with textual clarity
• Ensemble listening and blend in contemporary harmonic contexts
• Understanding connections between language rhythm and melodic phrasing