Pēteris Vasks

Not readily identifiable with any single school of composition, composer Peteris Vasks has an original voice that is engaged deeply with the historical epoch in which he lived. He is regarded as a major figure in Eastern European music of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Vasks was born on April 16, 1946, in Aizpute, Latvia. His father was a Baptist pastor. Early in his career, Vasks played the violin, which he studied at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music. He was also trained as a double bassist, studying at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre with Vitautas ...