Records of Jāzeps Mediņš's works date from the 1920s and 1930s in Latvia -- a time rich with musical excitement as national orchestras, and the national opera company were founded. In this age when the works of Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss dominated the stage, it is perhaps unsurprising that Mediņš composed works mainly for the symphony orchestra and the operatic stage, leaving choral works at the periphery of his oeuvre. Nevertheless, Vasaras vakars is a choral gem that continues to mesmerise with is soaring melodic beauty. It gives us an insight into the possibilities had he written more in this genre.
Nāc, vakars, nāc!
Nāc, kad saule noņem staru vainagu,
nāc tu ar savu plīvurvēsumu,
nāc, dienas pelēcību atkal zeltī
stiep zemei pāri rožu telti,
nāc, vakars, nāc,
ak, dailes vakars, nāc!
Nāc, apsēj atkal sapņu magoņlauku,
lej uz zemi mēness eljes trauku,
klāj pārmums vijolīšu mētelītī
mums visi smalkie audi saraustīti,
nāc, vakars, nāc,
nāc, sapņu vakars, nāc!
Kad saule noņem staru vainagu,
nāc tu ar savu plīvurvēsumu,
nāc, dienas pelēcību atkal zeltī
stiep zemei pāri rožu telti,
nāc, vakars, nāc,
nāc, sapņu vakars, nāc,
ak nāc!
Come, evening, come!
Come when the sun takes off its radiant crown,
come with your veil of coolness,
come, tinge the day's drabness with gold again,
spread your rose canopy over the earth,
come, evening of beauty, come,
oh, evening of beauty, come!
Come and sow the poppy field again with dreams,
come, anoint the earth with the moon's balm,
cover us with a mantle of violets,
the delicate core of our being is fragmented,
come, evening of dreams, come.
come, evening of dreams, come!
When the sun takes off its radiant crown,
come with your veil of coolness,
come, tinge the day's drabness with gold again,
spread your rose canopy over the earth,
come, evening of peace, come,
come, evening of peace, come,
oh, come!
Conducted by Ng Tian Hui
Performed by the Chamber Singers of Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges
