Peteris Vasks: Latvian Grand Music Prize

Pēteris Vasks will be honoured with the Latvian Grand Music Prize for his life’s work. The award ceremony will take place on 23 February at the Lielais dzintars concert hall in Liepaja. The Grand Music Prize (Lielās mūzikas balvas) is the country’s highest music honour. Since 1993, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia has awarded the prize annually for outstanding achievements in musical life. Vasks’ music is characterised by a deep emotionality, spirituality, closeness to nature and its roots in Latvian folklore. Recurring themes are tensions between hope and despair as well as between man and the environment. Vasks has already received the prize several times for individual works. He commented on the current honour for his life’s work:

‘If you live such a long and beautiful and happy life in music, then the prize will probably come at some point. I am a happy person because my life consists of music, and I think that music is already the mo

Further information on Pēteris Vasks:

Composer Profile