Born in Latvia, Imant Raminsh came to Canada in 1948 and has become one of Canada's most highly regarded choral composer and arrangers. "Northwest Trilogy" is a wonderful set of songs from British Columbia. "Nootka Paddle Song" is a native welcoming song that features free incantation along with evocative choral writing. The piece contains some modern effects such as whispering and tone clusters, and is characterized by a feeling of building excitement and jubilation. "Bye, Bye Baby" - Based on a traditional Russian lullaby and would have been sung by members of the Doukhobar communities. A gentle, tonal work with rich harmonic background with varied textures and voicings bring this song of warmth and simplicity to life. "Sunset" - Folksy, poignant, and slighty tongue-in-cheek, this lament portrays the thoughts of a dying British Columbian cowboy. Replete with imitations of wailing coyotes, muffled death march drums, and other instances of word painting, this is a fun piece to perform. |
