Baltic Tides: piano music by two important Baltic pianist composers, Lūcija Garūta & Ester Mägi makes for a marvellous, compelling disc

Baltic Tides: piano music by Lūcija Garūta and Ester Mägi; Eva Maria Doroszkowska; First Hand Records
Reviewed 30 July 2025

A marvellous disc, exploring music by two important 20th century Baltic pianist composers and featuring some wonderful gems in compelling performances

When we look back with the eye of history, music in a particular era or place can sometimes seem dominated by one particular person and it is only by drilling down that we find that reality was a lot more complex, and in a year when we are celebrating Arvo Pärt's 90th birthday it is good to be reminded of the vibrant Baltic musical culture that gave rise to him. 

This new disc was recorded at the Arvo Pärt Centre last year and the disc arose partly from pianist Eva Maria Doroszkowska's artistic residency when she explored Ester Mägi's music.

This new disc, Baltic Tides on First Hand Records is collection of solo piano music by the Latvian Lūcija Garūta (1902–1977) and the Estonian Ester Mägi (1922–2021), two of the most important pianist composers of their generation, here played by Eva Maria Doroszkowska.

I first came across Lūcija Garūta's music in 2024 when I interviewed pianist Reinis Zariņš [see my interview] as he has recorded a disc of her music including her piano concerto. Ester Mägi is also a name I have come across before both in concert [see my review] and on disc [see my review]. 

Lūcija Garūta (Photo courtesy of the Lūcija Garūta website)

Born into a non-musical family, Lūcija Garūta taught herself music notation and would enter the composition class at the newly founded Riga Conservatory. In Paris, in the 1920s she studied piano with Alfred Cortot and composition with Paul Dukas though she said of this latter, "I did not study. I became acquainted with his methods and his giant personality." Back in Riga, she taught and performed, dealing with ill-health, the Nazi Occupation and then life under the Soviet Regime, despite some of her music being banned.

Doroszkowska begins with Legenda a quasi-tone-poem from 1934 that is rather dark yet full of complex romanticism. A striking piece, it makes clear that Garūta has a particular voice and this carries on with her Etudes for the Sostenuto Pedal. 

These are four studies, dating from 1936 and 1956, which explore textures on a piano using the sustaining pedal. Yet, they are not mere sketches and each is remarkably fully developed little tone-picture in its own right. 'A Serious Melody' is fascinating, a spare yet characterful depiction of gripping anxiety. 'Fairy Tale' uses arpeggiated figures combined with the pedal to create clear elegant textures that Garūta develops then allows to evaporate, tantalising us. 'Bells' is just that. Rather spare, Garūta uses the pedal to evocative effect, but then develops her material in interesting ways. 'The Legend of the Boy and The Kokle' where the title refers to the Baltic psaltery. Here we have a folk-ish melody used in a wonderfully evocative way yet with story-telling drama too. These four etudes are little gems, undeservedly neglected.

Meditation dates from 1935. This began as an orchestral work, later being transcribed for organ. The notes are unclear as to whether the piano version is Garūta's own. It begins gently and romantically, lush dark harmonies and you can hear the tone poem emerging and we feel that Scriabin is not far way as the richly complex piano writing takes over. The Four Preludes are from the late 1920s, and hence when Garūta was in Paris. Here, it is Scriabin who seems to be an influence again. From the piano writing and complex romanticism of the first, it is clear that Garūta was clearly a fine pianist, though the second prelude does feel rather backward looking. The third introduces some interesting chromaticism into the mix, whilst the four seems the most advanced.

Ester Mägi (Photo: Kaupo Kikkas)

Born into a non-musical family in Tallinn, Ester Mägi taught herself piano and studied piano and composition at Tallinn Conservatory (with a pupil of Rimsky Korsakov) when she began going on field trips, collecting folk music and runic singing traditions. She later studied in Moscow with Vissarion Shebalin. In Soviet occupied Estonia she kept her integrity by not accepting state commissions.

Three Sea Tableaux from 1961 explore cyclical form, the movements simply marked Allegro, Adagio con moto and Vivo. There is a lovely elegance and clarity to the opening movement, for all the elaborateness of texture and it immediately charms. One thinks of Ravel (which is not necessarily the first name you might consider in Soviet era Estonia) and yes the sea. These marvellous textures are replaced by spare intensity in the middle movement, the melodic material feeling distinctly folk-like. Then the final movement is more skittish and full of intriguing references.

Junipers of Kassari from 1994 was written for a young pianists competition and evokes the beauty of the Kassari coastline, an area famed for its junipers. The result is a compelling and atmospheric piece, suitably challenging for the competition, no doubt, but you suspect rewarding to play in its descriptive evocativeness.

From her Ten Piano Pieces of 1957 we hear a selection of seven from this collection of simple miniatures where Mägi manages to bring in a whole variety of references from folk melody and beyond, with the perky charm of 'Etude', the clear folk inspiration of 'Herding Call', the charm of 'Cuckoo', the elegant melodiousness of 'Trouble Song', the remarkably chirpy 'Nightingale', a lively 'Polka-Mazurka' and the final 'Little Waltz' that proves remarkably headlong.

We end with her late piece, The Ancient Kannel dating from 1985, a tribute to the folklorist Herbert Tampere. The title refers both to an ancient folk instrument and to the folklore collection, The Ancient Kannel published in 1875 by Jakob Hurd. There is a rich dept to the melodic writing here, and giving the Kannel references, the writing is spare, using melody and sustaining pedal to dramatic and evocative effect. this is a piece definitely not written for young pianists, it is a large and complex work which demonstrates a composer at the full extent of her talent, weaving Estonian folk-influences with 20th century piano masters and much else.

Whilst individual items in the recital stood out as little gems, overall I have to commend Eva Maria Doroszkowska for the way she has crafted a satisfying recital from 22 disparate pieces by these two different voices. And yes, wherever you are in the disc the Baltic sea never feels far away.

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