Lūcija Garūta was a Latvian composer, during the time when it was part of the Russian Empire. She studied in Riga, and then in Paris with Paul Dukas and others, making her debut in 1926.
Her most famous work is “Dievs, Tava zeme deg!” (God, your land is burning!) composed during the German occupation in 1944. It was said that during the premiere, at which Lūcija Garūta played the organ part, the sounds of battle could be heard outside. It was then banned under Soviet rule. Sadly she did not live to see the piece restored as part of the Singing Revolution (across Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia – read more here: )
Her music includes a focus on Latvian music, including Seven Pieces on Latvian folk songs and Variations on themes of a Latvian folk song. One of the larger works is a Piano Concerto in F# minor from 1951/55 – it is highly energetic, with plenty of brass bombast.
If you enjoy this, perhaps compare it with the Piano Concerto in G minor by Dora Pejačević – a Czech countess and composer, who wrote amongst other things a Symphony in F# and her first orchestral work was the Piano Concerto in 1913. There are some beautiful works for ‘cello, for violin, and for voice amongst her output This year marks 100 years since her death in 1923.
Listening Project 