A Message from Pēteris Vasks On the Occasion of the Japan Premiere of Chant of Gratefulness

ConcertsMar 27, 2026

Pēteris Vasks’s new composition Chant of Gratefulness (2026), co-commissioned by the NHK Symphony Orchestra and others, will receive its Japan premiere in the Orchestra’s Subscription Concerts, Program C, on May 29 (Fri.) and May 30 (Sat.), 2026.
Prior to the world premiere scheduled for April 2026 in his native Latvia, we are pleased to present a message from the composer.

Chant of Gratefulness

I conceived and created this opus as a warm, evening-sun-lit, peaceful song for strings. In the middle of the piece the sound gradually intensifies and reaches a powerful climax. After reaching the peak the initial mood returns. A muted string chant little by little fades away into starlit silence.
I am grateful to the Creator for the life lived in music in my dearly beloved Latvia.
I am grateful to my friends, brothers and sisters in music. We are united by the desire to bring more light, hope, and love to the world.
May this quiet chant, created in humility and gratefulness, resonate in your souls.

Pēteris Vasks
27.01.2026.

No. 2065 Subscription (Program C)
Friday, May 29, 2026 7:00pm
Saturday, May 30, 2026 2:00pm
NHK Hall

Vasks / Chant of Gratefulness (2026) [Co-commission Work for NHK Symphony Orchestra, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Münchener Kammerorchester and Australian Chamber Orchestra / Japan Premiere]
Shostakovich / Symphony No. 4 C Minor Op. 43
Conductor : Andris Poga