Baltic Choirs

The tradition of choral singing in the Baltic countries of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania goes back millennia.

Choir and organ senior producer, Chris Taylor, in the studio

Singing pervades the culture. At the National Song Festivals, in Latvia and Estonia, choirs of up to 30,000 singers perform to audiences of 100,000. A significant proportion of the total population.

In the late 1980s Mass singing became the vehicle for resurgent national identity and non-violent protest that many feel helped overthrow the Soviet regime. The restoration of independence in those countries, after what became known as the "Singing Revolution", brought this remarkable music to international attention.

Here are five choirs whose singing represents the very best of this region’s tradition.

The boy trebles of Riga’s cathedral have precision and dexterity, with a bell-like clarity to their sound which is gentler and less intense than their British counterparts.

They sound most at home in the cavernous acoustic of their own cathedral space, creating an impression that’s almost impossible to replicate anywhere else.

Here, Riga Dom Boys Choir are singing alongside other choirs in Latvia, in Rihard Dubra's Te Deum.

Remember how it felt to be a teenager?

This choir sings to that vivid emotional colour scheme. Kamer means ‘while’ – an allusion, they say, to the notion that “While we are still young, anything is possible”. Their technical standards are impeccable, but they also search for “full emotional surrender” in their sound. Both qualities have made them the choir to beat in local and international competitions.

In this extract Kamer Youth Choir sing Vytautas Miškinis' Rotāšana from their album Amber Songs.

This professional choir from Estonia like to mix ancient music with modern sounds – an approach that works brilliantly with much of the contemporary choral repertoire of the Baltic region.

They strive for perfect blend in their sound, many voices speaking as one. Their acknowledged fascination with the lingering, long-breathed arches of Gregorian plainchant suffuses everything they do.

This is Vox Clamantis and an extract from their recording of Arvo Pärt's Drei Hirtenkinder aus Fátima.

This choir doesn’t have the most evocative name but, in a country that boasts hundreds of amazing choirs, they really stand out.

As befits a TV choir, their stage presentation is perfectly judged, with just the right amounts of movement and choreography to enhance music. Their sound is rich, warm and easy on the ear - and listen out for the way in which their even tone travels from the lowest registers to the very top of the voice.

In this extract Estonian TV Girls' Choir sing Urmas Sisask's Gracias Agimus Deo Nostro.

A professional choir formed from graduates and students of the Lithuanian Academy of Music.

They have a broad repertoire which includes the western classics alongside Baltic composers. They work particularly hard championing the music of their native Lithuania, which is still not as well recognised by international audiences as the music of Latvia and Estonia. Lithuania is predominantly Catholic, which gives much of its choral tradition a slightly different flavour to it’s mainly Protestant Baltic neighbours.

This is Jauna Muzika Choir's recording of Lithuanian composer Osvaldas Balakauskas' Requiem in memoriam Stasys Lozoraitis (Dies irae).

Please tell us about your favourite Baltic Choir, and why you like them. What do they mean to you?

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