Lo! The Dim Shadows of the Night is an electroacoustic composition for vocal duo and sound, created for the spatial MONOM 4D-sound system. Expanding on the themes of her 2020 piece Dies Irae, Maria combines traditional tonal harmony with modern electronic textures, forging an otherworldly fusion between classical polyphony and experimental sound.

The work features algorithmically generated synthesis from SuperCollider and eerie nighttime field recordings of the Night Jar bird, captured in Skuleskogen, Sweden. The piece is sung by Latvian vocalists Ansis Bētiņš and Artūrs Čukurs, whose performance is accompanied by Maria’s ghostly glass instruments, adding an ethereal layer to the human voices. Drawing inspiration from the hymn Ecce iam noctis, the piece conjures a haunting narrative of night and the return of dawn.

Ansis Bētiņš, a distinguished singer from Riga, brings his extensive background in academic and early music to the performance, with a repertoire spanning from Renaissance to contemporary works. His deep interest in language and rhetoric informs both his musical and theatrical practices.

Artūrs Čukurs, a versatile theatre artist and musician, merges his training in music and theatre with a passion for collective creation. His work bridges musical and theatrical worlds, driven by a constant search for innovative expression.