Beethoven’s Violin Concerto is so familiar to us today that it is hard to imagine how disorientating early listeners found its novelty. The contrary is true of Distant Light, the first of the two violin concertos of the Latvian composer Péteris Vasks: this work – which pits human madness against the eternal glitter of distant stars appeals on first acquaintance, effortlessly charms the ear and has established itself as a classic of our time.