Shchedrin: The Sealed Angel

1. Sealed Angel
Composed by Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin
with Alexey Alexeyev , Andrei Azovsky , Natalia Belova , Alexander Golyshev , Alexander Illarionov

Tracks:

Lord Now Lettest Thou The Servant - R. Rutov
Psalm Of David No.150: Alleluja! Lobet Den Herren - Heinrich Schutz
The Sealed Angel/Movement IX: Sostenuto - Rodion Shchedrin
Psalm Of David No.148 - Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinick
Miserere - Antonio Lotti
Ave Maria, Op.93 - Gabriel Faure
Praise The Lord All Ye Heavens - Konstantin Shvedov
Laudi Alla Vergine Maria - Giuseppe Verdi
Mass In G: Agnus Dei - Francis Poulenc
Missa Solemnis: Sanctus & Benedictus - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Customer Reviews:

Do u still believe in angels guarding u with swords of fire?.......2005-06-14

"At one time it [sacred music] was an all-embracing and absolutely dominating genre; today it has been reduced to an atrophied genre that is scarcely taken note of by the general public." Nikolaus De Palezieux from the liner notes.

Isn't this fact a shame? Let's revive sacred music--it's so uplifting to the body, mind and spirit! This cd will surprise you--it sure has me. Angels of Ecstasy includes "more soothing spiritual classics by: Verdi, Beethoven, Faure, Poulenc" and many more.

Angels of Ecstasy is so mesmerizing that I keep listening to it on repeat (which I rarely do) and still cannot begin to describe its Beauty! Must be the title, eh? Surely feels like the angels above had a huge part in the inspiration of this blessed music! If you're reading this, I think you are meant to have it and be blessed. It has a total running time of 74:22 for your listening pleasure. Enjoy and let yourself be swept away! o8E
Soar!

Average customer rating:

Sounds On My Spirit

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Inventions | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005O6DE
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Tracks:

Liturgy of St John Chrysostom: The Creed
Liturgy of St John Chrysostom: A Mercy of Peace
Liturgy of St John Chrysostom: We Hymn Thee
Liturgy of St John Chrysostom: It Is Truly Fitting
Gladsome Light
Praise the Lord from the Heavens, Op. 10, No. 5
What Shall We Call Thee, O Full of Grace, Op 43, No 2
O Lord Save... And Holy God, Op. 38 No. 1
It Is Truely Fitting, No 7 from Liturgy, Op. 43 No. 5
Beneath Thy Mercy We Seek Refuge, Op. 43 No. 5
Cherubic Hymn (Sofroniev Monastery Chant), Op. 27 No. 5
Gladsome Light
Gladsome Light
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Stars Are Falling in the Night
Deutsche Messe: Helig Is Der Herr [Holy Is God]
Deutsche Messe: Schlussgesang [Closing Chorus]
Komm, Trost Der Welt (Resignation)
Unser Vater [Our Father]
O Sacrum Convivium [O Sacred Banquet]
Ave Maria
Invention No 8
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Shchedrin: The Sealed Angel [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

Shchedrin: The Sealed Angel [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Coviello Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000FUF8YS
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Average customer rating:

Sounds good- what does it mean?
Beautiful rendition, with excellent musicians!

Rodion Shchedrin: The Sealed Angel

Manufacturer: Sonora Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000009NWA
Release Date: 2000-01-01

Tracks:

Sostenuto Assai - New England Conservatory Camerata/The Longy Chm Sgrs
Allegro - New England Conservatory Camerata/The Longy Chm Sgrs
L'istesso Tempo - Patricia Benjamin Doyle/Cheryl Aittima/Irina Schachneva/Terence Goff/
Narration From 'The Sealed Angel' By N.S. Leskov - Mark Pearson
Rabbioso - New England Conservatory Camerata/The Longy Chm Sgrs
L'istesso Tempo - Vanessa Breault Mulvey
Pesante - Patricia Benjamin Doyle/Cheryl Aittima/Irina Schachneva/Terence Goff/
Narration - Mark Pearson
Lamento - Patricia Benjamin Doyle/Cheryl Aittima/Irina Schachneva/Terence Goff/
Lento Assai - New England Conservatory Camerata/The Longy Chm Sgrs
Narration - Mark Pearson
Sostenuto - New England Conservatory Camerata/The Longy Chm Sgrs

Customer Reviews:

Sounds good- what does it mean?.......2001-11-21

I have the Melodiya version and love the music but there's no text or synopsis. So if anyone has this version, can you tell me whether it includes a translation. I like Shchedrin enough to buy it a second time if it provides the words.

Beautiful rendition, with excellent musicians!.......1998-12-14

This is an unusual work for large chorus, flute and narrator. The story is very powerful. I thought the chorus did a very nice job, the narrator has a great voice, and the flutist really complements the entire performance. This is wonderful piece of music that shoud be heard. Everything is first rate!

Adoramus: A Journey Into Peace and Tranquility Featuring Beautiful Music By Faure, Verdi, Rachmaninov, Beethoven, Bach, Lotti, Tavener, Barber, Hildegard von Bingen and Others

Average customer rating:

Adoramus: A Journey Into Peace and Tranquility Featuring Beautiful Music By Faure, Verdi, Rachmaninov, Beethoven, Bach, Lotti, Tavener, Barber, Hildegard von Bingen and Others

Manufacturer: RCA Red Seal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000U2W8Z8

Product Description

Disregarding a very brief detour to encompass Hildegard von Bingen, this double-set offers a two-and-half hour survey of sacred music from the Renaissance to the late 20th century. Although no texts are provided the booklet gives an intelligent history of the form, sketching the decline from the all pervasiveness of Christian music at the time of Tallis' breathtaking Spem in Alium, to the sacred-music-as-art of Fauré's Ave Maria and the very personal spiritual expression of John Tavener's Svyati. A revival of Christian writing which tries to speak beyond the beauty of the music is represented by works banned by the Soviet Union, The Sealed Angel by Rodion Shchedrin and Praise the Lord From The Heavens by Konstantin Shvedov being notable examples. Inevitably, taking extracts from complete works diminishes the whole, and the non-chronological sequencing undermines the idea of a document of sacred music through the centuries, at worst reducing the form to a beautiful background sound. Nevertheless, these are good recordings which should have broad appeal, from the well known--Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Barber's Agnus Dei and Allegri's Miserere Mei, Deus--to the less familiar, Schutz's setting of Psalm 150 and Sweelinck's equally impressive interpretation of Psalm 148. - Gary S. Dalkin

Average customer rating:

The Sealed Angel
Rodion Shchedrin , Moscow Chamber Choir , USSR Russian Choir , and Vladimir Minin
Manufacturer: Melodiya
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003JH0
Release Date: 1994-04-20

Average customer rating:

An intriguing tour de force of Russian choral music!

Shchedrin: The Sealed Angel

Manufacturer: Melodiya
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Movement I
Movement II
Movement III
Movement IV
Movement V
Movement VI
Movement VII
Movement VIII
Movement IX

Customer Reviews:

An intriguing tour de force of Russian choral music!.......1999-08-08

I'll dispense with audiophiles' concerns first. On a purely technical level, CD's don't get any better! But should you be tempted by my review, be forewarned & protect your speakers - the sound level starts with a whisper & proceeds to a full shout in less than 10 minutes. The dynamic range througout the disc is immense.

The music? Written in 1988 by Rodion Shchedrin and recorded on Melodiya in 1989 in Church Slavonic, this is Russian choral music at its finest. (He also wrote a haunting Carmen Suite often played on our Classical radio station.) Much of the composition is in the classic Russian tradition. Shchedrin starts with the soothing softness of a baby's lullabye, proceeds into tension and then dissonance as the story unfolds. And back and forth. But the dissonant passages always resolve themselves; they fit into the scheme of the near-tragedy being portrayed.

The performance? The combined Moscow Chamber Choir and The USSR Choir are accompanied only by a pan flute; "expertly done" is a trite understatement! (Only the Russians have such soul-searching bassos.) This is anything but an easy work to sing! The choirs' treacherous glissando near the end is a free-fall as seamless and profound as Niagara Falls. And the finale? I'll leave that to the delicate pan flute to describe.

The story sung? (I wish I understood Russian so I could follow the tale - if YOU do, please contact me at rtst19@hal-pc.org My copy of this CD came from Russia; there is no English description of the story with it.) It was written by Nickolay Leskov in 1872 and concerns the conflicts faced by "the Old Believers" who refused to accept the reforms in the Orthodox Church in mid-sixteenth century Russia. The reformers were destroying the Icons so dear to the Russians' souls: The Sealed Angel was one such Icon. Her spirit can be heard crying out in Shchedrin's masterpiece as she is stolen, nearly destroyed, rescued by the peasants who cherish her and finally restored. I think the flute is her haunting, desperate and finally peaceful voice. Should you be interested in Leskov's story, find a copy of "The Sealed Angel and Other Stories By Nickolay Leskov", author - K.A. Lantz, The University of Tennessee Press/Knoxville, 1984, ISBN 0-87049-411-2. Most interesting reading!

I had been told 3 years ago that this CD was out of print - another tragedy avoided! While I haven't heard any other recording of The Sealed Angel, I can't see how this performance could be improved upon. Indeed, given the proximity of its composition to the date of this recording, I can't help but suspect that Shchedrin himself might have been involved with this performance. Hopefully, this re-release includes some of its story.

I'd love to hear your impressions of it - I find this music altogether addictive!

Norma Sipowicz, 8/7/99

Track Listings: