All Night Vigil

1. All-Night Vigil
Composed by Alexander Andreyevich Arkhangel'sky
with Cantus Sacred Music Ensemble

All Night Vigil,Archangelsky,Cantus Sacred Music Ensemble,Olympia,Classical,Classical Music,Early Music / Chant

Average customer rating: Outstanding The heavens are telling Uncle Abe rattles the house with this thing Sir Robert with ASO and Chorus at their Best! Celestial melodies

Choral Masterpieces Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Duruflé, Maurice | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Franz Joseph Haydn | Haydn, Franz Joseph | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Atlanta Symphony Orchestra | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Passions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Gloria: Music of Praise & Inspiration The Power & The Majesty: Essential Choral Classics The #1 Choral Album O Magnum Mysterium Agnus Dei: Music of Inner Harmony ASIN: B000003CTR Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Hallelujah
2. Ave Verum Corpus K.618
3. Kyrie Eleison
4. Passion Chorale
5. The Shepherds' Farewell
6. Lift Thine Eyes To The Mountains
7. He Watching Over Israel
8. Dona Nobis Pacem
9. Hallelujah
10. Worthy Is The Lamb
11. Sanctus
12. Bogoroditse Devo
13. Wie Lieblich Sind Deine Wohnungen
14. The Heavens Are Telling
15. Rex Tremendae

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding.......2007-01-12

-gave this as a Christmas gift to my brother-in-law, a church musician. He has listened over & over & thinks it is really outstanding. Thank you!

The heavens are telling.......2005-10-21

This is a very great chorus, and one of Haydn's best as far as i am concerned. The pace, grandness and spirit of the piece all conjure in one's imagination the majesty of heaven, and God's throne. I cannot help but be moved to praise the God of the heavens and the earth.

kanmi ogundipe

Uncle Abe rattles the house with this thing.......2004-11-22

I came home from work one day when my uncle was visiting my wife and myself. He was recently retired from the ministry. He had heard a lot of choral music in his life. My aunt said he had the stereo ( power end of my stereo at the time was an Adcomm 555 amp. conservatively rated at 200 watts RMS per channel) up so loud it was rattling the whole house. I too have come to love this music. I mostly listen to rock and roll; but the way my uncle, and now I, play this thing, it is rock and roll from another era!!!

Sir Robert with ASO and Chorus at their Best!.......2003-11-16

After Mr Shaw spent many years in NYC and Cleveland with RCA Red Label,he came into Atlanta for a big change! Soon he switched to TELARC DIGITAL! I still Joyfully remember our Recording of the Christmas Nativity in Dec of 1975! Sir Robert, conducting with earphones encasing his head shouted: "Stop the taping, there is some Darn Sizzling noise in those Lights!" We may have not heard the word "Damn" lights, that he employed at times!

On both this newer release of TELARC and the older Recording of The Christmas Nativity, there are Bach's Chorale, Break Forth, Dona Nobis Pacem from the B-Minor Mass, Handel's Hallelujah! Plus the exquisite, Shepherds's Farewell to the Holy Family of Berlioz's The Infant Christ!

Those who may not be familiar with Berlioz from both recordings, will be richly rewarded by hearing them plus the Rex Tremendae from Berlioz''s Requiem and the other Kyrie from the Bach B-Minor! Absolutely, no other Christmas Music can ever approach these two splendid recordings, which are the basis of the ASO celebrating every Christmas with "Robert Shaw in the Spirit!"

Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood

Celestial melodies.......2001-05-27

No matter what mood you are in, the gorgeous chorals will draft you through the paths of holiness, and you will find yourself situated in the Elysium, land of eternal joy, yet you are far from dead. The past grief, weariness, and worries will fade and torture your soul no more. You are set free.

Unfortunately, Nobody can be told what this heavenly experience is like. You have to listen to it yourself.

Average customer rating: Agnus Dei music of Inner Harmony Simply The Best Wow! Profound sublimity Beautiful music

Agnus Dei: Music of Inner Harmony Manufacturer: Erato ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Allegri | Allegri, Gregorio | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Barber | Barber, Samuel | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Elgar | Elgar, Sir Edward | ( E ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Górecki, Henryk Mikolaj | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tavener | Tavener, John Kenneth | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sacred & Religious | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Agnus Dei II: Music to soothe the soul O Magnum Mysterium Choral Masterpieces Barber's Adagio / Munch, Galway, Boston SO Strings Gloria: Music of Praise & Inspiration ASIN: B000005E4J Release Date: 1997-02-18

Tracks:

1. Agnus Dei, op.11 - Barber
2. Cantique de Jean Racine, op.11 - Faure
3. Kyrie - Palestrina
4. Ave Verum Corpus K 618 - Mozart
5. Jesus bleibet meine Freude - Bach
6. Ave Maria, op.37 No.6 - Choir Of New College Oxford
7. Lux Aeterna - Choir Of New College Oxford
8. Totus Tuus - Choir Of New College Oxford
9. Hear my prayer - Mendelssohn
10. The Lamb - Tavener
11. In paradisum - Faure
12. Miserere mei, Deus - Choir Of New College Oxford

Amazon.com

Beyond this recording's new age packaging and title is a splendid sampling of some of the world's finest choral music, sung by one of the world's outstanding choirs. This "anthology of sacred choral music" spans 400 years and includes such masterpieces as Allegri's Miserere, Bach's "Jesu, joy of man's desiring," and Barber's exquisite Agnus Dei, which is the composer's choral setting of his famous Adagio for Strings. Along the way we also hear Mozart's sublime "Ave verum corpus," Elgar's "Lux aeterna," and the Kyrie from Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli. There has been a choir at England's New College, Oxford, since the year 1379, and this impressive line of experience shows in the intelligent, unfaltering, and finely polished performances by today's ensemble of 16 boys and 12 adults. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Agnus Dei music of Inner Harmony.......2007-05-14

Not really my thing but mother in law loved it.

Simply The Best.......2007-02-23

You'll love this music. This is music for all moments of your life

Wow!.......2006-07-08

I'm a long-time listener of all things rock-'n-roll, from Classic rock, to Alternative, and even a little Metal. I first heard this CD while having dinner at a friends house a long time ago, and I loved it. I've always been enchanted with choir music, so I bought this CD. Well, after years of listening to it to help me to unwind in the evening, I somehow misplaced it. So I came to Amazon to order both I and II. Of the two CD's, the first one is still the best, and it still helps me to relax after a long day. The choir show tremendous range in their singing, the assorted instruments are well-played, and I can almost imagine myself sitting in a centuries-old cathedral, enjoying the music and how it rings throughout the cathedral.

Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

Profound sublimity.......2006-02-27

This album offers music that is profoundly moving and sumbline. It takes the listener onto an inner journal of extraordinary emotional depths and heights

Beautiful music.......2006-01-18

The first song I've heard on this CD is "Miserere Mei..." and I loved it the first minute. I've heard it from a friend who likes classical, and I would've never bought this on my own.

All other versions of these songs I've heard since don't compare to the versions on this CD. Maybe because it was my first listen, maybe they're just good.

Average customer rating: Wonderful choir music CD Best of American Choral Singing! A good album, but-- Awesome

The Power & The Majesty: Essential Choral Classics Robert Shaw Festival Singers , and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Choruses Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Borodin | Borodin, Alexander | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Duruflé, Maurice | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Franz Joseph Haydn | Haydn, Franz Joseph | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Orff | Orff, Carl | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Atlanta Symphony Orchestra | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Hadley, Jerry | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Similar Items: Choral Masterpieces Gloria: Music of Praise & Inspiration The #1 Choral Album Sea Shanties Battle Cry of Freedom ASIN: B000003D10 Release Date: 1995-01-24

Tracks:

1. Dies Irae
2. Tuba Mirum
3. Pie Jesu
4. O Fortuna
5. Dies Irae
6. Rex Tremendae
7. Confutatis
8. Lacrimosa
9. Polovtsian Dances
10. Missa: Kyrie Eleison
11. Hallelujah Chorus
12. The Shepherd's Farewell
13. Sanctus
14. The Heavens Are Telling
15. 'Va, pensiero' (Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves)
16. Nyne Otpushchayeshi (Now Let Thy Servant Depart)
17. Dies Irae

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful choir music CD.......2007-07-12

I just enjoy in it very much. The best of the choir music in very good performance.

Best of American Choral Singing!.......2003-02-08

This CD could be the cornerstone of your choral music library! Wonderful performances of all of the essential choral pieces give a wonderful introduction to choral music for someone new to it, and also give a nice sampler of the best pieces for someone already familiar with the music. Listening to each excerpt may inspire you to purchase the entire work!

As you would expect of performances by Robert Shaw's groups, these performances are really extraordinary and show the best of American choral singing.

A good album, but--.......2001-12-28

The three stars I have given this album are not for the performances, which are all tremendous and deserve five stars or more, but for the idea of releasing this sort of compilation. Every single one of these selections is part of a larger Shaw-recorded work already released by Telarc, and you are far better off seeking the complete recordings that all these pieces are from, than just buying a mere "sampler". (Shaw, however, never did get around to recording the complete " L' Enfance du Christ".) Of course, that can be very expensive for some people, and if one cannot afford all those recordings, I suppose this is the next best thing. One can't shake off the feeling, however, that because Shaw is no longer with us, Telarc is desperately trying to give the impression that "new" Shaw recordings are constantly being released by them, when the truth is that nearly all the new ones are mere recyclings. (The last complete Robert Shaw album released by Telarc was Dvorak's "Stabat Mater", a CD well worth buying.)

Awesome.......2000-04-04

This album is so up-lifting. As the music soars, so do your spirits.

Average customer rating: OK, but not the best version This is a GREAT recording! Absolute Filth ! another dissenting review, sorry ;) VALERY POLYANSKY'S VERSION IS BETTER

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vespers (Mass for Unaccompanied Chorus) Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Robert Shaw Festival Singers | ( R ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: O Magnum Mysterium Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna, etc. / Salamunovich, Los Angeles Master Chorale Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) / Auger, Stilwell, Atlanta SO, Robert Shaw Sergey Rachmaninov: Liturgy Of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31 Fauré · Duruflé - Requiem / J. Blegen · J. Morris · Atlanta SO · Shaw ASIN: B000003CV0 Release Date: 1990-03-15

Tracks:

1. Come, Let Us Worship
2. 'Bless The Lord, O My Soul'
3. 'Blessed Be The Man'
4. 'O Serene Light'
5. 'Now Let Thy Servant Depart'
6. 'Rejoice, O Virgin'
7. 'Glory To God In The Highest'
8. 'Praise The Name Of The Lord'
9. 'Blessed Art Thou, O Lord'
10. 'Having Seen The Resurrection Of The Lord'
11. 'My Soul Magnifies The Lord'
12. 'Glory To God In The Highest'
13. 'Troparia Of The Day Of Salvation'
14. 'Christ Is Risen From The Grave' (Troparia Of The Resurrection)
15. Thanksgiving To The Mother Of God

Amazon.com

If those Gregorian chant discs seem a little, well, limited lately, perhaps it's time to move on to something equally spiritual but a bit more harmonically interesting. This disc, well-performed by the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, and conducted by the legendary choral leader, features a ravishing score by Rachmaninoff and is sung a capella, as is all Orthodox church music. (For a heartrendingly beautiful number, listen to the second cut, "Blagoslovi, Dushe Moya," or "Bless the Lord, O My Soul.") Along with well-tuned choral singing, there is a fine solo contribution by tenor Karl Dent. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

OK, but not the best version.......2006-11-19

This was the only version I had for the longest time but although I enjoyed the piece I never was that excited by the performance. Then I listened to the Swedish Radio Choir version --- unfortunately, Robert Shaw Singers sound like amateurs next to these guys. First you realize how Americanized the Russian is on Shaw's recording and second you realize how weak the basses sound. The sum experience for the Shaw is that although quite beautiful at times it is overall muddy and the choir is not together (the opening number is especially noticeable --- it sounds as if the basses are about an eighth to a sixteenth behind ... and the diction ... let us just say that the choir needed ALOT more prep, so I understand why a few reviewers who seem Russian would call this trash ... imagine James Brown sung with the a strong Swedish accent!). Lastly, I think Shaw was attempting for what the French call the long line --- in other words he wanted the melodies to flow one into another as if one giant etheral exhalation. Unfortunately, he ended up with too little variance in dynamics and, with the diction problems, a rather bland sound many times.

Sorry to be so negative, I have heard other work by Shaw that is quite georgeous and worth keeping --- unfortunately not this CD.

I strongly recommend the Swedish Radio Choir or try the Russian choirs mentioned by others or even Holliard --- I do not know these versions at all but if you find one in the library try them out.

This is a GREAT recording!.......2006-08-05

I like this recording very much... as does everyone I know that owns it. I would not hesitate to purchase it again should the need arise.

Absolute Filth !.......2006-03-29

For a truly fantastic reading of the Rachmaninov Vespers check out the Polyansky recording on Melodiya.

another dissenting review, sorry ;).......2006-03-02

First I was eager to try out some Robert Shaw stuff because I read that he did a good Bach B Minor Mass. That one wasn't nearly as good as other versions I've heard (Gardiner, Parrott, Herreweghe) but I thought I'd give him another chance & picked up his version of Rachmaninov's Vespers (aka All-Nite Vigil). I have to say I honestly don't understand what the fuss is all about. (goes for both Shaw recordings I have) I think Shaw really burned his bridges with this recording. Maybe it's just that I don't like the sound of a big choir; I much prefer a small(ish) chamber choir sound. I'm not sure what it is about Shaw's recordings; they just sound sluggish & 'blurry' to me. Polyansky's & Hillier's versions are way beyond this one, & any other recording of Rachmaninov's Vespers that I've heard. The best 'western' version is probably the one by Matthew Best & the Corydon Singers. That's not saying much imo since there's really no comparison between a 'western' choir & 'non-western' one.

VALERY POLYANSKY'S VERSION IS BETTER.......2006-02-06

It just is. Deal with it. Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002T2QC4/ref=pd_sbs_m_3/103-2962540-4613441?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=5174

Trust me on this. Russians sing their own music better than non-Russians. This is a fact. Polyansky's version is more beautiful. This is also a fact.

So that's that.

Average customer rating: I love it and I give it as a gift MarMSED Diverse range but the songs are butchered...

The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever! Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Allegri | Allegri, Gregorio | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Barber | Barber, Samuel | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Borodin | Borodin, Alexander | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Charpentier | Charpentier, Marc-Antoine | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Duruflé, Maurice | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Elgar | Elgar, Sir Edward | ( E ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Franck, César | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Górecki, Henryk Mikolaj | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Franz Joseph Haydn | Haydn, Franz Joseph | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Orff | Orff, Carl | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Poulenc | Poulenc, Francis | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rutter | Rutter, John | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tavener | Tavener, John Kenneth | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Vivaldi | Vivaldi, Antonio | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: The #1 Choral Album Choral Masterpieces The Only Choral CD You'll Ever Need Gloria: Music of Praise & Inspiration The Power & The Majesty: Essential Choral Classics ASIN: B00002ZZH6 Release Date: 2005-06-07

Tracks:

1. Gloria In Excelsis Deo - Academy And Chorus Of St Martin In The Fields
2. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
3. Zadok The Priest - Ambrosian Singers
4. Miserere Mei, Deus - Gerald Finley
5. Veni Creator Spiritus - Choir Of The Monks Of The Benedictine Monastery Of Santo Domingo De Silos
6. Lacrimosa - London Philharmonic Choir
7. For Unto Us A Child Is Born - Ambrosian Singers
8. The Heavens Are Telling - John Shirley-Quirk
9. Panis Angelicus - Halle Choir
10. Ave Maria - Groupe Vocal De France
11. Ode To Joy - The Westminster Choir
12. Va, Pensiero - Chorus Of the Royal Opera House
13. Chorus Of Slave Girls - Chorus Of The National Theatre Of Sophia
14. Coro De Romanticos - Coro Cantores De Madrid
15. In Paradisum - Choir Of Kings College, Cambridge
16. Totus Tuus - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
17. Song For Athene - Winchester Cathedral Choir
18. Celebration - London Symphony Chorus
19. Jerusalem - Royal Choral Society

Tracks:

1. Zion Hort Die Wachter - South German Madrigal Choir
2. Pleni Sunt Coeli Et Terra - Charles Brett
3. Hallelujah Chorus - Ambrosian Singers
4. Thou Knowest, Lord - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
5. Veni Sancte Spiritus - Choir Of The Monks Of The Benedictine Monastery Of Santo Domingo De Silos
6. Awake The Harp - City Of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
7. And Then Shall Your Light Break Forth - New Philharmonia Chorus
8. L'Adieu Des Bergers - Choeurs Rene Duclos
9. Agnus Dei - Peter Barley
10. Cantique De Jean Racine - MONKS AND CHOIRBOYS OF DOWNSIDE ABBEY
11. Ave Verum Corpus - Schutz Consort
12. Begluckt Darf Nun Dich, O Heimat - Bavarian State Opera Chorus, Munich
13. Vedi! Le Fosche Notturne Spoglie - Chorus Of the Royal Opera House
14. Laudamus Te - Radio France Chorus
15. Chichester Psalms - Rachel Masters
16. The Lamb - Vasari Singers
17. Agnus Dei - Winchester Cathedral Choir
18. Requiem Aeternam - Choir Of Kings College, Cambridge
19. Dies Irae - Philharmonia Chorus
20. O Fortuna - London Philharmonic Choir
21. Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1 (Land Of Hope Glory) - Royal Choral Society

Customer Reviews:

I love it and I give it as a gift.......2006-12-11

This is the first collection of choral music that I've purchased and I love it. I own copies of operas and requiems and masses, but if you attend choral concerts, as I have been recently, you learn there is a huge colletion of choral music appart from the forms I've been listening to. I appreciate the producers selecting "Song for Athene" by Tavener and "Celebration (Standing Stone)" by McCartney. They are new to me and I love them. Disk 1 ends with "Jerusalem" and Disk 2 ends with "Land of Hope and Glory." As an American I rarely hear these and I am so glad they were included. I believe this album was intended to help popularize choral music and I believe the selections do fine job towards that end.

I know snobs rage against popularizing classical music, but everyone deserves exposure to the beauty of song. I will also mention here "The East Village Opera Company" because they work to popularize opera by setting it to a rock beat. They do a fine job but also get criticized for attempting to popularize classical music.

"The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever" was so popular with my teen-age daughter that it was hard to get it back from her. I give the album as a gift to nephews and nieces.

MarMSED.......2005-08-27

The music selections are extraordinary. The only problem has to do with the balance of sound. There are some parts that are very loud, and some that are so very soft. You have to continually adjust the volume.

Diverse range but the songs are butchered..........2005-07-24

Well, this CD isn't horrible by any stretch, but it is irritating to someone who's more than a casual listener of choral music. I'm by no means as musically "literate" as many reviewers out there, but I have a collection of probably twenty-five or thirty choral CD's and this is one that will probably be gathering dust in the back of the CD book.

The peices are well-performed for the most part, but they are hopelessly edited. Beethoven's Ode to Joy is somewhere around twenty four minutes, but this CD only includes an arrangement of about five minutes. The beautiful Miserere is, uncut, almost eleven minutes but is cut down to five and a half minutes here.

Looking back, I should have realized the major editing that would be involved, just by the sheer number of peices on it. I'm familiar with a great many of them and I know they're too long to fit onto a seventy minute disc without some major cutting going on. I just didn't reason that out before I shelled out the money for it.

Bottom line. This CD has decent singing, but is nothing special. If you're a newcomer to this genre, you might get this as a quick overview of the different types of choral music out there, but if you're any kind of an avid listener, this CD will drive you insane with the severity of the cuts. Beginners, if you're looking for a great collection CD, you'd do better to look at "Choral Moods". It doesn't have the diversity in styles of this one, but it will introduce you to incredibly talented composers. To the old hats out there, steer clear of this one and look to CD's by your preferred individual composers themselves. It's more money, but much less frustration in the long run. The old sayings are sometimes the best: You get what you pay for.

Average customer rating: This is an amazing, amazing product a voice teacher and early music fan Incredible Very inspiring for this Christian (Catholic) Amazing!

O Magnum Mysterium Thomas Tallis , Tomas Luis de Victoria , Morten Lauridsen , Francis Poulenc , Sergey Rachmaninov , Franz Schubert , Anonymous , Spiritual Traditional , Henryk Gorecki , Christopher Cock , Robert Shaw Festival Singers , and Robert Shaw Chamber Singers Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Górecki, Henryk Mikolaj | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Lauridsen | Lauridsen, Morten | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Poulenc | Poulenc, Francis | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tallis | Tallis, Thomas | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna, etc. / Salamunovich, Los Angeles Master Chorale Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vespers (Mass for Unaccompanied Chorus) Choral Masterpieces Agnus Dei: Music of Inner Harmony Morten Lauridsen: Lux aeterna ASIN: B00004WFLW Release Date: 2000-08-22

Tracks:

1. If Ye Love Me
2. A New Commandment
3. O Vos Omnes
4. O Magnum Mysterium
5. O Magnum Mysterium
6. O Magnum Mysterium
7. Praise The Name Of The Lord
8. Der Entfernten
9. Wondrous Love
10. Amazing Grace
11. Sometimes I Feel Like Moanin'
12. Totus Tuus

Amazon.com

The trademark qualities of a Robert Shaw-trained chorus included perfect tonal blend and balance, expressive phrasing, and superb tuning. As an interpreter, Shaw hewed to the middle road, steering clear of eccentricities and honoring the composer's intentions. On this tribute disc, we hear these virtues coalesce in works such as Poulenc's austere Christmas hymn "O magnum mysterium," one of three settings of the text here. Shaw was at his best in works whose fervent spirituality he shared, and the selection from Rachmaninov's Vespers, with its repeated alleluias, is a highlight, both radiant and passionate. But then, virtually everything here is a highlight: the Schubert part song done to a turn with soft singing projected in rounded tones; the curve of "Wondrous Love"'s melody perfectly traced; and "Amazing Grace" in Shaw's arrangement all the more moving for its calm dignity. The longest piece, Górecki's Marian hymn "Totus tuus," is otherworldly in an enthralled reading that never loses focus. Like all of Shaw's Telarc recordings, the sonics are first-class. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

This is an amazing, amazing product.......2007-02-07

The only part of the CD I would quibble with is the selection from Rachmaninov's Vespers, but I'm really lucky and have heard that performed live several times and heard multiple recordings, and decided on one that I liked best early on.

If you aren't blown away by the performance of the Tallis, you'll probably still cry when you hear the Lauridsen later in the CD. One thing about this CD is that after hearing it, my standard for what I could expect in a recording became a lot higher.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-01-17

When Robert Shaw retired in 1988 as Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra he returned to the conducting of unaccompanied choral music, that he had been involved with in the Robert Shaw Chorale in the 1950's and early 60's.
The selections on this disc are taken from several different Telarc recordings that were made at summer festivals he directed during the last decade of his life.
The Poulenc "O Magnum Mysterium" is one of the four motets on a Christmas album made in 1989. "Wondrous Love", "Amazing Grace", and "Sometimes I Feel Like a Moanin' Dove" are from the collection of 'American Hymns and Spirituals', performed and recorded in 1992. Gorecki's motet "Totus Tuus" appeared on 'Evocation of the Spirit' recorded in 1994.
In the Summer of 1989, the first year of Shaw's choral festivals in France yielded an impressive array of unaccompanied music which included Rachmaninoff's 'Vespers' or 'All Night Vigil', Op.37, the 2 Thomas Tallis pieces and the two in Latin by Vittoria.
"Der Entfernten" comes from a collection of 'Schubert Songs' for Male Chorus taped in the Summer of 1992. Morton Luridsen's 'O magnum mysterium', the most recent composition on this disc as well as the last recorded (1997), was included on 'A Robert Shaw Christmas'.
It is interesting to note that there are no less than three settings of the anonymous medieval text "O Magnum Mysterium". Shaw, a deeply spiritual man, often lamented about the commercialism that had pervaded the celebraton of the American Christmas. He retained a sincere awe for the miraculous details of the Nativity story, and it was natural that he should return again to music having this text, with its wondrous mixture of the homespun and the mystical, the lowly and the most high.

This is a truly interesting variety of compositions featuring a diversified group of fine composers!!!!.Any choral group that Shaw conducted always sang with much emotion and always great skill. There is never a 'ragged' entrance OR exit; there is never poor balance between the voices; the diction is crisp and clear and never 'muddied'; and the sound is ethereally beautiful. I would have liked to know who the personnel were in each of his 2 groups on this disc, but they were not listed, so I guess I never will know. Just a fabulous recording!!!!!

Incredible.......2005-08-02

Who can listen to this without being humbled, yet enriched, as if walking through the courts of sacred and simple places?

Very inspiring for this Christian (Catholic).......2004-07-22

I'd swear that Robert Shaw must have visited heaven and come back to write his rendition of O Magnum Mysterium (particularly track #5 with the chamber singers). It's my favorite classical piece, especially among choral works. I'd love to be in a great gothic cathedral like Notre Dame or Cologne and hear this piece. Even though you'll likely only be hearing this recording through your headphones in your room, it'll take you to the cathedrals and heaven itself.

I read somewhere that Robert Shaw was deeply religious/spiritual. I have no reason to doubt this...his faith shines through on this disk. I couldn't recommend it highly enough.

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21

Amazing!.......2004-02-10

In my choir at school, we are singing O Magnum Mysterium; I can't help from sinking into its soft harmonies. How to describe this feeling?--each bar more poignant than the last; dynamically profound; crystal clear tone; that clash between tenors in the chorus...it makes me believe in love and god all at once! Spectacular, this CD is--how lucky I am to have found it. Recommended to anyone with hearing.

Average customer rating: Absolutely FANTASTIC CD !! Sacred and a treasure! Absolutely wonderful More Divine Beauty and Peace! It Doesn't Get any Better!!!

Sacred Treasures III: Choral Masterworks from Russia Manufacturer: Hearts of Space ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sacred & Religious | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems General | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music Russia | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Ancient Echoes Russian Medieval Chant Basso Profondo From Old Russia Russian Divine Liturgy Russian Easter ASIN: B00003XB5E Release Date: 2000-02-22

Tracks:

1. Alleluia, Behold The Bridegroom
2. Sourp Sourp (Holy Holy)
3. Lord Have Mercy
4. The Mercy Of Peace (Excerpts)
5. Komm Susser Tod (Bach)
6. Serenade
7. Grant Us This O Lord
8. Our Father
9. Gloria (Excerpt)
10. Peaceful Light (Kiev Chant)
11. Praise The Lord O My Soul (Greek Chant)
12. Blessed Art Thou O Lord (Kiev Chant)
13. Chorale
14. Amen Alleluia

Amazon.com

What could be more sublime than a wall of dark, rotund Russian voices shimmering against the rising, ornate walls of a great cathedral? Not much, and this compilation of absolutely magnificent music proves it. The label Hearts of Space returns on this third choral collection to the ominous Slavic chant of their first choral album, Sacred Treasures I, which gathered together recordings of stunning Bulgarian and Russian choirs portraying the sacred works of Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, and other composers. Whereas Treasures I pulled from varied sections of sacred liturgies, including solo passages, Treasures III most often stays in harmonic chant with select voices occasionally rising and rolling in polyphonic heavenly calls. The collective voice draws the emotive tension taut here, as on Rimsky-Korsakov's "Our Father," which uses the absence of darkness to later juxtapose bold, rising drama. The Kiev chant "Blessed Art Thou O Lord" sends chills down the spine as the whispering consonants of the Russian language skip across the ancient repetition like sand skitters over a stormy beach. This is a collection as breathtakingly beautiful as the Cathedral of the Dormition itself. Not to be missed. --Karen K. Hugg

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely FANTASTIC CD !!.......2007-06-28

I'll keep this short: I'm not new to chant or choral music but there are SO MANY options out here that it's hard to know which ones are worth buying. I've got a few titles in my budding collection but I have to say that this particular recording is FANTASTIC. It is at once awe inspiring, meditative, and peaceful. Simply wonderful...

Sacred and a treasure!.......2007-06-11

Wow! This is as good as the first Sacred Treasures if not better. These holy and divine works are truly "the speech of angels".

Absolutely wonderful.......2006-12-28

I've really become taken with Russian choral music as of late. I've tried to get my hands on every recording I can, and amongst them all this is one of the very best. The phrasing, tonality and selection is terrific.

More Divine Beauty and Peace!.......2006-12-03

I am the producer of this CD and also of the first CD in the Sacred Treasures series called "SACRED TREASURES: Choral Masterworks From Russia" as well as of "SACRED TREASURES IV: Quiet Prayers" and "CELTIC TWILIGHT 7: Sacred Spirit". In each case, my intention was to bring together the very best performances of exceptionally beautiful, slow and peaceful sacred music. Most of the pieces on this compilation (as on the other compilations mentioned above) are filled with lush harmonies sung by large mixed choirs. All the selections are deeply nourishing to the soul.

In many cases, I chose to use excerpts from longer pieces, omitting the exultant huge crescendos and very fast sections that are typical of Russian sacred music, presenting only the slow and quiet verses. Different types of music serve different needs, and in today's stressful and fast-paced world, one of the most important and often neglected needs is for time out from that world--to "lay aside all earthly cares" (as the text to a Russian "Cherubic Hymn" prescribes) and to rest in a magical, quiet space of slow, peaceful, beauty. That peaceful beauty is available to you on all of these compilations, including this one, "SACRED TREASURES III"...

It Doesn't Get any Better!!!.......2006-10-09

Having collected a decent library of sacred music over the years I can readily attest that this is the best sacred music CD that I own, my second favorite being a requiem chant by the monks of Solesmes. Further, upon listening to this CD everyone I know seems to respond to it with the same enthusiasm. Track 10 is my personal favorite, but there are no weak pieces here. The entire production hangs together well. Can't recommend it enough to novice or seasoned liturgical music listener.

Average customer rating: without question the best No question about the worthiness of this recording - it's most worthy of the praises heaped upon it... Great performance, poor supporting documentation original basses and competent choir......... Russia found the Basses

Rachmaninov: Vespers Manufacturer: Moscow Studio ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Rachmaninov: All-Night Vigil Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vespers (Mass for Unaccompanied Chorus) Sergey Rachmaninov: Liturgy Of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31 Ancient Echoes Basso Profondo From Old Russia ASIN: B0002T2QC4 Release Date: 2004-09-07

Tracks:

1. O Come, Let Us Worship
2. Praise The Lord, O My Soul
3. Blessed Is The Man
4. Hail, Gladdening Light
5. Nunc Dimittis
6. Rejoice, O Virgin Mother Of God
7. Hexapsalmos
8. O Praise The Name Of The Lord
9. Blessed Art Though, O Lord
10. Having Beheld The Resurrection
11. Magnificat
12. The Great Doxology
13. Today Is Salvation Come
14. Thou Didst Rise From The Tomb
15. To Thee, Our Leader In Battle

Album Description

Mezzo-soprano Irina Arkhipova is one of Russia's most honored vocal artists, renowned throughout the world. She was one of the few Soviet artists who traveled extensively and was thus able to bring the distinguished traditions of the Russian style to opera houses and concert halls on every continent. Mme. Arkhipova has been awarded numerous prizes for her performances and her recordings. She is currently a professor at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow.

The Vespers (more correctly titled All-Night Vigil) is Rachmaninov's most famous liturgical work, filled with evocative, textured choral writing that quotes liberally from the rich chant of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Valery Polyansky, now making a name for himself as an orchestral conductor, is well versed in choral music and has made several critically-acclaimed recordings of key Russian choral works. A graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, Polyansky studied with Boris Kulikov and Gennady Rozhdesventsky. In 1992 he founded the Symphonic Cappella, a large, flexible, Moscow-based ensemble of choral singers and orchestral musicians.

Customer Reviews:

without question the best.......2007-01-08

I can only agree with the other reviews. I have sung Russian choral music for 25 years and have listened to at least eight recordings of the Vespers, and this one is not only the best, but a completely different experience in its depth, power and musical mastery. Truly astonishing and in my opinion the best single recording of choral music ever made on Earth. Rachmaninov especially loved this work - he asked that the nunc dimitis (Track 5) be sung at his funeral. This recording preserves this immortal music in the way I think Rachmaninov must have conceived it should be sung.

No question about the worthiness of this recording - it's most worthy of the praises heaped upon it..........2006-12-28

For a chamber choir, having the kind of bass strength evidenced on this recording (notably in the low part of the range - both this recording and that of Chjernushjénko astound with the power of those low notes!!) is most remarkable indeed (speaks for the particular power of what Russian basses can do!)!!! Also notable is Irína Arkhipóva's beautiful voice (in spite of its operatic nature - a plus in this writer's eyes when used properly, as is the case here!) in the 2nd movement - lovely! Furthermore, for those who want things to move without what they might think of as "dragging", there's no doubt that this recording will do it for them. Finally, one can't miss the commitment of this performance (odd given that it was recorded in Soviet times when Communism was still out to denigrate religion!) - all in all, warmly recommended.

All this said, it's not entirely fair to exalt OR pooh-pooh any ensemble merely on the basis of where it's from all that quickly. This particularly needs to be said when (as with Chjernushjénko!) the pronunciation strays into modern Russian (and Muscovite Russian at that! - the St. Petersburg dialect is somewhat closer to the original Slavonic...) instead of sticking properly with Old-Church Slavonic (the official language of the Russian Orthodox Church as well as many others of the Eastern Orthodox denomination)! [This is one important point on where Shaw - surprise, surprise!!! - wins, although even his choir's pronunciation isn't always perfect either - it's just possible that maybe my standards are the wrong ones in spite of their being based on what is recommended by Musica-Russica Corporation (publisher of one particular edition of this music) as well as from my own personal experience with both Old-Church Slavonic and modern Russian... Another point is where operatic soloists as well as big-choir sonorities are welcomed (both matters of taste - though it should be noted that for the score's world première in 1915, the tenor soloist was a member of an opera company in Russia!!) - again, Shaw is not to be disdained on those accounts...]

Great performance, poor supporting documentation.......2006-06-16

Polyansky's interpretation is one of the best; the dynamics and tempo changes so meticulously specified by the composer are clearly brought out by the outstanding Russian chorus. It is, however, very disappointing that the CD cover/insert does not contain full Slavonic text as well as the English translation, as following the musical presentation of the text by Russian professionals is one of the best reasons for choosing this particular version over others.

original basses and competent choir................2006-04-01

this recordings has a true soul of Russia enbedded in it.I kept one piece sung by st Petersburg Chamber choir but this one surpassed everything and so far none have come close to it's mellow basses.Lets the Russian do it.......

Russia found the Basses.......2006-02-06

On another recording of the Vespers Rhachmaninov was quoted as saying "If I write the music, Russia will find the basses."

With the basses this is a totally different piece. Incredibly rich and beautiful. I am torn between wanting to finish a movement, and backtracking to experience an exquisite passage again and again.

(No.11 kept me from the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl live.)

I don't think I have ever heard a choir so responsive. And Polyanski requested the impossible. The dynamic range within a single bar unbelievable. Intonation impeccable. The definitive example of choral artistry.

A must have for every choral musician.

Average customer rating: Very good - especially great are the liturgical additions On the right track Not bad Rachmaninoff's Vsenoshnaya A heavenly message

Rachmaninov: Vespers Manufacturer: Russian Season Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music $9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Sergey Rachmaninov: Liturgy Of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31 Basso Profondo From Old Russia Rachmaninov: Vespers Rachmaninov: All-Night Vigil Evening Star: The Rachmaninov Vespers ASIN: B00000652Y Release Date: 1998-02-10

Tracks:

1. Vespers: Come, Let Us Bow Before The Lord
2. Vespers: Bless The Lord, O My Soul
3. Vespers: Blessed Is The Man
4. Vespers: Peaceful Light
5. Vespers: Lord, Now Lettest Thou Thy Servant Depart (Nunc Dimittis)
6. Vespers: Rejoice, Virgin (Ave Maria)
7. Vespers: Hexapsalm
8. Vespers: Praise The Name Of The Lord
9. Vespers: Blessed Art Thou, Lord
10. Vespers: Having Beheld Christ's Resurrection
11. Vespers: My Soul Doth Magnify The Lord (Magnificat)
12. Vespers: The Greater Doxology (Gloria In Excelsis)
13. Vespers: Trope: The Day Of Our Salvation
14. Vespers: Risen From The Dead
15. Vespers: Praise To The Mother of God

Customer Reviews:

Very good - especially great are the liturgical additions.......2006-12-28

Having the liturgical introductions really helps accentuate the mood of what surely is Eastern Orthodoxy's greatest musical masterpiece!

Otherwise, the performance is very good but not quite to my taste (admittedly molded on the Shaw recording {which I find has its full share of fast and lively sections, contrary to what some think...} - which one I'll still recommend as the optimal!), notably on account of its not precisely sticking to Old-Church Slavonic as a language (see my revised comments for Shaw for more discussion thereof). Nevertheless, there's much to learn from it and is to be warmly recommended

On the right track.......2002-09-14

Ah, here you get the the soul, the chernomir in true Slavic church music. This rendition takes on a depth missing from the technically more accurate singing of Western choirs; but it does not POSSESS that depth all the time. For a recording that does, try and get your hands on a copy of the Melodiya label performance conducted by Aleksandr Sveshnikov back in the old Soviet days. It will leave you in a tingling sweat.

Not bad.......2002-01-23

This was a Russian performance of Vespers, which is always good, and it was a "good" recording considering the difficulty of the piece.

There were three problems I had with it: the tenor soloist was slightly flat on several occasions, the chorus itself seemed strained at some points (especially the sopranos)(why can't they use boys and countertenors?) and even flat at other times, and the recording quality itself sounded muddled (not always the singers' fault).

There were three things I really liked about this recording: the distinctly Russian sound to the tones and intonations of the vespers, the soft non-operatic qualities of the soloists (as it should be in Russian church music), and of course the exceptional quality of the basses. The basses had the best range I've ever heard. They hit the low B flat in "Now let thy servant depart" with no trouble at all. The quality of their sound was also quite good, although sometimes they sounding a little yawning (but this was no noticeable problem).

Just as a bit of info, opening prayers are at the beginning of many of the pieces which added a touch of realism to the whole thing. All in all, taking everything into account, I gave this four out of five stars. I actually preferred the recent recording done by King's College despite the fact that their basses were not quite as low, because the clarity and quality of sound was so much better. The balance in the King's college recording was also slightly better.

Rachmaninoff's Vsenoshnaya.......2001-11-03

This performance of the All Night Vigil is excellent. The tempos are great they never get too slow and the contrast in the pieces is excellent. Furthermore, the blend of the choir is impressive. I preferred this recording to others because the language is clear and authentic. The piece in sung in Old Church Slavonic which is a little different from Russian.

It is a misnomer to call this piece Vespers since Vespers represents only the first part of the service. The best pieces are those based on Kievan chants and Znamenny chants, which originated in Ukraine.

A heavenly message.......2001-01-22

Not very many people know that Rachmaninov, besides his career as a pianist and a composer of symphonic music, was also perhaps _the_ outstanding inspiration for Russian Orthodox sacred music. The most famous works are of course the Easter Vespers (great evening and morning laud) op. 37 presented here, and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, op. 31.

The very special in these settings is that Rachmaninov writes choral music in graet complexity with rich harmonic structures, thereby always keeping touch with the "folk" type original unison choral tunes (taken from the liturgic tradition or being original compositions).

The St. Petersburg Cappella is outstanding in the performance of this recording, combining the skills of an technically well-trained choir (just listen at the dynamical range in the fourth piece) with something that makes the music still sound "natural". In addition, the sung invocations at the beginning of some of the pieces represent an impressive introduction and raise the performance from "concert" to the "liturgy" feeling.

Don't miss this!

Average customer rating: It is absolutely breath-takingly beautiful. Robert Shaw Choruses At Their Best! Glorious

Gloria: Music of Praise & Inspiration Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Duruflé, Maurice | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Dvorák, Antonín | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Franz Joseph Haydn | Haydn, Franz Joseph | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Kopïlov, Alexander | ( K ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Martin | Martin, Frank | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Poulenc | Poulenc, Francis | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Part | Part, Arvo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Thompson | Thompson, Randall | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Vivaldi | Vivaldi, Antonio | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Atlanta Symphony Orchestra | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Choral Masterpieces Sacred Classics - Messiah, Ave Maria, Pie Jesu, Zadok the Priest, L'enfance du Christ The Power & The Majesty: Essential Choral Classics Agnus Dei: Music of Inner Harmony The #1 Choral Album ASIN: B00000DFWF Release Date: 1998-10-27

Tracks:

1. Gloria In Excelsis
2. Sanctus
3. Glory To God
4. Awake The Harp
5. Gloria
6. Gloria
7. Sanctus
8. Heavenly Light
9. Aeterna Fac
10. Slava V Vyshnikh Bogu
11. Sanctus
12. Gloria
13. Alleluia
14. Sanctus
15. Magnificat

Amazon.com

This compilation features excerpts from some of the greatest sacred works in the literature--including Bach's Mass in B Minor, Handel's Messiah, Beethoven's Missa solemnis, and Verdi's Requiem--all led by Robert Shaw. The selections, from recordings made between 1983 and 1997 by Shaw and various ensembles including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, are presented more or less in order of their composition, from Vivaldi's Gloria to Arvo Pärt's Magnificat. Especially thrilling is the complete "Gloria" from the Missa solemnis, 17 minutes of sheer grandeur, and the Sanctus movements from the Requiems of Verdi and Maurice Duruflé. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

It is absolutely breath-takingly beautiful........2007-05-15

I enjoyed this CD very much. It is just beautiful music.

Robert Shaw Choruses At Their Best!.......2004-09-20

If Sir Robert were still alive, & breathing, I believe he would be caught-up making music with this awesome, majestic, mystical GLORIA, Sanctus, Hallelujah Masterworks! I lucked-up on this old collection in the few classical CD'S in Best Buy!

At first hearing they sent me back into the 1970's when most of Church Musicians majored in Vivaldi's Gloria, the Sanctus of Bach's B-Minor Mass, the Long, georgeous GLORIA, Missa Solemnis, Beethoven, and incomparable Alleluia by Randall Thompson.

During a visit of Hurricane IVAN'S rushing winds and torrents of rain, I stayed on back roads of Decatur and East Atlanta! Also keeping alert & relaxed listening to Robert Shaw re-inventing his Choral Mystique! In slowly moving traffic of 2++ hours to Fayetteville, I kept alert singing along at 30 mph, wrapped in his quiet heavenly beauty of Koplov's "Heavenly Light!"

That mysteriously spiritual power of glorious choruses provided the same resourceful sounds of his eternal music-making from rehearsals in the Atlanta Symphony Chorus, Westminster Choir College and Avery Fischer Hall concerts in NYC! (1975-1985)

Only the early 33 1/3 recordings of the Robert Shaw Chorale in his Spirituals and Irish Songs, later Handel's Messiah and Bach B-Minor Mass were forerunners to his awesome listing of repeated Grammy winners, now printed in digital stereo color and sound! Hooray for Sir Robert and his rich chorale legacy... Let's keep them singing for Eternity! Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood

Glorious.......2000-06-30

If I had to choose one conductor to compile exerpts from the greatest masses and works in choral literature and history, I would only bestow that duty to Robert Shaw and his choruses. Once again he displays his uncanny ability to not only choose beautiful music but also perform it in a spellbinding manner. Even with the pieces the average listener has heard or performed, such as Vivaldi's Gloria or portions of Handel's Messiah, one cannot help but become enthralled with the recordings of Shaw's interpretations of those works. Although Shaw never followed through on his early-life ambition to be a minister, I still believe he does so and perhaps to a greater extent through his music ministry. One cannot help but feel closer to understanding what heaven is about after having finished listening to this CD. This is well worth buying for it will live up to the english interpretation of its Latin title: Glorious.

Track Listings:

1. Annee De Pelerinage / Funerailles
2. Ballade, Opus 2 / Symphonic Poems
3. Beethoven: String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18 No.3 & String Quartet No. 7 in F major ("Rasumovsky 1") Op. 59 No. 1
4. Beethoven: Trio in Bf Op97; Trios Op70
5. Borodin: String Quartets 1 & 2
6. Brahms Sonatas
7. Busoni: Konzert für Klavier und Orchester mit Schlußchor, Op. 39
8. Camerata Vistula
9. Cello Concerti
10. Choral Selection

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Classic [Import]

Greatest Classical Composers: Beethoven

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God's Gonna Take My Hand

Enviromental Songs for Kids

Magnificat: Choral Works of John Willcocks

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Greatest Reggaeton Beats

Gorillaz [Enhanced] [Explicit Lyrics] [Import]

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Eurotrance Chartmix [Import]

Music for a Perfect Day: Wedding Music for Harp

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