Editorial Review

This stunning new collection of short pieces by Arvo Pärt covers a 30 year period of the composer's output. The listener will be both comfortable with and surprised by the changes he's made: his essential style/approach and the beauty of the music remain constant, but Pärt is no whispering new-age poster boy. Sometimes the sound just washes over the listener; more often the small complexities or intensities are the hooks by which we are captivated. "Da pacem Domine" is a prayer for peace. Its different tonal hues thrill as much as they soothe. There's much of Renaissance music in his work--under the layers of sound there is a solid, far more simple core. The Two Slavonic Psalms have a Russian feel unlike most of Pärt's other works, and the first is fleet and perky. The strange "Dopo la vittoria" tells the story of St Ambrose and St Augustine singing the Te Deum composed for his defeat over the Arians; the story part is presented in an odd, chatty manner, but the prayer itself is exclaimed with great dignity. The performances, by Paul Hillier, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and organist Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, do Pärt's ethereal, still, but ever-moving music absolute justice, and the recorded sound is crystal clear. Read more

Subjects:  1. Cantata    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Choral    4. Classical    5. Classical Composers    6. Magnificat    7. Psalm Setting    8. Sacred Choral Music    9. Sacred Choral Music a cappella    10. Sacred Choral Music with keyboard (or continuo)   

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (9)

Like Floating On A Cloud
My first real appreciation of this sound was from watching the film "Slaughterhouse Five" in the theater, back in the '70s. That soundtrack was just a taste of what you get with this recording. My family pops this CD in the car stereo on long trips, and glide down the highway to some original smooth grooves. Helps the miles pass swiftly. Music for the soul.

Bach
Surely you don't need me to review the guy. You know who he is, you've heard his music, and I hope you own some. So let me turn the podium over to a cat named Picasso, and you can read into that whatever you wish. She's in a chair, near the CD player. She has entered the room specifically for the music. Her eyes are squinted, almost but not quite shut, little face concentrating on just how contented those sounds make her feel. Nobody can say why they move her so, any more than we can say why they move us so. If we knew the answer to that one, we'd copy the guy. But anyway, she loves the music, and don't you dare make a sound such as squeaking your computer chair. If you do, her golden orbs will open, fix upon your face, and shame you. Yes they will. But if you are quiet long enough, you can watch a little calico sleep, with the very same sweet kitten face that drew you to her five years ago. Bach is gooooood.
Good CD, especially for novices
I was looking for a recommended Bach CD - certain music by a certain orchestra - and stumbled on this.It is an excellent choice for a new library.I think when there was more than one movement to a piece, it would have made more sense to go ahead and keep the movements together instead of separating them, but a novice listener would not notice.A great way to become exposed to a great composer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra    2. Cantata    3. Chamber    4. Choral    5. Chorale Prelude or Chorale Treatment for Keyboard    6. Classical    7. Classical Composers    8. Classical Music    9. Concerto    10. Concerto Grosso    11. Concerto for Three Solo Instruments    12. Concerto for Two Pianos    13. Concerto for Two String Instruments    14. Invention for Keyboard    15. Keyboard    16. Magnificat    17. Mass    18. Music for Organ    19. Orchestral    20. Orchestral & Symphonic   

Editorial Review

Two of John Rutter's most popular large-scale choral works are paired in this bargain-priced CD. Requiem, his first composition written without being commissioned, is a convincing affirmation of Christian doctrine on death and eternal life. It is also a substantial and sincere work that strives to be widely appealing while preserving a spiritual context centered on themes of light and consolation. Highlights include "Out of the Deep," its modal tune and harmonies giving it the flavor of a spiritual, and the wonderfully gentle and restful 23rd Psalm. Rutter personalizes his Requiem by adding movements not traditionally part of the Requiem Mass--passages from the 1662 Read more

Reviews (22)

Two glorious pieces by Rutter
This recording of the Cambridge Singers has them recording pieces composed by their own director, John Rutter.The Magnificat is Rutter's version of a standard piece of liturgical music, an intersection of old and new.This was recorded at one of the Cambridge Singers' favourite venues, the Great Hall of University College School, London; the Requiem was recorded in 1986, and the Magnificat in 1991.
John Rutter at his best
I love this album.After singing 'Requiem' several years ago, it brought it all back to me.Amazing soloists, superb sound, the next best thing to hearing it live (or performing it myself).A must have for any John Rutter fan, or choral singer.
Music has never reached sublimity such as this
Truely, what other words can one use?When I first heard this, i was doing my homework after this years superbowl at about midnight.i was done celebrating the patriots win, and i had to get forth on my homework.. I was listening on the radio, and i heard this peice.I leaned back, closed my eyes, and let the notes come to me. Of course i have also studied the works of many other composers, and this has come to be my second favorite requiem mass. (mozart's is my favorite) and i implore all who read this to get this cd, because you will be blown out of your mind, especially with the sweet melody of the first movement but its allgood. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber Music & Recitals    2. Choral    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Magnificat    6. Requiem/Requiem Section   

Features

• Box set

Reviews (1)

$70/40... you do the math.
No, I don't own this collection...yet.However, the price of the collection compels me to review it beforehand.Never have I seen such a complete collection of Vivaldi compositions at such an incredibly low price.At $1.75 dollars a CD, the record producer (Brilliant Classics) isn't making much of a profit.The compilation pulls some of its works from DG Achiv Produktion's vault (see Standage), such as the violin concertos, as well as from unknown producers (the Poland Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra is heavily featured).The collection is so complete that it is academic, and I would not be surprised if music libraries quickly emptied it from Amazon's shelves.The collection is simply worth it for the incredible price (English Concert's recording of the violin concertos cost nearly 30 bucks, and is exactly featured here). Overall, the price alone makes this collection exceptionally attractive, and the ensembles featured aren't bad either. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Baroque Sinfonia for Orchestra    2. Bassoon Concerto    3. Box Sets (Audio Only)    4. Cello Concerto    5. Cello with Keyboard    6. Chamber    7. Chamber Music & Recitals    8. Choral    9. Classical    10. Classical Composers    11. Concerto    12. Concerto for Two Solo Instruments    13. Concerto for Two String Instruments    14. Credo    15. Flute Concerto    16. Gloria    17. Italian Baroque Opera    18. Magnificat    19. Mixed Chamber Ensemble with Keyboard    20. Multiple String Instruments with Keyboard/Continuo   

Reviews (8)

NOT OF THIS WORLD
Tabula Rasa: Silentium : This music is not of this world.I worship/pray in silence while driving with this music on with a palm facing the windshield.The haunting, surreal background...the two main violins mournfully cries out aloud...yet so beautiful...my heart cries with them.

Spare brilliance
Spending a lot of words describing P�rt's music seems like defeating the purpose.It is transcendent, haunting, solemn, quiet, and all the other things the other reviewers say.I view it, stylistically, as somewhere between the minimalism of Glass et al, and the ambient textures of Steve Roach -- if that description makes any sense.I find myself a little more at home with his instrumental pieces than his choral work, but that's just personal preference. Magnificat: Magnificent!
I realize the title of this review is pretty silly, but I had to think of something.Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber Music & Recitals    2. Choral    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Classical Music    6. Concerto    7. Concerto for Two String Instruments    8. Magnificat    9. Music For String Orchestra    10. Orchestral    11. Requiem/Requiem Section    12. Sacred Choral Music with keyboard (or continuo)   

Reviews (8)

Glorious Gloria
This is a very enjoyable performance of Vivaldi's exuberant Gloria: crisp baroque ornaments with exceptional solo voices, smooth choral work; light clear orchestral accompaniment.
Enjoyable recording
I have now performed both of these choral masterworks.This recording is useful as a rehearsal aid for myself and made it easy for me to learn the pieces in between choir rehearsal nights.I am also a big Dawn Upshaw fan, mostly because she has performed with us on several occasions, so I admit to being biased about this recording because she is included.I do look for Robert Shaw recordings when possible because I consider him to be an authority on choral singing.I think the mastering on this CD was well done and overall, it's a clean recording which is enjoyable for listening's sake as well as for a rehearsal aid.

Great Baroque Choral Music
This is the difinitive recording of Vivaldi's Gloria and Bach's Magnificat on modern instruments.Not but 50 years ago (when period performances were nearly non-existent) choirs like the Roger Wagner Chorale were butchering these works.Robert Shaw comes along and performs Handel's Messiah like nobody's ever heard, with lively tempos and light articulation; finally scholarship and performance practice catch up to what we have today.
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Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Music    5. Gloria    6. Magnificat    7. Orchestral & Symphonic   

Reviews (3)

a voice teacher and early music fan
This is musical treasure for Vivaldi lovers!All three works are conceived on a grand scale, and would have graced important feast days in the Church calendar.The well known Gloria has l2 movements including choruses and two soprano solos and l alto solo. It opens with an energetic opening chorus and closes at the other end of the emotional spectrum with a beautiful meditative altosolo "Domine Deus, Agnus Dei"; a triumph of musical economy as far removed from the convoluted vocal style of this operas as Vivaldi ever ventured.However, it is his theatrical flare that really sets the work alight! The "Dixit Dominus" is the grandest of the settings recorded here and one of Vivaldi's masterpieces.It belongs to a group of works which may have been written for the convent church of San Lorenzo in Venice.These 10 pieces were unusually ambitious:Vivaldi often calls for double choir and double orchestra, and he is keen to impress with the virtuosity of the solos and the contrapuntal ingenuity of the choruses.The uniqueness of the "Magnificat" with its nine movements is a work more concise than the previous two,but it shares with them the highly successful method of involving the Orchestra in the graphic illustration of the text.The performance by the Choir of King's College is first rate and the soloosts are of the highest quality. They are: Sarah Fox and Deborah Norman,sopranos-Michael Chance,countertenor-James Gilchrist,tenor-Jonathan Lemalu,bass.

Stellar Chorale Work on Vivaldi's Sacred Masterworks
Recorded in 2001 and released the following year, this is a lovely, clean recording of Vivaldi's three most famous sacred works for choral ensembles. The Cambridge's Choir of King's College, alongside the Academy of Ancient Music led by Stephen Cleobury, moves through each vital movement with appropriate fluidity and passion. With its familiar grandiose opening, the "Gloria" makes a strong impression here simply because the choir and orchestra perform it with enthusiasm and energy capturing the life-affirming spirit of the piece. Countertenor Michael Chance is a particular standout on his two mellifluous solos, "Domine Deus, Agnus Dei" and "Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris" with affecting dramatic shading. The "Dixit Dominus" is equally enthralling with particular harmonic splendor provided by sopranos Sarah Fox and Deborah Norman on "Virgam Virtutis tuae" and tenor James Gilchrist and bass-baritone Jonathan Lemalu on "Dominus a dextris tuis".
Choral masterpiece

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Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Music    5. Classical Vocals    6. Gloria    7. Magnificat    8. Psalm Setting   

Editorial Review

Though these pieces are typical of Pärt's style, they seem less bleak than those on previous discs. The Te Deum, while often in a minor tonality and sometimes imposing, has a suitable extroverted quality; the Magnificat, with its hushed intensity, does seem solemn, but its cadences are striking, typically resolving from a tonal chord to a shimmering major-second dissonance. The Berliner Messe includes not only the Mass ordinary, but also three propers for Pentecost, and displays a range of moods from nervous penitence in the Kyrie to lively good cheer in the Credo to serenity in the Agnus Dei. Best is the sequence "Veni sancte spiritus," sung largely in unison to a haunting 6/8 melody. Tiny Estonia, Pärt's homeland, has provided him with some impressive interpreters. Read more

Reviews (25)

Don't come to this music empty...
My opinion of much of the spiritual minimalist music that may be criticised as dull, boring, incomplete, or whatever adjective you care to insert, is that unlike the "great" music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc, this spiritual music requires you to bring something to it to have meaning. Anyone can listen to Mozart and get pretty much the same thing from it because it's perfect and complete. There's nothing more to add. And that's why I can't stand it. Like vanilla ice cream, the great German masters serve as nothing but a center for music to expand away from.
Gentle introduction to Pärt; terrible recording
If you've not previously listened to P�rt's music, this is a reasonable place to start.I prefer Tabula Rasa, however, and suggest that as a better alternative.
My first Part of all Part's
I have no idea why I first selected this CD while browsing in a store but I have since used Amazon to order most of Arvo Part's recordings. I am not sure how you would select a favorite -- I would certainly not agree that this is among the worst! I would say it still ranks as one of my favorites. I also agree this music is not for the car! This is certainly for when you want to be contemplative. If you feel rushed and overwhelmed by contemporary life, put on a Part CD and close your eyes and stress will melt away. This music is a ticket to timelessness and peace. Who would have thought a modern composer could have found a way to out do the Medievals this way? Progress has not stopped nor has it ignored our spiritual side. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Jazz Music    5. Magnificat    6. Modern Mass    7. Music For String Orchestra    8. Orchestral    9. Orchestral & Symphonic    10. Te Deum   

Reviews (1)

Sublimely beautiful!
Heavenly music, beautifully captured in a location with fantastic acoustics. This is music that needs to be heard on headphones or outstanding surround sound to be really appreciated. Here I am in February still listening to this CD of Xmas music... it's very calming to the soul. I can't recommend this highly enough. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. Choral    3. Choral Music    4. Christmas / Chanukkah    5. Christmas Music    6. Classical    7. Hymn    8. Magnificat    9. Miscellaneous    10. Miscellaneous Music    11. Sacred Choral Music    12. Sacred Choral Music a cappella    13. Secular Choral Music a cappella    14. Vocal    15. Vocal Music    16. Xmas Classical Vocal   

Reviews (6)

Excellent Cathedral Organ & Choral
This selection of recordings by The Choir of St. Paul's Cathedral contains pieces representative of traditional Anglican musical liturgy.The technical aspects of this production on compact disk seem to be outstanding, but beware that the original recordings were in some cases less than stellar.Another reviewer points out that on some tracks the lyrics sung by the choir are overwhelmed by the superb organ playing, which no doubt occurred due to inadequate microphone placement during the recording sessions.That said, I nevertheless rate this presentation of the St. Paul's Choir highly.It provides a mixture of musical types.In addition to the choir, the CD presents the work of four organists, including a marvelous organ solo, as well as several pieces sung a cappella by the choir and its boy treble soloists.I especially recommend this choir's rendetion of Gregorio Allegri's "Miserere," which features the voices of two boy trebles, a boy alto and a bass, which yeilds a mesmerizing experience.Unless one is acquiring full sets of the St. Paul's Choir's music, this compact disk should delight anyone interested in traditional cathedral organ and choral music.

LACK OF DICTION?!!!
Obviously the individual who wrote the review including the"marred by lack of diction" remark is not too familiar with the traditional boychoir sound.I am moved to sickness that they were so openly compared with the sound of the all-too-familiar MTC.THOSE WERE ADULTS!!!These are boys!Boys cannot give the kind of sound of the MTC because their voices are not developed enough.The greatest hope a boychoir has of wowing audiences is in their contrast in dynamics.They model this beautiffully in their acapella pieces.In their accompanied pieces, I feel they hold their own above the (sometimes blearing) organ. Marred by lack of diction
The singing is beautiful, melodious and full of harmony. The organ would make Bach proud.Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthem    2. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    3. Choral    4. Choral Music    5. Classical    6. Classical Artists    7. Classical Music    8. Classical Vocals    9. Keyboard    10. Magnificat    11. Miscellaneous    12. Miscellaneous Music    13. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    14. Psalm Setting    15. Romantic Symphony with Multiple Solo Voices and Chorus    16. Sacred Choral Music    17. Symphonic    18. Vocal   

Reviews (1)

Excellent!
We are using this series of CDs in our homeschool music program - they are fantastic! We especially love this one about Bach - what an awesome man! The story of his life is told in a way that is very interesting and holds the children's attention while also using various pieces of his music in the narration.It is done VERY well! My children are gaining a tremendous amount of knowlege and appreciation for music through this CD and so are my husband and I! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cantata    2. Choral    3. Choral Music    4. Chorale Prelude or Chorale Treatment for Keyboard    5. Classical    6. Classical Composers    7. Classical Music    8. Concerto    9. Concerto Grosso    10. Concerto for Two String Instruments    11. Invention for Keyboard    12. Keyboard    13. Keyboard Music    14. Magnificat    15. Mass    16. Music for Organ    17. Orchestral & Symphonic    18. Passacaglia/Passacaglia and Fugue for Keyboard    19. Passion    20. Prelude and Fugue for Keyboard   

Reviews (1)

Christmas Music in the Pastoral Style
I love Christmas Music.Not just the Bing Crosby "White Christmas" and the Andy Williams "Happy Holidays", but the classical music genre that truly portrays the Birth of Christ.(What Christmas is really about before Santa Claus).
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Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Christmas / Chanukkah    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Magnificat    6. Sacred Music for more than one Solist, Chorus, and Instru   

Editorial Review

The flashy, kaleidoscopic Read more

Reviews (15)

Absolute interpretation!
Actually therecord was made in the eighties. I have a vinil edition of that. No words to properly describe the Ms Kirkby perfomance, her accurate 12 years old boy incarnation. Mr Gardiner reliable direction is also impressing.

Jauchzet - a gasping race to the finish line
I bought this CD (specifically for the Jauchzet) at Border's in Ann Arbor, after my Stich-Randall LP version was no longer playable.From the first 4 seconds I knew it would be bad.The race through the Jauchzet was 50 seconds shorter than Stich-Randall's 4:53.Audible gasps, unfinished words and phrases, a trumpet that could barely keep pace with the rest of the English Baroque Soloists.What was Gardiner thinking?
Brilliant playing, insightful conception, wonderful music!
Bach's "Magnificat" has been a favorite since it was composed for a Chirstmas service in 1723 at Leipzig.He revised it in 1730 by taking out some elements more relevant to Christmas, transposed it down a half-step to D major, and some other small changes.This recording is of the 1730 version and is performed with tremendous energy and exuberance.And why not?These are the words of Mary upon being greeted by Elizabeth as the mother of the Lord.The soloists are very fine and the choruses are unbelievably clear and precise.The instrumental playing is first rate.Who would expect any less from John Eliot Gardiner.
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Subjects:  1. Cantata    2. Choral    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Classical Music    6. Magnificat   

Reviews (2)

Music for Personal Relection and Prayer
Sacred Treasures IV is a beautiful tapestry of tonal prayers and a wonderful tool for quiet reflection. Each piece has been carefully selected for its text, musical texture, instrumentation and performance.The collection has much variety in these respects, incorporating a distinctly different setting of Our Father in a folk setting for women's voices, a secular setting from Morten Lauridsen's Poem Cycle: Le Chanson des Roses, as well as two instrumental pieces by Arvo Part. Still,a continuity of atmosphere and purpose gives the listener a sense of inner peace.
Stunning Musical Expressions of Piety
This CD is another fine offering in the "Sacred Treasures" series.Unlike many other compilations, the represented ensembles are some of the best in the world and each piece has been chosen with deliberation and care.This particular volume highlights the continuity of the sacred music tradition, reaching back to high craft of Renaissance Polyphony (Tom?s Luis de Victoria) to today's more contemporary composers such as P?rt and Lauridsen. From pieces as seemingly disparate as Kedrov's Russian Orthodox "Otche Nash" and Lauridsen's "Contre qui, Rose" the listener obtains the same sense of a very personal piety.
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Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Choral    3. Choral Music    4. Hymn    5. Keyboard    6. Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title    7. Magnificat    8. Mass    9. Miscellaneous    10. Miscellaneous Music    11. New Age / Meditation    12. New Age Collections    13. Pop    14. Requiem/Requiem Section    15. V/a Compilations    16. Violin with Keyboard   

Reviews (1)

The Tallis Scholars do their namesake proud
In the last couple of years, the Tallis Scholars have been compiling their sizeable recording output into attractive two-disc editions.Here, they've collected a large number of their interpretations of their namesake, Thomas Tallis.Tallis (c. 1505-1585) is, of course, one of the giants of Renaissance music, and he was certainly the greatest English composer of liturgical music between John Dunstable and William Byrd.I personally consider him the second-greatest Renaissance composer after Palestrina, but I'm not dogmatic about it.I love the music of Josquin, Victoria, and Byrd almost as much.Let's just say that, if you're interested in immersing yourself in the work of a single Renaissance composer, you can't do much better than Tallis.
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Subjects:  1. Anthem    2. Choral    3. Classical    4. Classical Artists    5. Early Music / Chant    6. Magnificat    7. Psalm Setting    8. Renaissance Motet   

Editorial Review

Marx and Lenin probably would not have appreciated the irony, but after decades of Communist repression of religion, the former Soviet bloc is the source of a profound outpouring of explicitly Christian expression. This is manifested in the music of such composers as Henryk Gorecki, a Pole, and Arvo Pärt, an Estonian. Part, a refugee from serialism, here writes in a quasi-minimalist style that he calls "tintinnabuli," a sound that echoes medieval composition.A fan of vocal music ("The human voice is the most perfect instrument of all"), he uses choruses to superb effect. This disc includes some of his best work, including the popular Read more

Reviews (9)

a great combination, part and hilliard
i purchased this CD recently and was a bit worried. i enjoy part and hillard, but the length of the pieces was often so short. i really enjoy it when part writes long, epic pieces and the vocal work really explores all types of music. Beautiful and Profound
I picked up this wonderful gem on a whim.As sacristan for my Jesuit university campus ministry, I was looking for good and movintg religious music.This surpasses anything being marketed as "liturgical" music for churches. Power and Grace
Hillier's Theatre of Voices gives an absolutely wonderful rendering of P�rt's work.The music is amazing, recalling medieval choral music as well as contemporary ideas in musical composition.P�rt manages to touch on a wide range of feeling throughout all of these compositions, conveying emotion while maintaining the kind of austerity of sound found in medieval chant.Ultimately, the CD provides a moving and enjoyable listening experience.I would recommend it to both seasoned fans of choral music and neophytes alike. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Music    5. Magnificat    6. Miscellaneous    7. Miscellaneous Music    8. Modern Mass    9. Modern Motet    10. Requiem/Requiem Section    11. Sacred Choral Music a cappella    12. Sacred Choral Music with keyboard (or continuo)    13. Secular Choral Music a cappella   

Reviews (7)

religious and content
In a brief retort to the reviewer from Bakersfield, I do rather wish that you might refrain from refering to matters of religion, litergy, and "ritual" as being "stupid." Obviously, it meant something to Allegri. I'm not angry, but I am a bit vexed that you might say such things about something that is the very center of my life. I dare say others might have been similarly hurt by your remarks.
I'm not religious,or anything,but this choir's AMAZING!!!
Okay I'll break it down for you.I don't believe in religion,and that mean's any of them,but it seem's like the only time you can enjoy an amazing choir like this one,that just happens to be my personal favorite,is when it has to do with religion.I mean,can't people just like choir's for the sake of liking choir's,without it having to be religious,and stuff.For example if anyone ever see's me at King's college,I'm not there for any stupid rituals or anything,keep in mind that's only if they even do that kind of stuff.I'm there for the sole purpose of hearing this choir.I mean they have so many layer's when they sing,that it's just amazing.With beautiful female high's,that are pretty much the best that I've ever heard,plus equally amazing male vocal's,singing the lower notes,but still,I'd have to say their biggest strength is when they seemingly go off in totally different direction's vocally,with both group's of males,and females,and still manage to weave it together into like a very tight quilt.I highly recommend this choir,over all the rest of them,and also,if you just like choir's without the religious stuff,then maybe you'd like something simular,but heavier,with speed,and distorted guitar's,and not to mention great musical talent,you should probably try something like Epic power metal band's,like Therion,Rhapsody,Blind Guardian,and maybe even the group's Dargaard,and Nightwish...

Definitive Recording of the Allegri Miserere
This recording of the Allegri Misere is one of the most beautiful that I've ever heard, or indeed hope to hear.It is absolutely amazing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Choral    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Music    5. Classical Vocals    6. Magnificat    7. Psalm Setting    8. Renaissance Motet   

Editorial Review

In the wake of its previous, Grammy-winning disc ofcontemporary madrigals (Read more

Reviews (9)

Beautiful performances and some nice surprises
This is a nice anthology of Renaissance music encompassing key composers of both the Prima and Seconda Prattica, including one or two less known names. The uniting theme is that of they are all in praise of the Virgin Mary. Most of these works are old war horses such as the Josquin Ave Maria which is beautifully performed. Their tempo for the Josquin is similar to that of the spacious approach of the Hilliard Ensemble, and unless you like this music performed at breakneck speed you will likely find this performance perfectly satisfying. If you are interested in an anthology of Renaissance music then this is a great choice, however for those of us with a strong interest in music of this period what really makes this essential listening is the two extraordinary pieces by Vasily Titov.
Heavenly
This is one of my first two DVD-audio discs. Some tracks are recorded from the audience perspective, with the choir across the front and cathedral ambience all around, and those are beautiful, but I gotta say I love the, "choir-around the room" recordings a little more. Track 3 in particular has the choir "doubled" with parts recorded seperately with the choir at the rear of the cathedral, a then they moved 'em all down front, and stuck the tracks together through the magic of digital editing. I don't have a DVD-audio player yet so I'm just listening to the compressed Dolby 5.1 tracks. Can't imagine it sounding any better, though. Get this disc. Seriously, do it so you can go to heaven!

Marvelous sound
This recording wraps you up in a gorgeous sonority, and I'm only listening in stereo.I can't wait to hear it when I fill out my speaker ensemble. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiphon    2. Choral    3. Choral Music    4. Classical    5. Classical Artists    6. Classical Music    7. Classical Vocals    8. Concerto    9. Madrigal    10. Magnificat    11. Motet    12. Part Song/Glee/Music for Unaccompanied Voices    13. Renaissance Mass    14. Renaissance Motet    15. Sacred Vocal    16. Vocal   

Reviews (1)

Gorgeous Choral Music by Pärt, Gorgeously Performed
I will be the first to admit that I have not been a particular fan of the trend in contemporary choral music that partakes rather heavily of ancient methods--music like that of P�rt and John Tavener--and have tended to steer clear of them after a few exposures. I liked P�rt's 'St. John Passion' but felt it went on too long and was just a bit monochrome. I have also not been a big fan of trance music, of which some of this music seems to take part. But for some reason I have really responded positively to this release of choral music by P�rt. Perhaps it is because the performances are so wonderful. The Elora Festival Singers are a group made up of professional singers from Toronto, mostly from, I think, Toronto'swell-known Mendelssohn Choir. I have been impressed with other recordings they have made and I suppose that's why I gave this CD a listen. Some, or even perhaps all, of these pieces have been recorded before, some several times, and some by such wonderful groups as the Hilliard Ensemble, the group that first recorded the 'St. John Passion.' Perhaps my positive response also has something to do with the fact that there are several shorter pieces here, pieces that one can easily imagine being performed as part of a church service, rather than an evening long work like the Passion. Amazon has not, as of the date of this review, listed the individual pieces included here. They are: