Customer Reviews

Gloria! Music of Praise and Inspiration

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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.

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

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