The Mystery Of Santo Domingo De Silos Gregorian Chant From Spain [Import]

Dom Ismaael Fernandez De La Cuesta (Conductor), Chorus of Monks from the Abbey (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Chorus of Monks from the Abbey
• Conductor: Dom Ismaael Fernandez De La Cuesta
• Audio CD (May 10, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GMY
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,315 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A RARE EXPERIENCE!, September 12, 2000

By 

J. Anderson (Monterey, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery Of Santo Domingo De Silos Gregorian Chant From Spain (Audio CD)

The musical perfection of the recorded legacy of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes aside (and what a legacy - and how impossible to set it aside!), for me this is the 'ultimate' recording of liturgical chant. So much recommends the recordings of Solesmes - the exquisite singing, especially of that one anonymous tenor voice which alone seems to create the 'sound' of the entire schola!- the aristocratic liturgical taste of Dom Gajard, and now Dom Jean Claire, the genuine poverty of the monastic life at Solesmes (I've stayed there and seen it). While Solesmes pursues the vast body of Gregorian chant, here the monks sing chant from an earlier age, so-called Visigothic (Mozarabic) chant, not much heard before the liturgical relaxations subsequent to the Vatican Council II. These monodic melodies of Spain's Arabic past mark not only a musical beauty, but lets us to hear Roman chant in fresh light. While the Kyriale included in here may more exactly be called neo-Mozarabic, the main selections come from the period prior to Roman codification under Gregory, Spanish in heart, and universal in beauty: the remarkable 'Introibo ad altare Dei mei', various Antiphons and Prayers intrinsic to an older national liturgical ideal usurped by Gregorian legislation, culminating in the otherworldly 'Lamentation of Jeremiah', which once heard will never leave you. Recorded in the great Romanesque Abbey church, with an acoustic richly suited to the sung prayer of glad monks. If you love liturgical chant, get this treasure and enter a rich path of consuming fire.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Chant CD on the market., April 13, 2004

By 

David Rasquinha (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery Of Santo Domingo De Silos Gregorian Chant From Spain (Audio CD)

By happy coincidence, this CD was my introduction to Gregorian Chant and while I have since listened to many more, this disc is clearly the best. Right from the opening Dominus Regnavit and Laudate Dominum, the listener is caught up in what seems to be a swelling wave of deeply felt emotion, all the more impactful for the pure voices. Follows in due course the majestic old Credo and lastly for the moving finale, the Lamentation of the Prophet Jeremiah. Sung with tremendous control and feeling by the monks of the Abbey of Santo Domingo, the sound quality and the depth of the individual voices is amazing. Listening with your eyes closed, you can picture cowled monks singing in an echoing hall, yet the acoustics are so good that while giving the listener a feeling of resonance in space, there isn't the faintest of ghost echoes. I learn from the inset that the Abbey of Santo Domingo in the village of Silos is one of the oldest surviving Benedictine monasteries in Spain and an earlier reviewer on this page, Jason Anderson, has written some very informative historical notes. The inset also has a nice piece on the abbey and the history of the chant, as well as the full text of the lyrics in Latin plus an English translation. I cannot recommend this CD too highly: whether you love Gregorian Chant or you just want a soothing listen for a quiet evening or a long drive, I guarantee you will not go wrong with this one.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gregorian Chant as it should always be!, February 15, 2005

By 

Petar Vodogaz "Commissioner" (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystery Of Santo Domingo De Silos Gregorian Chant From Spain (Audio CD)

The monks of Santo Domingo de silos follow the rites and traditions of the ancient Mozarabic period of Hispania (modern day Spain). This period stemmed from the Visigothic period of control over the former Roman protectorate. And from this period throughout the generations this form of pure, magical and yet authentic chant has been saved and will continue to be saved. I brought this CD initially for my stepdad but I decided to keep it with me after listening to it. I fell in love with the sound, the atmosphere and it made me great when I listened to it.
I hope to one day visit the abbey and listen to these chants in person and live. 22 tracks of solid gold chants and the voices are so in sync with each other that the real mystery is why there is not more monasteries like this one.