Customer Reviews

Rachmaninov: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Definitely for fans of Cleobury & King's interpretation of Vespers by the same composer, a recording that was not w/o some detractors ("English AND all-male tackling Russian Orthodox? What will they think of next...?"). Very heart-felt and dynamic vocal "shadings" in the Liturgy that are faithful to the authoritative (Russian) editions of Rachmaninov's score. Truly rewarding.

This is a difficult set of music to review because it is profoundly spiritual in a way that can be off-putting for a Westerner not fluent in a Slavic language. I had this album for months before I really sat down and listened to the whole thing through, beginning to end. I sampled parts of the liturgy, finding the trisagion ("Thrice Holy") to be one I came back to frequently. For whatever reason, I found this "accessible", but it's likely that each listener will find some thing for his heart and mind to replay and relive after one or two listenings. Over time, I found the litanies to be especially profound. Normally, we think of a litany as a long list of whiny grievances. Many people who use the word in this way are unfamiliar with the sublime form it takes in Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic worship. The choir beautifully and faithfully recreates the meaning of a litany -- a profound supplication having its origin in the very core of human existence before the throne of God. If you turn up the volume up on the Litany of Supplication and listen to the phrasing of the breaths, you understand what Scripture means when it says that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. At least, this is what came to my mind as I listened. One senses in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom that the Spirit is teaching us to pray more deeply. The choir masterfully expresses the beautiful synthesis of longing and hope that marks the life of every Christian during mortal existence. The baritones in the choir provide an earthly fortress from which the higher voices arc into heaven. The world is both body and soul, heaven and earth and the music reflects the essential sanctity of God's creation. Rachmaninov's interpretation of the liturgy is a profound repudiation of materialism and fleeting human whims and emotions, but it never strays into gnosticism. It refines the fleeting sentiments, elevating and anchoring them to eternity. It compels us to accept the burden of life with hope and joy so long as we ground ourselves firmly in prayer and devotion. God permeates our existence: the arrangement of voices tell us this emphatically and irresistibly. Another thing to look for -- and it helps to follow along in the libretto -- is the conversation between the priest, deacon and choir. There's a Trinitarian element present in the liturgy that demands our awareness and understanding.

If you like russian orthodox music, this is the disc for you! In my opinion, the brits give you a beautiful and clean choral sound, and the soloists (though only one or two are Russian, according to my wife, who is) have very good russian diction. For some, it may actually be too pristine: it lacks some of that rough and raw "russian" vocal production. I love it, though.

A very powerful listening experience for religious or nonsecular people. Demonstrates the heart of the greatest Russian composer. Enjoy.

I really enjoyed this recording of Rachmaninoff's Divine Liturgy. The jewel case, in typical EMI fashion, is very pretty and pleasing to the eye. The booklet includes the handy, and mostly literal, translations of the words from Church Slavonic into other languages. As for the performance, it is exceptionally beautiful. I'm not sure that in Russian churches they use an all-male choir. But either way it still seems to work well. Their pronunciation was surprisingly good. Everything sounds really pure and clear. That's the best description for the singing in my opinion. The purity of sound is what I really enjoyed about this recording (though this may turn some people off). Rachmaninoff's work is absolutely wonderful. I really recommend this.

I must say this is a very welcome change from the usual "gloria in excelsis deo" etc that I hear all the time in (mostly early) choral/vocal music. Not that I'm really sick of it, that's just what I'm used to & it's where I'm coming from. So compared to those recordings this one is sounds 'less complicated' than other choral music I have, I assume because of the restrictions on the composer. Most of the words are intelligible which also sets this work apart from the old-school stuff I'm used to. That's where the differences end though; although Rachmaninoff is a modern composer especially compared with Victoria, Rore, Palestrina, Morales, etc this work sounds like it was composed hundreds of years ago. I go for that old-school stuff because modern music usually sounds too discordant & 'weird' to me, but I really like this album. It doesn't sound like 20th-century stuff.