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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning!, April 4, 2004
--Music-
The music of the Orthodox church, as one might expect, is heavily reliant upon tradition and continuation of past patterns and inspirations. There is little separation between theology, spirituality, indeed even politics and art, in the Orthodox world, so of course music will similarly be infused with such influences. Much of the early music is anonymous - various medieval motets (12-part and 8-part pieces) are done with some external influences evident, but still bearing a primary Orthodox stamp. There is even one monodic chant attributed to Tsar Ivan the Terrible from the mid-1500s. The later compositions from named composers include such well-known creators such as Stravinsky, Rachmaninov and Tavener (perhaps best known outside of Orthodox circles for the stunning piece of his performed at the funeral mass of Diana, Princess of Wales). The music is both grand and simple, familiar yet alien. All of these pieces are glorious compositions of extraordinary power and grace. Taken as a set, they make a wonderful snapshot of Russian Orthodox music from medieval times to the present. All subsequent liturgical music in the Orthodox church can trace its origin to this time; either in development from or in reaction to the standards developed during the earlier time, represented here, and the flowering into the modern world is similarly shown as a power in music hopefully to be developed further as the Orthodox church in Russia recovers from a century of repression.. --Liner Notes--
Being internationally acclaimed, the Tallis Scholars' CDs typically present their commentary and texts in English, French, German and Italian (together with any original language texts - in this case, Russian); that is true of this disc. The cover art also typically represents visual arts contemporary with the compositions - here it is an icon from the sixteenth century, the 'Descent into Hell', part of the Pskov school. One drawback is that there is little information on the Tallis Scholars or Peter Phillips in the booklet. --The Tallis Scholars-
The Tallis Scholars, a favourite group of mine since the first time I heard them decades ago, are a group dedicated to the performance and preservation of the best of this type of music. A choral group of exceptional ability, I have been privileged to see them many times in public, and at almost every performance, their singing seems almost like a spiritual epiphany for me, one that defies explanation in words. Directed by Peter Phillips, the group consists of a small number of male and female singers who have trained themselves well to their task. Their recordings are of a consistent quality that deserve more than five stars; this particular disc of pieces of Russian Orthodox Music, rarely heard in the West, deserves a place of honour in the collection of anyone who loves choral music, liturgical music or Gregorian chant, classical music generally, or religious music. It is astonishing, particularly as it is one of the earliest recordings of the Tallis Scholars (this recording dates from 1982).
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is mainly Opera, quite Classical, with hints of Religion/Spirituality”
