Sacred Treasures 5: From a Russian Cathedral

Various (Artist, Composer, Conductor, Orchestra, Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Various
• Orchestra: Various
• Conductor: Various
• Composer: Various
• Audio CD (October 9, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hearts Of Space
• ASIN: B000VAQY2W
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,639 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #62 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Early Music > Vocal & Song > General AAS
  • #92 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > Composers > Rachmaninov, Sergei
  • #92 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Masses

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another sublime offering from Sacred Treasures, December 19, 2007

By 

Rebecca M (Somerville, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sacred Treasures 5: From a Russian Cathedral (Audio CD)

These are some of the best performances of this repertoire to be found on CD. The album would make a great gift for any lover of choral music, but particularly those who appreciate traditional Russian sacred music and the rich legacy which it fosters in our current times.

The Credo Chamber Choir, featured on Track 7, Sviridov's "Holy God," is excellent. The piece, which is lush and tonal, sounds more modern than some of the other works, and the choir displays amazing breath support, with beautiful cadences and a sense of phrasing that would put many choirs to shame.
Other standout performances include those of the Eva Quartet, which is the Anonymous 4 of the Bulgarian music tradition. Their offerings (Track 2 and Track 8) help to break up the deeply beautiful, but cavernous singing in most of the selections, with a poignantly innocent and brighter sound.

The album contains pieces from a variety of traditions: Bulgarian, Georgian, Estonian, the Orthodox liturgy, and even a piece by American composer Georgia Kelly, performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale (Track 6). In this work, one can hear the synthesis of some of these musical traditions as presented by the American choral voice. Track 10, Urmas Sisask's Dombinus Vobiscum, sung by The Chamber Choir Eesti Projekt, is heavily influenced by orthodox chant, and passes the text through the different voices, finally fading back into the shadows with the basses.

This is a great CD and a must-have for any serious collector.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent collection, November 5, 2007

By 

Matthew Walsh (San Carlos, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sacred Treasures 5: From a Russian Cathedral (Audio CD)

If you're a fan of this sort of music, you're undoubtedly already a listener of the other albums in the excellent 'Sacred Treasures' series. If enjoyed Sacred Treasures I, III and IV, you will love this collection as well.

If you're new to this genre, I urge you to check it out. Sacred Treasures I, III, IV and V are an absolutely perfect place to start.

All tracks are wonderful, but track 7 (Holy God / Sviridov) itself justifies buying this disk. It is an absolutely divine recording of one of the best songs by one of the finest composers of Russian choral music. If I had to pick only 3 songs to go with me onto a desert island this would be one of them.

Tracks 2 and 8 also stand out. I have many other albums like this one, but I have not heard an all-woman recording in this genre before.

Track 10 is steadily growing to become one of my very favorite choral songs.

So, once again, I highly recommend this album!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Return of Sacred Treasures, April 22, 2008

By 

Jay Young (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sacred Treasures 5: From a Russian Cathedral (Audio CD)

The original Sacred Treasures CD is justly acclaimed for bringing beautiful, sublime Eastern Orthodox music to American listeners. Unfortunately, the subsequent discs in the series did not live up to the original's standard. Sacred Treasures 2 was an ill-conceived recording of Allegri's "Miserere Mei" with instrumental accompaniment. Sacred Treasures 3 went back to the Eastern Orthodox music; it was good, just not that compelling compared to the first disc. Sacred Treasures IV didn't add anything, as it was a recording of Western music that had already been recorded better elsewhere. The latest in the series brings Sacred Treasures back to the sublime heights of the original, with atmospheric Orthodox church music, primarily by 20th century composers. I highly recommend this CD for anyone who is looking for beautiful, peaceful music to enjoy and to seek as a brief refuge from the harried world we live in.