Customer Reviews

Sacred Treasures 5: From a Russian Cathedral

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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.

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!

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.

I have all five Sacred Treasures CDs, and I would pretty much agree with Jay Young's assessment of the series, my favories are I and V, with V being somewhat the better of the two, but not by much. I'm particularly taken with the four selections by Archbishop Ionafan from his "Liturgy of Peace". Lovely music, lovely performances, all in all a wonderful CD to add to your collection.

I LOVE the entire Sacred Treasures series, but for some reason this one just really DOES it to me! There's something about the way the producer, Ellen Holmes, put this together that is pure magik. I have been playing it every morning as a meditative background to start my day. And to tell you the truth, I've played it so many times, I actually had to get a new one!

I found this CD infinitely inspiring and would buy it again at a moment's notice. It is jam packed with beautiful church music sung in the Russian language. I, myself, too Russian in school and have always loved the language. I would be beneficial for the Russian Orthodox as well as any Christian who enjoys Russian choral music. Highly recommended.

Choral religious music is probably not everyone's cup of tea but this CD in this series is a wonderful example. Excellent quality and amazing sounds.

I own Sacred Treasures I & III in addition to V. All are treasures indeed! This CD does have a few repeats from I & III but that doesn't detract from its overall beauty and quiet power. I sang Gregorian chant as a child and this choral music goes beyond that experience. All of the selections are superb. I love the full mixed choirs which range from the deepest basso profundo to the highest child soprano but I also like the small ensembles which bring a tenderness to their hymns. This music represents the ultimate in pure child-like spirituality. If only the world of men could aspire to these heights!

If you desire beauty, behold! If you desire rest, here it lies! If you desire the breath of God, inhale!