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Track(s) taken from CDA67756

Pesn' Presvyatïya Bogoroditsï 'Song of the Most Holy Theotokos' 'Magnificat', Op 93

composer
author of text
Luke 1: 46-55

Holst Singers, Stephen Layton (conductor)
Recording details: January 2010
All Hallows, Gospel Oak, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Adrian Peacock
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: October 2010
Total duration: 8 minutes 17 seconds

Cover artwork: Christ in Majesty (Russian School, sixteenth century).
© Odessa Fine Arts Museum, Ukraine / Bridgeman Images
 

Reviews

‘The programme is scrupulously prepared, with excellent pronunciation, idiomatic timbres and a fine fusion of ardent communication and sensitive shaping. The disc was recorded in the superb acoustic of All Hallows, Gospel Oak, London, and Ivan Moody's informative essay is an indispensable bonus’ (Gramophone)

‘In hymns, prayers, invocations and anthems. These composers draw on ancient chant to produce music which is always passionate … beautifully captured by the Holst Singers’ (Choir & Organ)

‘Performing with insight and commendable Russian sonority, the Holst Singers have cast their net wide in this survey of Orthodox Church music. The main focus is the pre-Revolution period of the early 20th century, with Pavel Chesnokov generously represented. But he and other composers found ways of reconciling inventiveness with the Church’s constraints, and such rarities as César Cui’s Magnificat, together with works by Shvedov, Kastalsky and more familiar Rachmaninov, make for a fascinating spectrum’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘The remarkable performances of the Holst Singers, securely balanced on the tightrope between pianissimo sensitivity and full-throated veneration … the intonation is faultless across all the registers here, diction is clear and the choral sound is beautifully homogenized—there doesn't seem to be a weak voice anywhere. Nor is there a weak piece: all 22 items blaze with devout passion. With the volume turned up, one after another brought up the hair on the back of my neck … this is a glorious CD and it should bring you much pleasure’ (International Record Review)
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