Sacred Treasures: Choral Masterworks From Russia

For those of us who grew up in the choral tradition, nothing is quite so mesmerizing as when you listen to your first piece of sacred Russian choral music. Sacred Treasures is a compilation of some of the greatest works heard in the churches of Russia. The harmonies created are unlike anything heard in western style music. Combining the original plainsong chant and adding deeply intricate harmonies around it, the music is positively hypnotic.

Kudos on the record. Choirs are fantastic. Howevever, the notes by E. Holmes are bothersome as they still perpetuate the myth that the Russian Orthodox Church is more than 1000 years old. Rus' was converted to Christianity by Prince Volodymyr (Vladimir, Valdimir) in Kyiv (Kiev), capital of Rus'-Ukraine in 988. Russia did not exist at that time. Religious chants came through Bulgaria and you offer some tremendous examples. Church tradition and music moved north to Muscovy much later and it was, as you correctly point out, Bortniansky - the Ukrainian composer, who brought the Eastern Church music to its apogee in the 18th century when he served as choir director in Saint Petersburg. Both the Ukrainian Orthodox as well as the Catholic churches have historically used Bortniansky in their services. Thank you for such a wonderful masterpiece.

My opinion of this disk is easily stated. If I were allowed to keep only one of all the disks of all the types and styles of music I have in my collection, this is the one I would keep.

Most of the tracks on the CD are well-chosen, but a few make me wonder. The most beautiful tracks in my opinion are the Kedrov "Our Father," the Bortniansky "Cherubic Hymn," and the excerpt of the Monastic Vespers. There are a few things that I find funny about this disc, though. Being Russian Orthodox, it just seems weird listening to all of Poliansky's litanies without a deacon's exclamations. It's like listening to half of a telephone conversation. Another thing, there are 5 settings of the Cherubic Hymn and NONE of them are complete. They all have their endings cut off. WHY? It's the best part! Finally, the bells. They brag about beautiful bells, but there is only one bell tolling. Trezvon, or festal ringing of all church bells, are so much more beautiful and exciting to listen to. One couldn't gather it from this CD, but Russian bell ringing is much different than Western bell ringing. These points aside, it is a fine CD and should find its way onto everyone's shelf.

Back in the 80's I recorded a Hearts of Space program on NPR called "Russian Cathedral" Since then, I've kept recording it to new tape every year to save it, because I could never find it again. I was in a music store the other day and froze in my tracks when I was astonished to hear parts of this same program coming over the store speaker. It was on this CD! This is without doubt, the most powerful, the most emotionally moving and healing music that I have heard in the last 30 years. This will never happen again. Religious or not, you want it.