Sacred Treasures: Choral Masterworks From Russia

Revelation of the year for me in 1998. A real masterpiece which gave me the possibility to discover the Rachmaninov version of St. John Chrysostom Liturgy (another masterpiece...). If you are looking for serenity and peace, do not look for further!

Why did a former seminarian, Joseph Stalin, feel so threatened by the power of religion that he burnt the churches and imprisoned the priests? Listen to this music and you will uncover a deeper uderstanding, nearer an emotional level than merely historical and coldly factual, of the answer to the question.

Whether played at low volume and in the background of other events of your life, or played with the volume cranked up and literally shaking the walls, this music overwhelms you with its worshipful beauty and power to grasp the soul. The rich, smooth sounds enter your mind and simply will not leave. You might not want this recording to come to an end; but end it will, giving you the opportunity to listen to it again and again.

This recording is a truly unique account of Russian Orthodox choral music. The music is deeply moving and the mastery of the choirs is nothing short of remarkable.

A must have for any music collection.

I heard a small part of this CD about a few months ago, and could not find it anywhere. I finally got this CD and I thought I was in heaven and the angels were singing. You will hear a thunderous deep voices, then it will lighten up with the sweet sound of angelic praises to God. The Orthodox choirs are very well known in making heavenly music to please God Himself! I can not express my feelings for this CD, besides to buy it!

Whether it is due to the vastness of Russian spaces or the coldness of their winters or, indeed, profound insight, Russian Orthodox music has always seemed to me to be about the soul's reconciliation with and acceptance of a transcendent religious reality that altogether annihilates the significance of most of the things we spend our lives dealing with. This collection is quite simply the most profound religious music I have ever heard. The Great Ektenia, the Fervent Supplication, and especially the Bless the Lord, O My Soul(all by Rachmaninov)cannot be measured in words.