Product Description

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: RUSSIAN EASTER
Title: RUSSIAN EASTER
Street Release Date: 03/11/1997
Domestic
Genre: CLASSICAL COLLECTIONS-ARTIST DESC.

Track Listing

1. Alleluia. Behold The Bridegroom
2. Gentle Light
3. Of Thy Mystical Supper, Op. 58
4. The Wise Thief, Op. 40 No. 3
5. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent, Op. 27 No. 1
6. In the Flesh Thou Didst Fall Asleep
7. The Pascal Hours
8. Pascal Hymns To The Virgin
9. Today All Creation
10. Concerto No. 5: Come, O People (Concerto No. 5)
11. Give Ear To My Prayer, Op. 26

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68783 in Music
• Brand: RUSSIAN EASTER
• Released on: 1997-03-11
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
The St. Petersburg Chamber Choir and their director, Nikolai Korniev, show off subbasement basses, soaring sopranos and a rich, well-blended sound in "Russian Easter," a group of eleven settings for Easter worship by Alexander Grechaninov, Dmitri Bortnyansky and other masters of Russian church music. The compositions were written variously from the 18th century through the present, but all stay true to the spirit and aesthetic of the Orthodox tradition. Those who find plainchant a little on the monotonous side but are still looking for a spiritual element in music will find much to admire and enjoy in these beautifully sung presentations. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews

Music to weep with joy to...
I came to this work via Loreena McKennitt's CD "The Book of Secrets" as the first track on "Russian Easter" is excerpted as the intro to her song "Dante's Prayer". So haunting is that hymn ("Alleluia, Behold the Bridegroom") that I find myself weeping every time I hear it.

We American evangelical Christians unfortunately hold the worship music of cultures other than ours at arms length. It is impossible, though, to hear this CD and not be staggered by the depth of worship it contains. Rarely does a work make me fall on my knees, but here it is in all its musical glory.

Featuring the hymns of primarily Russian composers, "Russian Easter" is a collection of eleven non-instrumental pieces performed by the remarkably adept St. Petersburg Chamber Choir. Centering around the theme of Christ's Passion, each hymn is superlative and perfectly suited for this collection.

Philips, the manufacturer/distributor, did a beautiful job with this disc, too. The sound is exquisite, particularly the bass voices, and the liner notes are very well done, including a brief exposition of each piece along with both the Cyrillic and English lyrics.

This is one CD I firmly believe every Christian should own. And if you're not in that fold yet, a few listens to "Russian Easter" will help you on your way.

Simply stunning!

heaven and earth singing
From our great neighbour in the East comes this wonderful music that has served as a first aid kit for me when times have been rough and I have been driving along the Finnish countryside, just driving for many hours on roads deep into silent forests. You simply cannot maintain a hopeless and desperate feeling when listening to this music. It simply puts you back on track. And it reminds me of the fact that when really miserable you are not alone. Forget new age - this is old age music that takes your inner bad breath away and replaces it with gratitude and hope.

Easter Choral music: Behold the Bridegroom is magnificent
Listening to classical radio has once more paid unexpected dividends; yet again I discover a treasure that would have escaped my notice and I would never have otherwise heard.

This disc is a collection of Easter music performed by the St. Petersburg Chamber Choir under the direction of Nikolai Korniev. It is beautifully recorded in the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in St. Petersburg, Russia; the wonderful acoustics of this magnificent structure adds to the spiritual effect that this music requires.

The entire CD is beautiful, but it is the very first piece on the disc (the one that I heard on radio) that caught my undivided attention, that being, " Alleluia, Behold the Bridegroom". This haunting melody played as quiet chant, repeated over and over, rises to a soft crescendo before it reaches its conclusion. It is hard to believe that this piece has gone virtually unnoticed; that it has not become a staple of sacred music through out the Christian world at Easter time. Even more astonishing is that the author of this incredible work has become lost with time; the creator, who in this case has flirted with a small measure of immortality, is simply recognized as "anonymous".

All in all, a CD that any lover of choral music (sacred or otherwise) would absolutely cherish and desire for their collection; but it is " Alleluia, Behold the Bridegroom" that will move your soul.
Highly recommended.