“the fine Orthodox choir Cappella Romana turns to contemporary music for this 2022 release. Heaven and Earth is innovatively programmed, featuring a work by John Tavener, whom one might call the dean of Orthodox composers, on the first disc of the physical CD release, while the second is given over to the titular “Heaven and Earth: A Song of Creation,” a work whose movements are written by a variety of contemporary composers including Cappella Romana conductor John Michael Boyer and the late Richard Toensing… The Tavener work, accompanied by the small orchestra 45th Parallel Universe, is both symmetrical and builds in intensity, while the a cappella pieces in “Heaven and Earth” reflect different takes on the ideas contained in the psalm… Physical album buyers get detailed notes linking the music to Orthodox ideas, but the pieces can stand without those; Cappella Romana is an exceptional choir, and here, the group has been ideally recorded in Portland, Oregon’s St. Stephen Catholic Church. Strongly recommended to those who like Tavener and wonder where that tradition goes from here.

(Named an All Music Favorite Classical Vocal Release of 2022)