Benedict Sheehan: Vespers

AllMusic Review

Benedict Sheehan: Vespers

There is a synergy between Sheehan and the singers of the kind that often comes with a sense of shared mission, and best of all is the sound from the Cappella Romana label… rich, clear, and multi-layered.

“Benedict Sheehan has been active as both a conductor and a composer, working in the growing tradition of Orthodox music in the U.S. With this release, he brings his two enterprises together with marvelous results. His Vespers setting, like others, mixes intonation-like movements (with beautiful little inflections) with larger psalms and other pieces. As a composer, Sheehan has built a unique style, unmistakably drawing on the Orthodox tradition but including influences from folk music, 20th-century music (notably Stravinsky’s choral music), and more. The Vespers are an excellent example for anyone wishing to investigate his growing renown. … There is a synergy between Sheehan and the singers of the kind that often comes with a sense of shared mission, and best of all is the sound from the Cappella Romana label… rich, clear, and multi-layered.”

–James Manheim