“I own a goodly number of settings of the Liturgy by various composers—Chesnokov, Grechaninov, Ippolitov-Ivanov, Kastalsky, Rachmaninoff, Shvedov, Stoyanov, and Tchaikovsky—but not one of them sustains without surcease the atmosphere and spirit of radiant, exultant joy that Sheehan so masterfully accomplishes here. Even in the most quiet and deeply meditative sections, such as the Hymn of Justinian, “Only Begotten Son,” that sense of ethereal rapture is pervasive. Sheehan also has a very distinctive harmonic and stylistic footprint that immediately sets him apart as an individual voice, and yet is fully within the traditional ambit of Russian Orthodoxy, even with the innovative touches noted in the accompanying interview. … the Saint Tikhon Choir under the composer’s direction is simply beyond praise for excellence (including some superb basso profundos). The recorded sound of the CD is exquisite in warmth and amplitude; the booklet provides extensive notes by the composer, the complete text of the liturgy, artist bios (including the complete choir roster), and photos. … The CD alone would make this release a must-have; the accompanying Blu-ray disc is even more of a knock-out. First there come the world premiere performances of two movements from the Liturgy, recorded at St. Stephen’s Pro-Cathedral (Episcopal) in Wilkes-Barre, PA. That is followed by the premiere live performance of the entire setting as part of a primatial liturgy celebrated at St. Nicholas Cathedral (Orthodox Church in America) in Washington, DC by Metropolitan Tikhon. The church is visually stunning; I was particularly intrigued by the use of some non-traditional colors (e.g., a lovely forest green) in some of the ikons. And, as a non-Orthodox Christian who has nonetheless attended many celebrations of the liturgy, I personally found the filming of the complete primatial rite to be entirely engrossing. … My draft 2021 Want List is beginning to burst at the seams, but this release is definitely a major contender. If you were to have only one recording of the Orthodox liturgy in your collection, I would unhesitatingly recommend that this be it; urgently, glowingly recommended.”