The performances were recorded in the wonderfully reverberant acoustic of the Madeleine Parish in Portland, Oregon, creating the perfect sonic atmosphere for this powerful and mystical music.

The full mystic weight invades your spirit like being back in the Eastern Orthodox time. Proof of Cappella Romana’s authenticity? For me, no doubt.

Benedict Sheehan: Vespers is a rich treat for the ear and for the mind. I can’t recommend it highly enough for anyone with a love of choral music or an interest in liturgical music.

melodies ebb and flow over a drone, the lines marked by subtle vocal shakes and scoops that give the music its distinctive sound.

This is one of the most significant recordings of medieval music to appear recently. I hope it will open both ears and minds to Kassia’s richly imaginative musical voice.

“ celebrated with hugely impressive, authoritative scholarship and performance practice, sonorously glorious vocal colour, and pride by the male and female voices of Cappella Romana”

“If you like Eastern Orthodox liturgical vocals you will find this a nice addition. Or even if you do not! Recommended.” —Grego Applegate Edwards

Under the sensitive and knowing direction of Alexander Lingas, the members of Cappella Romana present…this revelatory SACD

Hymns of Kassiani represents another recording triumph for the Cappella Records label. … Highest recommendation.

“The music moves between the solid chant to more florid, flowing sections, the result is imaginative and I find it immensely appealing. … the performances are seductively intriguing

Cappella Romana continues to turn out sensational recordings that are state-of-the-art in sound quality. … This is a landmark recording that will still retain its importance for many years to come.

excellent, state-of-the-art performances… It is ravishing, invariably, and quite refreshing if you are not familiar. Either way this one is a milestone.

this album provides a new tool not only for self-examination but for indulgence in the rich sensual heritage of Byzantine singing. Kassianí’s songs demand to be heard, and we are enriched by listening to them, especially in this authentic and deeply expressive collection.

Certainly an important release for those who appreciate early music and a must have for those teaching Medieval period music. … Highly Recommended!

The music is rather striking… The performances transport the listener back in time to experience this music in stunning sound. … Highly Recommended!

If you turn it up and close your eyes you feel like you’re in a vast church or cathedral… sit back and listen, and let Cappella Romana’s superb singers transport you

Cappella Romana are specialists in Byzantine chant, and this album is a stunner. … Hearing this recording in surround made me feel like I was standing in the Hagia [Sophia] when these hymns were new. I am so looking forward to the next installment.”

an extraordinary feat… impeccably researched and unimpeachably convincing. … No chant enthusiast should be without it.

What makes this album so remarkable, in addition to its focus on the first extant music known to be by a female composer, is the genuinely transportive effect…

Sheehan and his fine singers have brought to life a new piece that bridges the gap both between the centuries and between the traditions of East and West.