[…] of the Cappella Romana execute them crisply and with a sense of connection to the texts, all of which are given in translation in the booklet from Greek to English. … Recommended not only for those planning a trip to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but to anyone curious about Byzantine chant in general.”
[…] the roots of Byzanitne chant to recreate a Good Friday service through the music of the 8th and 9th centuries. The recording shot to the top of Amazon and Billboard charts when released, and it takes only a few seconds to understand why listeners have been mesmerized. From the moment the ensemble’s cavernous basses […]
[…] often, chanting its musically rich and theologically profound services, I am, like many of you, staying home. To observe Holy Week under these conditions I have prepared for you two playlists tracing some of its themes through music. I hope that you enjoy this week’s playlist. Next week I will be back with more […]
The performance is astonishingly good. The exceptional quality of the voices, the consistency of tone throughout the tessitura, and the impeccable tuning and ensemble make for an outstanding performance. Sheehan is, without doubt, one of the most innovative and exciting voices in contemporary liturgical composition.
The vocal performers…are impressive…as with much good choral music, one comes away with a finer sensitivity to our need for each other, for the collective.
[…] one composer stands at the forefront of Greek Orthodox music in America, it would likely be Dr. Tikey Zes…” … RG: So, what is it about music for the Greek Orthodox church that especially appeals to you? TZ: It is the distinctively beautiful melodies of the post-Byzantine chant of the 19th and early 20th […]
[…] politiques islamistes, que les partisans d’Erdoğan appellent « la cause », n’ont plus aucune limite. Et le bruit amplifié de cette cause recouvre toutes les voix subtiles, celles qui résonnaient à Sainte-Sophie, mais aussi partout ailleurs.A peu près au même moment où le concert Hagia Sophia réinventée fut présenté à Stanford, j’ai quitté mon […]
[…] … As with last year’s concerts of Finnish Orthodox music, it was especially satisfying to hear the singers perform music they’d already worked to a fine polish for committing to disc. The ten men filled the space with dark resonance, making effortless work of melismatic unison melodies and rock-solid drones, and the pacing was […]
[…] many thousands of Ukrainians who have died in the war thus far and those who continue to die. The commitment of all involved in the music is palpable and moving for any listener, and so too can any listener explore this recording for ideas about how traditional materials may be used in absolutely contemporary situations.
The interpretation is breathtakingly monumental…Connoisseurs of orthodox chant will be profoundly touched by the Canadian choristers from the Axios Men’s Ensemble and Pro Coro…The well-balanced harmonics…rank this…in a class comparable to similar compositions by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff…much care has been put into every detail of this towering production.
The songs sung in preparation for the wedding employ the vocal techniques of village singers, while the chants and choral works sung during the wedding ceremony itself reflect the sublime style more prevalent in church singing.
This recording was made in a space that frames Cappella Romana’s voices perfectly for this music…
