John Quinn reviews the PaTRAM Institute Singers recording of Kurt Sander’s Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrystostom for MusicWeb International:

“The performance is conducted by Peter Jermihov who, so far as I’m concerned, has excellent credentials when it comes to Orthodox church music… This is, I understand, the first complete musical setting of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in English and it’s a considerable achievement. … The singers taking part are, I believe, all professionals. I’m not entirely sure if all of them are members of the Orthodox church, though I suspect they are. That suspicion is aroused because, hearing them sing, I was struck not just by the technical accomplishment but by a sense of belief in what they were singing about. That’s pretty important because a lot of Sander’s music is devotional in tone. These singers make it sound devotional, though in a controlled, highly disciplined way. The choir makes a lovely and very well integrated sound. They have an impressive dynamic range and when the music demands it, they sing with strong attack and no little fervour. … As I said earlier, Sander’s music seems very authentic to me. It is also very beautiful… The singing is marvellous throughout and I have the sense that the music could not be in better hands than those of conductor Peter Jermihov. … The sound is very truthful and very well balanced and I have the impression that the natural resonance of the New Gračanica Church has been used to impart just the right warmth round the sound of the voices without any loss of clarity. The documentation is full and informative and everything in the booklet is very clearly laid out. Kurt Sander’s Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom is an impressive and moving composition and it could scarcely have been better served than on this recording, which is excellent in every way.”

—John Quinn, MusicWeb International

See the full review on MusicWeb-International.com