Canada’s Textura magazine has a new review for PaTRAM’s Teach Me Thy Statutes recording:
“The rich sonorities generated by the male voices makes for a stirring and oft-haunting result, and even a listener coming to the Russian monastic style of singing for the first time will in all likelihood be captivated by this collection of Orthodox sacred music. … Though the singers assembled for the recording came from three ensembles, a marked unity of purpose quickly established itself, largely due to the fact that all the participants come from outfits that sing at liturgical services and thus possess a deep connection to the performance of sacred music. … Teach Me Thy Statutes begins with a gorgeous psalm, “Bless the Lord, O My Soul,” a resplendent example of an arrangement of Russian ‘Greek’ Chant. At first soft, the monophonic voices gradually rise until glorious declamations appear, the moment suggestive of clouds parting to reveal the sun. In contrast to the opener’s massed presentation, “Blessed Is the Man” pairs the prayerful cry of a soloist with the soft utterances of the choir; while both sing concurrently, the choir can be heard singing “Alleluia” following each verse of the psalm, resulting in a performance that feels both reverential and unearthly.”
Read the full review on Textura.org
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