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Buy Now	Bernstein: Symphony No. 3 ('Kaddish'); Chichester Psalms (more) »rank: 12999 from: Sony : :Leonard Bernstein's Kaddish, Symphony No. 3, from 1963 is probably his most famous. It's dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy, and comprises spoken and sung texts from Jewish prayers for the dead. It's quite dramatic, very listenable, and not at all pretentious, as some critics have avowed. It ranks with Shostakovich's harrowing Symphony No. 14 and deserves more attention than it usually gets. Which is damned little. The same goes for Bernstein's Chichester Psalms (1964). It's a very engaging choral work that celebrates the practice of psalmody or choral festivals, a kind of celebratory music we don't hear much. --Paul Cook	Buy Now	Vaughan Williams: The Collector's Edition (more) »rank: 8724 from: EMI Classics : :Leonard Bernstein's Kaddish, Symphony No. 3, from 1963 is probably his most famous. It's dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy, and comprises spoken and sung texts from Jewish prayers for the dead. It's quite dramatic, very listenable, and not at all pretentious, as some critics have avowed. It ranks with Shostakovich's harrowing Symphony No. 14 and deserves more attention than it usually gets. Which is damned little. The same goes for Bernstein's Chichester Psalms (1964). It's a very engaging choral work that celebrates the practice of psalmody or choral festivals, a kind of celebratory music we don't hear much. --Paul Cook
Buy Now	Sacred Songs (more) »rank: 5647 from: Decca : : This lovely CD features Renée Fleming singing religious music in an unaffected, lovely manner. Many favorites are here: both the Bach/Gounod and Schubert versions of 'Ave Maria,' each offered with long breaths and soft tone; 'Rejoice Greatly' from Messiah, delivered with virtuosity and gleaming sound, and 'He Shall Feed His Flock,' also from Messiah, sung in a smooth, laid-back manner. Bits of the Fauré Requiem and Poulenc Gloria are welcome, as is the gorgeous 'L'Adieu des Bergers' from L'Enfance du Christ. In the prayer from Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel, Fleming is joined by the splendid Susan Graham, and a version of 'Amazing ...	Buy Now	Lux Aurumque (more) »rank: 26309 from: Gothic Records :Album Description:'The Dale Warland Singers' intonation and clarity of choral texture do nothing less than amaze.' -- American Choral Catalog 'Outstanding ensemble singing, highlighted by lovely legatos and unisons and by consistently sensitive sectional and group balances.' -- ClassicsToday 'The seamless blend and rich sound of what is probably America's best chorus is on display.' -- Seattle WeeklyThe sequel to their beloved Cathedral Classics CD. Includes Morten Lauridsen's enormously popular O Magnum Mysterium. The program is a collection of cathedral masterpieces from various countries--Germany, England, Russia, Latvia, Russia, and the US. The final Dale Warland Singers CD recording before their disbandment in 2004. ...
Buy Now	Hymns (more) »rank: 5614 by: Beth Nielsen Chapman :Album Details:Following the Success of her 2004 UK Number One Country Album 'Look', Beth Nielson Chapman Returns with 'Hymns'. The Album Not Only features Well Known Classics, Others were Written by Chapman, and Blend Together to Make for a Beautiful Sounding Album, which Flows Soothingly Through the Speakers. No USA Release Scheduled.	Buy Now	Arvo Pärt: Da Pacem (more) »rank: 24966 by: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Paul Hillier : : This stunning new collection of short pieces by Arvo Pärt covers a 30 year period of the composer's output. The listener will be both comfortable with and surprised by the changes he's made: his essential style/approach and the beauty of the music remain constant, but Pärt is no whispering new-age poster boy. Sometimes the sound just washes over the listener; more often the small complexities or intensities are the hooks by which we are captivated. 'Da pacem Domine' is a prayer for peace. Its different tonal hues thrill as much as they soothe. There's much of Renaissance music in his work--under the ...
Buy Now	Britten: A Ceremony of Carols (more) »rank: 5989 from: Hyperion UK : essential recording:Of the many accounts of Britten's Ceremony of Carols in the catalog, this one is the best. This was the first work Britten wrote for boys' voices, and with his keen ear and extraordinary imagination, he achieved many wondrous and memorable effects. At the heart of this 1986 performance are the boys of the Westminster Cathedral Choir, obviously a well-trained group. With their outstanding intonation and hearty sound, these London boys outclass all the competition. Their singing is free and expressive, yet very disciplined, even in the triple canon of 'This Little Babe,' which has a way of bringing all but ...	Buy Now	Jessye Norman - Christmastide (more) »rank: 4579 by: George Frideric Handel, Christmas Traditional, Felix Mendelssohn, Adolphe Adam, Research Composer, Franz Xaver Gruber, Jr. Hopkins John Henry, Anonymous, John Francis Wade, Robert de Cormier, Jessye Norman : essential recording:Of the many accounts of Britten's Ceremony of Carols in the catalog, this one is the best. This was the first work Britten wrote for boys' voices, and with his keen ear and extraordinary imagination, he achieved many wondrous and memorable effects. At the heart of this 1986 performance are the boys of the Westminster Cathedral Choir, obviously a well-trained group. With their outstanding intonation and hearty sound, these London boys outclass all the competition. Their singing is free and expressive, yet very disciplined, even in the triple canon of 'This Little Babe,' which has a way of bringing all but ...
Buy Now	Bach: Matthaus-Passion (St Matthew Passion) BWV 244 /Bostridge * Selig * Rubens * Scholl * Gura * Henschel * Collegium Vocale * Herreweghe (+CD-Rom) (more) »rank: 8872 by: Collegium Vocale Gent : essential recording:The St. Matthew Passion, Bach's monumental retelling of the story of the Last Supper and the arrest and execution of Jesus, typically runs from two-and-a-half to three hours. Yet this performance makes the time... well, not exactly fly past (consider the subject matter), but it's not tedious for even a second. Much of the credit for this goes to the marvelous Evangelist, Ian Bostridge. He's an outstanding narrator: the clear tone and diction, skillful timing, and intense involvement with words that made him a famous lieder singer are all in evidence; his part consists of nothing but recitative, yet he holds ...	Buy Now	Agnus Dei: Music of Inner Harmony: The Choir of New College Oxford (more) »rank: 8409 from: Erato : :Beyond this recording's new age packaging and title is a splendid sampling of some of the world's finest choral music, sung by one of the world's outstanding choirs. This 'anthology of sacred choral music' spans 400 years and includes such masterpieces as Allegri's Miserere, Bach's 'Jesu, joy of man's desiring,' and Barber's exquisite Agnus Dei, which is the composer's choral setting of his famous Adagio for Strings. Along the way we also hear Mozart's sublime 'Ave verum corpus,' Elgar's 'Lux aeterna,' and the Kyrie from Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli. There has been a choir at England's New College, Oxford, since the year 1379, ...