The moment I pushed the start button for this one, and heard the warm, rich strains of Rachmaninoff's Bogoriditse Devo, from his Vespers, I melted into a happy trance. When I "came to" about an hour later, I was surer than ever that the fabulous singers of Gloriæ Dei Cantores make up America's very finest amateur choir, capable of giving even the best professional ensembles a run for their money. I've never heard such rapt and fathomless spiritual intensity from anybody else. I dearly cherish their nearly 40 recordings of the best sacred music.
This collection, like the last one from them that I covered (Prism, M/A 2004, p 243), is a cherry-pick from previous releases, no doubt intended to whet the listener's appetite for more. We hear further intense Russian magic from Tchaikovsky and Glinka, florid Renaissance purity from Palestrina, and German solemnity from Brahms and Rheinberger. There's quite a bit of modern American alchemy from Leo Sowerby, Virgil Thomson, and Dominick Argento, among others. It's all so wonderful that I hate to leave anyone out. The literal, yet rich sound from the choir's home church in Cape Cod enfolds the listener in cozy sonic splendor. We get full texts, but no notes. The booklet's track listings will refer you to the excerpted recordings, to your budgetary peril. You have no idea what you're missing if you haven't yet heard these heavenly musicians. |
