Over the past thousand years, Russian composers have created an immensely rich and varied body of choral music and chant to express the sacred texts of the liturgy. Sacred Songs of Russia portrays the musical legacy of the Russian people, which comes as a response to the depth of their faith. Among the noteworthy works on this recording, which contains previously released material, are two stirring works by Rachmaninoff including Bogoroditse Devo (Rejoice, O Virgin) from his All Night Vigil, opus 37, and V molitvah (The Mother of God, ever-vigilant in prayer). Perhaps most significant are the Three Choruses of Georgy Sviridov (1915-1998), composed during a time when sacred music was still actively suppressed by the Soviet regime. The three works by Peter Tchaikovsky, Milost' mira (A Mercy of Peace), Angel Vopiyashe (The Angel cried), and Hymn in Honor of SS. Cyril and Methodius, are also strong statements of the Russian faith and expression through music.
Gloriæ Dei Cantores first toured Russia (then part of the U.S.S.R.) in the spring of 1990, to re-introduce Russian sacred choral music to their concert halls for the first time since the Russian Revolution of 1917, and participated in several liturgies of the Russian Orthodox Church. At the request of Metropolitan Alexy of Leningrad, now Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, Gloriæ Dei Cantores toured Russia a total of three times, returning in 1992 and 1998 to sing in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and throughout the Golden Ring. Gloriæ Dei Cantores were also among the first Western artistic groups to tour Siberia.
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| 1 | Hristos voskrese (Christ is Risen) | Alexander Kastal'sky | 1:30 |
| 2 | Blagoslovi, dushe (Bless the Lord, O my soul) | Pavel Chesnokov | 2:58 |
| 3 | Bogoroditse Devo (Rejoice, O virgin) | Sergei Rachmaninoff | 2:38 |
| Three Choruses from Tsar Feodor Ioannovich |
| 4 | Bogoroditse Devo (Rejoice, O virgin) | Georgy Sviridov | 3:47 |
| 5 | Liubov' sviataya (Sacred Love)  | | 3:12 |
| 6 | Pokayanny stih (A Hymn of Repentance) | | 2:52 |
| 7 | Ghospodi vozzvah / Tsar nebesny (Lord, I call / The King of Heaven) | Znamenny Chant, Tone 8 | 5:56 |
| 8 | Beznevestnaya Devo (O virgin unwedded) | Vasily Titov | 3:05 |
| 9 | Slava v vishnih Bogu (Glory to God in the Highest) | Dmitri Bortniansky | 4:25 |
| 10 | Cherubic Hymn | Mikhail Glinka | 5:45 |
| 11 | Milost' Mira (A mercy of peace) | Peter Tchaikovsky | 3:56 |
| 12 | Angel Vopiyashe (The Angel Cried) | Peter Tchaikovsky | 2:48 |
| 13 | Hymn in Honor of Ss. Cyril and Methodius | Peter Tchaikovsky | 2:54 |
| 14 | O Tebe Raduyetsia (All of Creation Rejoices) | Stepan Smolensky | 3:18 |
| 15 | Svete Tihiy (Radiant Light) | Alexander Kastal'sky | 2:25 |
| 16 | Hvalite imia Ghospodne (Praise the Name of the Lord) | Pavel Chesnokov | 2:33 |
| 17 | V molitvah neusipayushchuyu Bogoroditse (The Mother of God, ever-vigilant in prayer) | Sergei Rachmaninoff | 7:41 |
| 18 | Litany of Supplication | Alexander Arkhangel'sky | 4:44 |
| 19 | Otche Nash | Nikolai Kedrov, Sr. | 3:40 |
| | Total Time: | | 70:55 |
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| The selections on this recording present a rich array of the different styles that developed in the Russian church music over the centuries. |
| Interpreter |
| May 4, 2002 |
| Elizabeth Patterson and her choir have done the near-impossible--they sound exactly like a real russian choir,(especially the Slavonic diction), yet maintain tonal sweetness and gorgeously blended balance--all the while letting the dynamic fury of this music have full rein. Gloriæ Dei Cantores floats some of the most cherubic pianissimos I have heard in this type of music, and the result is one of those thrilling experiances that make one thank heaven for the invention of speaker systems. This is the best--the best--compilation of standard Russian sacred choral music that I have ever heard . . . . |
| American Record Guide |
| June 4, 1999 |
