The Men's Choir of the Moscow Representation Church (Metochion) of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery demonstrates its mastery with every new CD of theirs we hear. It's not just that the 18 voices exhibit ultimate blend and balance; it's not just that they demonstrate total control over dynamics and nuances, while remaining within the bounds of good taste and measure; but they accomplish all this in the context of a live concert performance. There is consummate choral artistry here to be sure, but nothing showy or extravagant. The artistic skill is totally "transparent" -- not calling attention to itself, but totally serving the sacred words and chants of worship and thus remaining fully within the liturgical aesthetic of Orthodox worship. This live concert features the major unchanging hymns of Vigil and Liturgy in arrangements and compositions by some of the major Russian composers of the 20th century -- both before and after the 1917 Revolution, as well as some early chants. The accompanying booklet contains important biographical information about the composers, including such relatively unfamiliar figures as Yakov Chmelev, Alexander Tretyakov, and Nikolai Ozerov.
