Moscow Cathedral Choir - Missa Mystica, Sacred Hymns & Chants

Reviews

Beginning in the 1990s, there was a surge of Western interest in Russian liturgical music, the catalyst being the greater freedom of Russian cathedral choirs to perform and issue recordings. Although some Russian Orthodox chant certainly was not unknown to the rest of the world, it's been a pleasure during these past few years to discover the various individual styles of choirs and to learn of a vast repertoire virtually unheard outside of Russia (and even by most Russians). It's too bad that there's no information in the liner notes to this fine recording regarding the Moscow Cathedral Choir–an ensemble that's remarkable for its expressive range and for the technical virtuosity of its singers. Following the opening Vater unser (Our Father), sung by a sweet-sounding, unaccompanied (boy?) soprano we're jolted from our chairs by a solo bass voice singing a D-flat that's not just low, but so resonant that your subwoofer may need a tune-up afterward, especially since he intones the same note for the chant's entire four minutes and 16 seconds! He's joined by harmonizing male voices, but you'll never become distracted from nor will you forget the power of those bass notes.

In addition to chant-like works, mostly sung by men, we also hear full-fledged compositions for mixed choir in a very well-balanced and beautifully performed program whose title, Missa Mystica, refers to a sequence that encompasses the ecclesiastical year, "symbolizing the progression of a human life." Rich in texture and brimming with shimmering harmonies, the music, although varied in text, tempos, rhythmic style, and scoring, is consistent in the ardent, sincere expression it inspires from the singers–spirituality in one of its most fundamental and affecting guises. The sound, from a Moscow studio, is sufficiently detailed and well-balanced, and suitably resonant–warm in the bass registers, slightly edgy in the treble (which becomes a problem in louder dynamic passages). This is one of the better recordings available of Russian Orthodox hymns and chants, and will make a worthy addition to any collection.

Russian Church music is famous for its use of extremely deep basses, often called octavists since their range extends down to a full octave below that of common basses. This CD features them better than most, but rather than being just a documentation of octavists, it has many more elements of attraction.

Popov has not just recorded this programme, but also toured with it. It's a collection of works by composers like Archangelski, Tchesnokov, Gontcharov and Bortnyansky, arranged so as to represent the ecclesiastical year as a reflection of the human life cycle. It starts with a simple "Our Father", presented by three solo trebles in the three languages used through the history of the Russian Church: Greek, Latin and Church Slavonic. The chant that follows, opened by some of the best octavists I have heard, gives a stunning contrast to the trebles, that never fails to impress listeners! When somebody asks me how many octaves the human voice can span, I love to show them just the first two tracks of this CD! Even if the trebles don't go to the top of their range, nor the octavists go to the bottom in this track, there is still enough span between them to impress anyone!

What follows is a wide range of choral music, with solo parts, sung by a big choir including men, women and boys, sometimes employed together, sometimes separately. There is so much good on this CD that it would be too long to comment on each piece. I will just pick some highlights:

Track 6 is Pavel Tchesnokov's "Let my prayer rise up", an incredibly effectful piece starting with solo treble and men's choir, later adding the full choir. This chant has appeared on many CDs, but the version on this one may be the best I have heard.

Track 14 is Gontcharov's "Before Thy Cross", for solo octavist and choir. This piece features the lowest note I have ever heard by a human voice: Just a bit sharp of the subterranean G, the one far below the usual bass range! That's what some Russian trebles do when they get older! :-)

Track 16 is the extremely beautiful and expressive "Greater Doxology" by A. Nikolaev-Strumski, performed by a very warm bass voice with full choir backing.

Track 19 is again for deep bass, Tchesnokov's "Cast me not away in the time of my old age", and reaches the very bottom of the vocal range.

This CD was recorded in 2000, but even being so new, it suffers from a small technical problem: The extreme dynamics of the large choir at some places overshoot the range of the recording equipment, resulting in clipping. It happens only at a few places, but people with sensitive ears and good music equipment will notice it. Despite this flaw, Missa Mystica deserves a place in one's collection, for its superb combination of beautiful, intense, expressive music and superlative voices in a well rounded programme.

Program:

Our father
Composed by Russian Orthodox Chant

Truly meet and right, Orthodox hymn
Composed by Greek Traditional

God is the Lord, Russian Orthodox hymn
Composed by Anonymous

Thy birth–Christmas Troparion
Composed by Anonymous

Nunc Dimittis
Composed by Strokin

I think of the Dreadful Day, concerto for Chorus
Composed by Alexander Andreyevich Arkhangel'sky

Let my prayer arise, for chorus (Da ispravitsa molitva moya)
Composed by Pavel Grigor'yevich Chesnokov

Today here hangs the cross
Composed by Russian Orthodox Chant

God shall arise, Orthodox hymn
Composed by Greek Traditional

Holy God
Composed by Russian Orthodox Chant

With the saints give rest (Kondakion)
Composed by Russian Orthodox Chant

Eternal remembrance/Blessed are they whom you have chosen
Composed by Anonymous

Our father
Composed by Russian Orthodox Chant

Blessed are they whom Thous has chosen
Composed by Alexander Andreyevich Arkhangel'sky

Before Thy Cross, for chorus
Composed by P. Goncharov

Lord, have mercy
Composed by Grigor F. Lvovsky

Great Doxology
Composed by Apostol Nikolaev-Strumsky

Blessed is the man
Composed by Greek Orthodox Chant

Cherubim Hymn
Composed by Dimitry Stepanovich Bortnyansky

Do not cast me off in the time of old age (Ne otverzhi mene vo vremya starosti), for chorus
Composed by Pavel Grigor'yevich Chesnokov

From My Youth, Antiphone, tone 4 (From the Hirmologion of 1707)
Composed by Russian Orthodox Chant