Search - Rachmaninoff, Korniev, St Petersburg Chamber :: Meditations at Midnight: Liturgy of St John Crysost

This is a subtly glorious work, innately Russian in its harmonies and format (the music is all sung a capella, as the use of instruments is forbidden in the Orthodox liturgy), deeply spiritual but a lot more interesting for prolonged listening than the plainchant that has been in vogue in recent years. This is another of the string of superb discs from the St. Petersburg Chamber Choir, one of Russia's highest-quality exports. Unfortunately, several numbers have been cut from the score, apparently to facilitate limiting the recording to one compact disc, making the version by Charles Bruffy and the Kansas City Chorale a better choice for those to whom completeness is important. --Sarah Bryan Miller