Composer: Georgy Sviridov
Performer: Latvian Radio Choir
Conductor: Sigvards Kļava
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Ondine
Size: 226 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Canticles & Prayers, Inexpressible Wonder: No. 1, Lord, Save the Pious
02. Canticles & Prayers, Inexpressible Wonder: No. 2, Holy God
03. Canticles & Prayers, Inexpressible Wonder: No. 3, It Is Worth Eating
04. Canticles & Prayers, Inexpressible Wonder: No. 4, Christmas Song
05. Canticles & Prayers, Inexpressible Wonder: No. 5, Glory and Hallelujah
06. Canticles & Prayers, Inexpressible Wonder: No. 6, The Inexpressible Miracle
07. Canticles & Prayers, Having Beheld a Strange Nativity: No. 7, Glory (Fast)
08. Canticles & Prayers, Having Beheld a Strange Nativity: No. 8, Come, Let Us Worship
09. Canticles & Prayers, Having Beheld a Strange Nativity: No. 9, Glory (Monastic)
10. Canticles & Prayers, Having Beheld a Strange Nativity: No. 10, Repentance of the Prodigal Son
11. Canticles & Prayers, Having Beheld a Strange Nativity: No. 11, Glory (Quiet)
12. Canticles & Prayers, Having Beheld a Strange Nativity: No. 12, Have Mercy on Us, Lord
13. Canticles & Prayers, Having Beheld a Strange Nativity: No. 13, Having Beheld a Strange Nativity
14. Canticles & Prayers, From the Old Testament: No. 14, King of Glory
15. Canticles & Prayers, From the Old Testament: No. 15, The Song of Purification
16. Canticles & Prayers, From the Old Testament: No. 16, The Lord’s Land
17. Canticles & Prayers, Other Songs: No. 17, Glorification of the Mother of God
18. Canticles & Prayers, Other Songs: No. 18, Prayer to the Holy Apostle John the Theologian
19. Canticles & Prayers, Other Songs: No. 19, Lord, Raise Up Your Power
20. Canticles & Prayers, Other Songs: No. 20, Behold the Bridegroom Comes
21. Canticles & Prayers, Other Songs: No. 21, The Last Supper
22. The Red Easter
Georgy Sviridov s Canticles and Prayers is considered by many as one of the most important works in Russian sacred music. In this new recording the Latvian Radio Choir under Sigvards Klava offers impressive renditions of music from this collection by the Russian master. Sviridov, a pupil of Shostakovich, began writing religious works in 1969. Since then these works have come to form an important part of his oeuvre. In the 1980s Sviridov had several projects to write a liturgy or a mass. In the end, the sketches of his sacred music came to form a cycle titled Canticles and Prayers. The work was created at a turning point in the history of Russia, the perestroika years that ended in the collapse of the Soviet state. The composer was keenly affected by the events of those years, building a monument to his era. The main body of Canticles and Prayers was assembled between 1988 and 1992. In September 1997, Sviridov selected the versions he thought best, approving the final order for the first three parts and making the final edits to the score. This work remained incomplete at the time of his death in 1998. Canticles and Prayers was thus Sviridov s last work. The recording also includes the chorus The Red Easter based on a cycle of Easter hymns. Previous releases of the Latvian Radio Choir on Ondine have been highly successful. For instance, the recording of Rachmaninoff s All-Night Vigil was chosen as the Record of the Month, Editor s Choice and received a nomination in the Gramophone Awards in 2013. Also, their more recent releases of choral works by Valentin Silvestrov and Eriks Esenvalds received Gramophone Editor s Choice.