Portland, Oregon, October 26, 2020
Photo: cappellaromana.org
Cappella Records is pleased to announce the October 23 release of Benedict Sheehan’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the world première recording of a major new choral work of elegance and beauty. The Liturgy is performed by the professional Saint Tikhon Choir, conducted by the composer.
Sheehan’s Liturgy is the first of four planned releases on Cappella Records produced by multi-GRAMMY® Award winner Blanton Alspaugh and the engineering team at Soundmirror. Soundmirror’s outstanding orchestral, solo, opera, and chamber recordings have received more than 100 GRAMMY® nominations and awards, with releases on every major classical label.
This is also the first release of The Saint Tikhon Choir on Cappella Records. The Choir recently recorded a collaboration on Naxos with three other choirs and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s conducted by Leonard Slatkin, which debuted at #1 on Billboard. They also previously recorded the sacred works of Benedict Sheehan for Saint Tikhon’s Monastery Press.
The 2-disc deluxe set features both CD and PureAudio Blu-ray™ media with high-resolution 2.0 Stereo and 5.0 Surround versions (DSM192K/24bit), recorded in DSD and downloadable to audio servers and devices. The Blu ray™ also contains three video performances: two concert selections from the world première performance and the complete liturgical première sung at St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, DC. The accompanying booklet provides an extensive essay by the composer, the full text of the Divine Liturgy, and beautiful photography. Cappella Records is distributed by Naxos USA.
The album can be purchased from Cappella Romana Records as a CD and Blu-ray™ or in a variety of digital download formats. Shipping is free within the U.S. through the end of October with the coupon code FREEOCT2020.
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Sheehan writes of the new score:
“I have endeavored to build a 21st-century American Orthodox Liturgy upon the resistant foundation of the Russian Orthodox musical tradition. While I kept the musical language rooted in the Russian style, I allowed myself to reach out into musical vocabularies not necessarily found in Russian sacred music. Drawing on my own interests and experience, I ventured into sounds at once reminiscent of medieval Eastern chant and of 20th century minimalism, of American folk singing, and of the high tradition of Western church music. Orthodoxy in America is an extremely diverse landscape today, just as the American people are diverse, and I felt that my Liturgy should reflect some of that diversity.”
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Benedict Sheehan’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom has already garnered international critical acclaim.
Linda Holt at ConcertoNet declares that ”this album is an addition of rare grace and refinement,” giving it 4/4 stars.
HRAudio's Adrian Quanjer says, “it is a balm for mine and possibly many other souls: it is as intense as it is exquisite,” giving it 5/5 stars.
Jeffrey Kauffman at Blu-ray.com declared ”Audio on the Blu-ray disc is top notch ... enjoyed by lovers of well wrought choral music... Recommended,” giving it 4+/5.
Purchase Benedict Sheehan’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom from Cappella Romana Records.
