Alexander Kastalsky: Memory Eternal
The Clarion Choir, Steven Fox
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, October 2018, Editor's Choice
-
Grammy Awards, 61st Awards (2019), Nominee - Choral Performance
The Clarion Choir’s performance is as ardently passionate as it is immaculate in its balance and pacing. Chants between movements are sung not by a member of the choir but by Leonid Roschko,...
Alexander Kastalsky: Memory Eternal
The Clarion Choir, Steven Fox
Purchase product
Awards:
-
Gramophone Magazine, October 2018, Editor's Choice
-
Grammy Awards, 61st Awards (2019), Nominee - Choral Performance
The Clarion Choir’s performance is as ardently passionate as it is immaculate in its balance and pacing. Chants between movements are sung not by a member of the choir but by Leonid Roschko,...
About
In the face of the devastation wrought by the First World War, Alexander Kastalsky conceived a musical service of remembrance for the fallen. A pivotal figure in Russian musical life – he was a student of Tchaikovsky and acclaimed as the founder of a new, national church music – Kastalsky composed a choral-orchestral Requiem, for the concert stage. Simultaneously, he worked on the a cappella version heard on this recording to be sung in Russian Orthodox churches. Following the basic structure of the Orthodox Panihida, or memorial service, Memory Eternal, and the short sacred pieces that end the programme, reveal Kastalsky's masterful use of choral sonority and colour, his weaving of complex polyphonic textures, and his graceful use of ancient chant melodies.
Contents and tracklist
- Marc Andrew Day (tenor), Protodeacon Leonid Roschko (bass), Scott Dispensa (baritone)
- The Clarion Choir
- Steven Fox
- Recorded: 4-7 January 2018
- Recording Venue: St. Jean Baptiste Church, New York, USA
- The Clarion Choir
- Steven Fox
- The Clarion Choir
- Steven Fox
- The Clarion Choir
- Steven Fox
Awards and reviews
-
Gramophone MagazineOctober 2018Editor's Choice
November 2018
The Clarion Choir’s performance is as ardently passionate as it is immaculate in its balance and pacing. Chants between movements are sung not by a member of the choir but by Leonid Roschko, a protodeacon in the Russian Orthodox Church, adding a gritty- voiced authenticity to this hugely admirable project.
October 2018
The Clarion Choir, under the sure direction of Steven Fox, turn in a thrilling performance, recorded with clarity and not too much resonance in St Jean Baptiste Church in New York. This recording (together with its publication by Musica Russica) represents the rehabilitation of a major work, which nobody interested in Russian music of the 20th century should miss.
September 2018
The flawless ensemble of The Clarion Choir, under the inspirational direction of Steven Fox, has been perfectly captured in this demonstration class recording. The balance achieved by the engineers cannot be faulted. The acoustic of St. Jean Baptiste Church, New York confers a captivating aura of resonance, in ideal proportion, upon the compelling music making. I can think of no better advocates for this wonderful music than this superb choral ensemble.
