The Russian State Choir under the direction of Alexander Svechnikov (Melodiya, 1965) and the Leningrad Glinka Choir under Vladislav Chernuchenko (CDM) dominated the world market for this work for two decades. Religious music being officially banned in the USSR, these were export products inaccessible on the domestic market! Over the last 25 years, the versions have become “internationalized”, and there are, certainly, some admirable ones (Kaljuste-Virgin, Klava-Ondine). But here, from the first seconds, thanks to a staggering deep bass (“octavist”), we find forgotten colors and are plunged into a distant past. The particularity of this version is that it is based on the transcription for men’s choir of theAnthem 7 by Gretchaninov and to complete it with the “masculinization” (Dmitrii Lazarev and Benedict Sheehan) of the other parts. The duality between this distinctive choir (PaTRAM is the acronym for Patriarch Tikhon Russian-American Music) and the tenor Igor Morozov as well as the serious depth of the ensemble are striking.
To watch on video