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CD Details: Russian Orthodox Church Music (2 CDs) Limited quantities

Cat. no. C084 Date Listed 02/05/2006		Title:	Russian Orthodox Church Music (2 CDs) Limited quantities
		Performers:	Choir of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
		Conductor:	Evgeny Evetz
		Recording Type / Total Time:	ADD / 158:55:00
		Label and Number:	Brilliant Classics 7656
		Issue Date:	2006
		Price:	$22.00
		Rating:	****

REVIEW
This is a remarkable historical collection of recordings made in the late 1960s and early 1970s, available for the first time on CD in remastered form.The Choir of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (on rue Daru in Paris), under the leadership of Evgeny Ivanovich Evetz, was one of the finest carriers of the Russian sacred choral tradition in the Russian emigration. Although he was a truly gifted liturgical musician and choral conductor -- a genuine "maestro" -- Evgeny Evetz was also a very humble and unassuming man, whose achievements in the musical world were circumscribed by his status as a poor Russian 'displaced person,' a refugee who conducted amateur choirs, first in Morocco and then in Paris. Had he remained in his native land and escaped persecution for his faith, he would undoubtedly taken his rightful place among the 'giants' of Russian choral art -- Sveshnikov, Alexandrov, Matveyev, et al. Those who were fortunate enough to sing under him (including this reviewer, in his graduate student days) and those who heard his choirs, both in church and on the concert stage, know the high standard of technical excellence and spiritual depth that distinguished his approach to church singing. And now, thanks to this double-CD set (which includes a total of 52 tracks from 4 remastered LPs!) his artistry can be appreciated by new generations of listeners. No serious collection of Russian Orthodox sacred music will be complete without these discs!--V.M.

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