Sacred Music - Cornerstone Works of Sacred Music (Repost)

A quintessential selection of the best western sacred music through the ages and continents that will please one and all, from an inquisitive novice to the discerning connoisseur. 90 complete works of essential repertoire [on 30 CDs]. Harmonia Mundi offers you the finest selection of 111 cornerstone works of western sacred music. From the earliest Christian chants to Bernstein's mass, from the gems of the Baroque to beloved Lutheran hymns, this vital collection has been created by today's finest artists at the peak of their talents. Harmonia Mundi is offering it in this extremely Limited Box Edition. Harmonia mundi has decided to offer a generous selection of its considerable archives of sacred music. I can think of no other company as qualified to do so, as they have consistently been at the forefront of the sacred music field for many years now, and their catalog contains some of the finest examples of the genre across hundreds of years spanning many different types of music. If you are a novice to this field you will find no better starter set than this one, and it should find a home on the shelves of many music schools and conservatories worldwide. If you are like me and already quite “into” this music you will probably have a lot of these releases already. Even so, there is much here to make up for even a generous amount of duplication. It is not a perfectly conceived set, and I will speak about a few things, but overall it is quite simply a superb collection, many of the recordings at the top of their respective fields. The first discs start with chant of all sorts, and the usual suspects are performing them, which means as good as it gets. The Hilliards, Anonymous 4, Ensemble Organum, even a surprisingly apt and well-presented group from Alfred Deller and his consort sounds acceptable to more up-to-date ears. I would, however, have appreciated some Byzantine chant, especially as the chants given - like the Ambrosian and Old Roman - have nearly undisputed Byzantine connections. Also, the token disc given to Orthodox chant gives us only fairly modern Russian Orthodox music. I know for a fact that the HM vaults are full of Byzantine music, and a more comprehensive listing would have been more useful. Also, we are given only the “vespers” portion of the Rachmaninoff Vigil service, and this particular performance happens to be one of the best available with the Estonian choir and Paul Hillier giving a reading for the ages. To get a little less than half of this performance is unconscionable. This all seems like an afterthought, and not worthy of HM’s usually considered approach. The progression of early polyphony up through the standard masterpieces of the Renaissance is all presented in wondrously effective readings that are as good as any on the market. The generous selection of Lamentations as found in the Tenebrae services is particularly gratifying, even though in several instances we get only one section. This was felt most severely in the Lamentations of Krenek, a work I did not known until now, but found especially haunting and affecting, despite its rather severe harmonic language. Herreweghe’s Monteverdi Vespers is a clean and rather scrubbed performance, certainly not as energetic and exulting Gardiner or Parrott, but cleanly and clearly done, as almost everything by this conductor is. Cain, an oratorio by Alessandro Scarlatti, makes a welcome appearance in Rene Jacob’s demonstrative reading. Handel’s Messiah used to be one of my favorites, but has since lost ground; after Parrott’s recent release on Coro all others have a lot of climbing to do. But Herreweghe’s Paulus is an excellent traversal of this popular and populist score. Rene Jacobs gives a terrific reading of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, though his vision (and singing) of the Pergolesi Stabat Mater leaves me somewhat tepid in spirit. Marcus Creed enjoys great support in his Rossini Stabat Mater, while again Herreweghe gives top notch and spirited performances of the Mozart and Faure Requiems, the Brahms German Requiem and the Beethoven Missa Solemnis, maybe the best period instrument performance of this seminal work. I do think I need to question the inclusion of Bernstein’s Mass—while I dearly love the piece, it is not technically a real mass nor is it specifically a piece of religious music, but rather a theatrical commentary on aspects of religion and belief. Nagano’s version, originally on SACD, is given straight here, and though the singing and orchestral playing are top drawer—much better than the composer has—the spirit and enthusiasm is lacking, Nagano’s understanding of the piece is somewhat incomplete, and the late Jerry Hadley’s celebrant extraordinarily wimpy. But if you don’t know the work it certainly might lead you to the composer’s own recording, or to the new reading by Alsop on Naxos.There are so many good things here it is almost impossible to cover them, and if I leave some pieces out you may assume that is because they are easily fit into the plus category. A survey box to be sure, but many, many others will enjoy this for its extraordinary consistency across genres and ensembles, the uniformly terrific sound, and the breadth of the coverage.

– Steven Ritter











[hide="CD 5 - Complete version of Machaut's "Messe de Notre Dame"; Desprez's "Missa Pange lingua"; and excerpt of

Janequin's Messes ("La Bataille")"]
«Messe de Nostre Dame (Messe) »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Machaut, Guillaume de
- Kyrie (6:11)
- Gloria (4:10)
- Credo (5:49)
- Sanctus (3:57)
- Agnus Dei (3:16)
- Ite Missa est (1:02)
«Missa Pangue lingua (Messe) »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Visse, Dominique
Komponist: Desprez, Josquin
Vokalensemble: Ensemble Clément Janequin
- Kyrie (2:43)
- Gloria (4:57)
- Credo (7:03)
- O salutaris (1:01)
- Agnus (7:04)
«Messe La Bataille (Messe) »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Visse, Dominique
Komponist: Janequin, Clément
Vokalensemble: Ensemble Clément Janequin
- Kyrie (2:58)
- Gloria (4:14)
- Credo (5:49)
- Sanctus (4:02)
- Agnus Dei (5:12)

[hide="CD 6 - Complete version of Lassus' "Missa Tous les regretz"; da Palestrina's Missa "Viri Galilaei"; Byrd's "Mass

for 4 voices" taken from The Three Masses"]
«Missa Tous les regretz (Messe) »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Nevel, Paul van
Komponist: De Lassus, Roland
Vokalensemble: Huelgas-Ensemble
- Kyrie (3:09)
- Gloria (4:37)
- Credo (7:26)
- Sanctus (3:25)
- Agnus Dei (3:38)
«Missa Viri Galilaei (Messe) »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Herreweghe, Philippe
Komponist: Da Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi
Vokalensemble: Chapelle Royale, Ensemble Organum
- Kyrie (3:58)
- Gloria (4:44)
- Credo (7:33)
- Sanctus (3:23)
- Benedictus (2:10)
- Agnus Dei 1 (1:59)
- Agnus Dei 2 (2:08)
«Messe zu 4 Stimmen »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Hillier, Paul
Komponist: Byrd, William
Vokalensemble: Pro Arte Singers
- Kyrie (2:25)
- Gloria (5:16)
- Credo (6:56)
- Sanctus (2:06)
- Benedictus (1:27)
- Agnus Dei (3:30)

[hide="CD 7 - Delalande's "Super flumina Babilonis" excerpt from Te Deum (+ "Miserator et misericors"); Charpentier's Te

Deum; other tracks by Dumont and Lully"]
«Memorare (Motette) » (8:43)
Dirigent / Band Leader: Herreweghe, Philippe
Komponist: DuMont, Henry
Sonstiges Ensemble: Mitglieder der Chapelle Royale
«Dies irae (Motette) » (18:52)
Dirigent / Band Leader: Herreweghe, Philippe
Komponist: Lully, Jean-Baptiste
Sonstiges Ensemble: Mitglieder der Chapelle Royale
«Super flumina Babilonis »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Christie, William Arts Florissants
Komponist: Lalande, Michel-Richard de
Sonstiges Ensemble: Arts Florissants
- Sinfonie: Super flumina (3:59)
- In salicibus (2:35)
- Quia illic interrogaverunt nos (0:40)
- Hymnum cantate nobis (2:32)
- Si oblitus fuero tui (1:30)
- Adhaereat lingua mea (2:44)
- Memor esto, Domine (1:10)
- Filia Babilonis misera (1:19)
- Filia Babilonis misera (1:29)
«Te Deum D-Dur H 146 »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Christie, William Arts Florissants
Komponist: Charpentier, Marc-Antoine
Sonstiges Ensemble: Arts Florissants
- Prélude (1:53)
- Te Deum laudamus (1:04)
- Te aeternum Petrem (3:59)
- Per te orbem terrarum (3:22)
- Tu devicto mortis aculeo (1:52)
- Te ergo quaesumus (2:25)
- Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis (2:22)
- Dignare Domine (1:58)
- Fiat misericordia tua Domine (1:43)
- In te Domine speravi (2:34)
«Ave coeli (Motette) » (3:40)
Dirigent / Band Leader: keine Angabe
Komponist: Lully, Jean-Baptiste
Vokalensemble: keine Angabe
«Miserator et misericors (Motette) » (6:44)
Dirigent / Band Leader: Christie, WIlliam
Komponist: Lalande, Michel-Richard de
Sonstiges Ensemble: Arts Florissants
Vokalensemble: Arts Florissants

[hide="CD 8 - Excerpt from De Lassus' "Lamentationes Hieremiae"; other tracks by Tiburtio Massaino, Charpentier,

Couperin and Krenek"]
«Music super Threnos Ieremiae prophete in maiori hebdomada decantadas à 5: In coena Domini (Feria 5) »
Dirigent / Band Leader: keine Angabe
Komponist: Massaino, Tiburtio
Vokalensemble: keine Angabe
- Lectio prima (5:07)
- Lectio secunda (5:31)
- Lectio tertia (7:02)
«Lamentationes Hieremiae »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Nevel, Paul van
Komponist: Lassus, Roland de
Vokalensemble: Huelgas-Ensemble
- Lamentatio prima (7:35)
- Lamentatio secunda (7:13)
- Lamentatio tertia (6:58)
«Leçons de Ténèbres du Mercredy Sainct (Auszug) »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Jacobs, René
Komponist: Charpentier, Marc-Antoine
Sonstiges Ensemble: Concerto Vocale
Nr. 2: Et egressus est a filia Sion (16:01)
«Lecons de Ténèbres Nr. 3 (Troisième Lecon pour le Mercredi Saint) » (12:51)
Dirigent / Band Leader: Jacobs, René
Komponist: Couperin, François
Sonstiges Ensemble: Concerto Vocale
«Hieremie prophetae Lamentationes (Auszug) »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Creed, Marcus
Komponist: Krenek, Ernst
Vokalensemble: RIAS Kammerchor
- Lectio secunda (9:08)

















[hide="CD 17 - Tallis' "9 psalm tunes" from Lamentations; Bach's "Missa brevis in F-dur" from Missae Breves; other

works from Schütz, Bruhns, Purcell et al."]
«Tant que vivray en aege florissant » (1:13)
Komponist: Sermisy, Claudin de
Sonstiges Ensemble: Ensemble Clément Janequin
«Estans assis aux rives aquatiques (Psalm 137) » (2:06)
Komponist: L'Estocart, Paschal de
Sonstiges Ensemble: Ensemble Clément Janequin
«9 Psalm Ttunes for Archbishop Parker's Psalter »
Komponist: Tallis, Thomas
Sonstiges Ensemble: Stile Antico
Nr. 1: Man blest no doubt (1:11)
Nr. 2: Let God arise (0:51)
Nr. 3: Why fum'th in fight (0:56)
Nr. 4: O come in one to praise the Lord (0:58)
Nr. 5: E'en like the hunted hind (1:04)
Nr. 6: Expend, O Lord (1:10)
Nr. 7: Why brag'st in malice (0:46)
Nr. 8: God grant with grace (1:35)
Nr. 9: Come Holy Ghost (0:32)
«Remember not, Lord, our offences Z 50 » (3:09)
Dirigent / Band Leader: Herreweghe, Philippe
Komponist: Purcell, Henry
Vokalensemble: Collegium Vocale
«Concert in Form einer teutschen Begräbnis » (26:06)
Dirigent / Band Leader: Herreweghe, Philippe
Komponist: Schütz, Heinrich
Sonstiges Ensemble: Chapelle Royale
«Hemmt eure Tränenflut (Deutsche Kantate) »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Junghänel, Konrad
Komponist: Bruhns, Nikolaus
Sonstiges Ensemble: Cantus Cölln
- Hemmt eure Tränenflut (5:14)
- Der Stein war allzu groß (2:27)
- Die Christi Grab bewacht sind weg (2:44)
- Verlass ich gleich die Welt (3:10)
- Amen (1:07)
«Messe F-Dur BWV 233 »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Junghänel, Konrad
Komponist: Bach, Johann Sebastian
Sonstiges Ensemble: Cantus Cölln
- Kyrie (3:38)
- Gloria (5:00)
- Domine Deus (3:26)
- Qui tollis (5:00)
- Quoniam (3:49)
- Cum sancto spiritu (2:20)

















[hide="CD 26 - Mendelssohn's Motets, op.23, 69 & 78 / Psaume 100 / Missa breve and Bruckner's "Motets" from Motets; Mass

in E minor"]
«Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt (Psalm 100) » (3:53)
Chorleiter: Creed, Marcus
Gemischter Chor: RIAS Kammerchor
Komponist: Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix
«Motetten op. 78 Nr. 1-3 »
Chorleiter: Creed, Marcus
Gemischter Chor: RIAS Kammerchor
Komponist: Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix
Nr. 1: Warum toben die Heiden (Psalm 2) (6:43)
Nr. 2: Richte mich, Gott (Psalm 43) (3:47)
Nr. 3: Mein Gott, warum hast du mich verlassen? (Psalm 22) (6:50)
«Motetten op. 23 Nr. 1-3 (Auszug) »
Chorleiter: Creed, Marcus
Gemischter Chor: RIAS Kammerchor
Komponist: Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix
Nr. 3: Mitten wir im Leben sind (6:41)
«Motetten op. 69 Nr. 1-3 »
Chorleiter: Creed, Marcus
Gemischter Chor: RIAS Kammerchor
Komponist: Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix
Nr. 1: Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener in Frieden fahren (4:20)
Nr. 2: Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt (5:08)
Nr. 3: Mein Herz erhebet Gott den Herrn (9:03)
«Missa breve (Messe) »
Chorleiter: Creed, Marcus
Gemischter Chor: RIAS Kammerchor
Komponist: Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix
- Kyrie eleison - Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe - Heilig, heilig, heilig (7:07)
«Herr, sei gnädig unserm Flehn (Abendsegen) » (2:21)
Chorleiter: Creed, Marcus
Gemischter Chor: RIAS Kammerchor
Komponist: Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix
«Ave Maria F-Dur (Motette) » (3:39)
Dirigent / Band Leader: Herreweghe, Philippe
Komponist: Bruckner, Anton
Sonstiges Ensemble: Ensemble Musique Oblique
Vokalensemble: Collegium Vocale Gent, La Chapelle Royale
«Christus factus est d-moll (Graduale) » (6:07)
Dirigent / Band Leader: Herreweghe, Philippe
Komponist: Bruckner, Anton
Sonstiges Ensemble: Ensemble Musique Oblique
Vokalensemble: Collegium Vocale Gent, La Chapelle Royale
«Os iusti meditabitur sapientiam (Graduale) » (4:41)
Dirigent / Band Leader: Herreweghe, Philippe
Komponist: Bruckner, Anton
Sonstiges Ensemble: Ensemble Musique Oblique
Vokalensemble: Collegium Vocale Gent, La Chapelle Royale
«Locus iste a Deo factus est C-Dur (Graduale) » (3:03)
Dirigent / Band Leader: Herreweghe, Philippe
Komponist: Bruckner, Anton
Sonstiges Ensemble: Ensemble Musique Oblique
Vokalensemble: Collegium Vocale Gent, La Chapelle Royale
«Vexilla regis (Motette) » (4:51)
Dirigent / Band Leader: Herreweghe, Philippe
Komponist: Bruckner, Anton
Sonstiges Ensemble: Ensemble Musique Oblique
Vokalensemble: Collegium Vocale Gent, La Chapelle Royale

[hide="CD 27 - Poulenc's Motets / Mass in G major (except "Exultate Deo" & "Salve Regina") and first part of Bernstein's

Mass (dir. Nagano)"]
«Quatre motets pour un temps de Pénitence (4 Motetten zur Karwoche) FP 97 »
Chorleiter: Creed, Marcus
Gemischter Chor: RIAS Kammerchor
Komponist: Poulenc, Francis
Nr. 1 Timor et tremor: Largement (à Monsieur l'Abbé Maillet) (3:20)
Nr. 2 Vinea mea electa: Tendrement et mélancoliquement lent (à Yvonne Gouverné) (3:39)
Nr. 3 Tenebræ factæ sunt: Très lent (à Nadia Boulanger) (4:39)
Nr. 4 Tristis est anima mea: Très calme (à E. Bourmauck) (3:33)
«Quatre Motets pour le temps de Noël (4 Motetten zur Weihnachtszeit) FP 152 »
Chorleiter: Creed, Marcus
Gemischter Chor: RIAS Kammerchor
Komponist: Poulenc, Francis
Nr. 1 O magnum mysterium: Très calme et doux (à Felix de Nobel) (3:05)
Nr. 2 Quem vidistis pastores dicite: Allegretto (à Simone Girard) (2:42)
Nr. 3 Videntes stellam: Calme et doux (à Madeleine Bataille) (3:17)
Nr. 4 Hodie Christus natus est: Allegro maestoso ('Marcel Couraud) (2:25)
«Messe G-Dur FP 89 »
Chorleiter: Creed, Marcus
Gemischter Chor: RIAS Kammerchor
Komponist: Poulenc, Francis
- Kyrie: Animé et très rythmé (3:13)
- Gloria: Très animé (4:07)
- Sanctus: Très allant et doucement joyeux (2:34)
- Benedictus: Calme mais sans lenteur (3:39)
- Agnus Dei: Très pur, très clair modéré (4:54)
«Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers (Gesamtaufnahme) »
Dirigent / Band Leader: Nagano, Kent
Gemischter Chor: Rundfunkchor Berlin
Komponist: Bernstein, Leonard
Orchester (Instrumentalensembl: Deutsches Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Sonstiges Ensemble: Pacific Mozart Ensemble
Tenor: Hadley, Jerry
- Antiphon: Kyrie eleison (Devotions before Mass) (2:28)
- Hymn and Psalm: A simple song (3:46)
- Responsory: Alleluia (1:07)
- Prefatory Players (First Introït: Rondo) (5:06)
- Thrice - Triple Canon: Dominus vobiscum (0:42)
- In nomine Patris (Second Introit) (2:03)
- Prayer for the Congreration (1:39)
- Epiphany (0:56)
- Confiteror (Confession) (2:10)
- Trope: Idont know (1:30)
- Trope: Easy (4:44)



[hide="CD 29 - Various works for Orthodox Church ( Bortniansky, Sarti, Galuppi et al.) and Rachmaninov's "Vesper op. 37"

from All-Night Vigil"]
«Let my prayer arise (Orthodoxer Gesang) » (6:53)
Chorleiter: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Bortniasky, Dmitry
«Now the Powers of heaven (Orthodoxer Gesang) » (5:36)
Chorleiter: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Sarti, Giuseppe
«The cherubic hymn (Orthodoxer Gesang) » (3:54)
Chorleiter: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Bortniansky, Dmitry
«Glory - Only begotten son (Orthodoxer Gesang) » (3:15)
Chorleiter: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Titov, Vasily
«In the flesh thou didst fall asleep (Orthodoxer Gesang) » (2:46)
Chorleiter: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Galuppi, Baldassare
«I lift up my eyes to the mountains (Choral-Konzert Nr. 24) » (6:11)
Chorleiter: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Bortniansky, Dmitry
«Praise the name of the lord (Orthodoxer Gesang) » (2:01)
Chorleiter: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Diletsky, Nikolai
«With my voice I cried out to the Lord (Choral-Konzert Nr. 27) » (9:05)
Chorleiter: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Bortniansky, Dmitry
«By the rivers of Babylon (Orthodoxer Gesang) » (10:13)
Chorleiter: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Vedel, Artemy
«Lord, make me to know my end (Choral-Konzert Nr. 32) » (8:20)
Chorleiter: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Bortniansky, Dmitry
«Wsenoschtschnaja (Das große Abend- und Morgenlob) (Vesper) op. 37 »
Chorleiter: Hillier, Paul
Gemischter Chor: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Komponist: Rachmaninoff, Sergej
- Come, let us worship (2:48)
- Praise the Lord, O my soul (4:48)
- Blessed is the man (4:16)
- O gentle light (3:19)
- Lord, now lettest thou (3:32)
- Rejoice, O virgin (2:45)