The title of one of the works on this excellent Christmas program is “Oh, What a Wonder!”–and that also could aptly describe the disc as a whole. As they have done many times on previous recordings, Paul Hillier and his Estonian choir bring us intelligently chosen repertoire that’s both old and new–that is, music that’s been unjustly forgotten, lost, or ignored, or in this case, squashed by the iron fist of anti-religious totalitarianism. A few of the selections are known to Western choral singers: Leontovych’s ever-popular “Carol of the Bells”, here listed as A Song of Good Cheer and more aptly known by its Ukrainian title, Shchedryk (happily–for once–a performance sung to a true “allegretto”!); Tchaikovsky’s The Legend; and Arvo Pärt’s refreshingly lively take on the Ave Maria text (Bogoroditse Devo).
After an enchanting opening track featuring the bells of Tallinn’s St. Alexander Cathedral, we also are treated to Nicolas Kedrov’s Our Father (Otche nash), one of the most beautiful and moving settings of this revered text in all of music. It’s been recorded many times (Harmonia Mundi, with Slavyanka Men’s Chorus; Le Chant du monde, with Valery Rybin Male Choir), but usually with men’s voices; here this simply but richly scored hymn blossoms even more fully, and right from the beginning our hearts, minds, and ears are set for what will be an enjoyable and enlightening hour.
There are some first-recordings, including Georgiy Izvekov’s “festive canon for the Nativity of Christ”. Izvekov, a Russian priest who was executed in 1937 for “anti-Soviet activities”, offers a chant-based set of eight short hymn-like “odes” (plus a refrain) notable for their beautiful melodies and affecting, brilliant harmonies. The most-represented composer (five selections) is Alexander Kastalsky, who in the late-1800s/early-1900s was a major figure in the revival and continued development of Russian sacred music, until his and others’ efforts were crushed by the Revolution. His Russian carol Shepherds of Bethlehem is a delightfully atmospheric evocation of the scene as the shepherds return home after viewing the Christ child “in a manger on the straw”. (You can hear more of this fine composer on Volume 5 of Le Chant du Monde’s Russian Religious Singing Through the Ages series, issued in the 1990s.)
And finally, I must mention just one more of many highlights: Vasyl Barvinskyi’s Ukrainian carol Oh, What a Wonder!, with its gorgeous, soaring solo soprano above sumptuous, flowing choral harmonies. There’s so much to savor here, much of it new to Western ears, all of it worthwhile and ideally recorded, thanks to Hillier and his always-outstanding Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. There’s another piece on the disc, a Ukrainian carol that gives its name to the title of the CD: A New Joy. The choice couldn’t be more appropriate. [10/3/2006]
