Album Notes

There are 21 salected tracks on this CD and they represent the most popular recordings made by Origen Music (visit www.origenmusic.com to learn more about Origen Music).
The program of this CD includes sacred music: sacred music by Sergey Rachmaninoff and Piotr Tchaicovsky, traditional chants of Russian and eastern Orthodox church, original church bells ringing, Christmas carols.
The CD is opened with unusual rendition of Rachmaninoff vesper "To Thee We Sing" performed by the Kiev Chamber Choir. The words of the chant are omitted. This rendition is reminder about crazy times of communist Soviet Union. It was impossibly to sing or record religious music in the communist and atheistic country, but it was possible to perform music by Sergey Rachmaninoff, ONLY without religious words. It was the times and thanks God they passed.
Then you will hear the rich 1000 years old chant tradition of Kiev Pechersk (caves) Monastery- by famous Kiev Pechersk monks choir which for many centuries is the legend and as magnet attracts thousands pilgrims from all over the world. Their singing augmented with some chants by Metropolitan choir of Kiev Pechersk Monastery which usually take part in the church services with His Beatitude Vladimir (Sabodan), Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine.
Ensemble of early church music Sretenye broght to life early worship music of Byzantine, Georgia, Bulgaria and Old Rus of the VIII-XV centuries. You’ll hear two tracks from their CD 'Ancient church singing of Byzantine, Georgia, and Rus'- the Winner of 2004 JPF Church Music Awards (USA).
Pay attention to Saint Eliyah Children’s choir. They will enchant you with wonderful combination of simplicity, beauty, clarity and at the same time, occasional unusual melodies.
Russian Christmas music and Ukrainian carols represented at the end of the disk.
It worth to mention about church bells sounds. You will hear original church bells ringing of Kiev Pechersk monastery. This church bells are very popular not only among believers. Even Universal-TriStar pictures used our church bells sounds for their trailer 'Spider Man-3'

List of CDs which were used for Anthology of Sacred Music-2

1) Praise the Lord- the Orthodox sacred music of the late 19th and the early 20th centuries by Chamber choir "Kiev"
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chamberchoir/from/origenmusic

2) The masterpieces of Ukrainian choral baroque by Chamber Choir "Kiev"
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chamberchoir/from/origenmusic

3) Selected chants of the Russian Orthodox Church by United Monks choir of male monastery Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chamberchoir4/from/origenmusic

4) Ancient church singing of Byzantine, Georgia and Rus by Ensemble of old Church music "Sretenye"
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chamberchoir3/from/origenmusic

5) The All Night Vigil- Traditional worship singing of Kiev-Pechersk Monastery by The Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary choir
www.cdbaby.com/anthology/from/origenmusic

6) We are guarded by the Cross by Children's choir of St.Elijah Church in Kiev
www.cdbaby.com/anthology/from/origenmusic

7) Church bells sounds of Kiev Pechersk Monastery
http://cdbaby.com/cd/brokplm/from/origenmusic