Music / kor

Psalms of repentance


Reviews (15)


Klassik heute

d. 2. Feb. 2018

By

By

Rainer W. Jabka

d. 2. Feb. 2018

"Klassik Heute Empfehlung: Höchstklasse der Chorkultur. Dieser Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir gehört in dieser Form zu den besten der Welt".


Klassik.com

d. 3. Feb. 2018

By

By

Matthias Lange

d. 3. Feb. 2018

"Der Estnische Philharmonische Kammerchor ist ein lyrischer Riese, mit einem dunklen Grundklang, der dem Ensemble bei Schnittke und auch bei Pärt sehr entgegenkommt ... So entspannt und zugleich kontrolliert wie die Esten können das nicht viele Ensembles. Es sind fabelhaft Soli zu hören, organisch aus dem Chorklang hervortretend".


The observer

d. 20. Mar. 2016

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By

Nicholas Kenyon

d. 20. Mar. 2016

"Though fiercely complex and demanding, they have a piercing intensity, and the wordless final psalm with its aspiring harmonies is incredibly affecting. The sacred hymns that follow are much simpler, but equally well performed by the superb RIAS Chamber Choir".


MusicWeb international

2016 May

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By

Jens F. Laurson

2016 May

"Even without a score we know the notes are written exactly as it sounds here, because the RIAS Chamber Choir under Hans-Christoph Rademann (arguably the world's best such ensemble) can be trusted to reproduce the music accurately, if nothing else. Beyond that considerable technical challenge, fortunately, they also invest the music with fervor so that it never sounds cerebral or dry or academic but instead written with an urgency, with passion, even warmth".


MusicWeb international

2023 July

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By

David McDade

2023 July

"Recommended: Written in the same year as his remarkable composite work where his Symphony No.5 and Concerto Grosso No.4 form one work, the Psalms can be seen as the gateway to the more austere, uniquely powerful world of Schnittke's late symphonies ... The focus of writing for an a cappella choir seems to have caused the composer to turn toward a simpler more direct style ... The Cappella Amsterdam seem to me to strike a near ideal balance between a suitably earthy Russian sound anchored in cavernous bass voices and the sophisticated balance and tuning of the best Western choirs ... This new recording now becomes my recommendation for this remarkable work".


BBC music magazine

2018 November

By

By

Erik Levi

2018 November

"The performance by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Kaspars Putiniņš is really impressive with a particularly rich and sonorous bass sound that is absolutely tailor-made for this music. The warmly resonant acoustic of St Nicholas Church in Tallinn provides a spellbinding aural backcloth to both this and the more contemplative Arvo Pärt settings".


Klassisk

2018, nr. 49

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By

Andrew Mellor

2018, nr. 49

"Schnittke skrev tre store kirkelige korværker, hvor det sidste, hans sæt af "Angersalmer", markerede tusindåret for kristendommens indførelse i Rusland ... Men vi får endnu et postscriptum i form af Arvo Pärts Magnificat ... og Nunc Dimittis fra 2001 ... De to værker indspilles ofte sammen, men sjældent med en så langsom, omhyggelig og dyb spirituel opførelse som denne. Der er megen renhed og "hvidhed" over Estisk Filharmonisk Kammerkor her såvel som kerne og kraft i deres lyd, som der er i Schnittke ... En særlig indspilning af særlig musik".


Fono Forum

2016 August

By

By

Christoph Zimmermann

2016 August

"Vom RIAS Kammerchor unter Hans-Christoph Rademann ebenfalls wahrhaft phänomenal interpretiert. Es ist kaum vorstellbar, dass diese Wiedergaben übertroffen werden könnten ... Diese Perfektion wirkt jedoch niemals steril, sondern hymnisch expressiv".


Diapason

2016 mai

By

By

Patrick Szersnovicz

2016 mai


Klassisk

2023, nr. 70

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By

Henrik Friis (f. 1978)

2023, nr. 70

"Som så ofte med Schnittke er det voldsomt dramatisk music, som søger sit udtryk gennem ekstreme stemninger. Koret synger deres allerdybeste og allerhøjeste toner, og bygger igen og igen langsomt op med kæmpestore kulminationer af stemmer i massive blokke ... Cappella Amsterdam synger meget passende med stor vrede og intensitet. Det er trods alt tekster om folk, der angrer og underkaster sig. Deres dirigent gennem de sidste godt 30 år, Daniel Reuss, lykkes fint med at holde et pågående, ikke alt for poleret udtryk gennem hele værket".


The gramophone

2018 March

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By

Ivan Moody (f. 1964)

2018 March

"Editor's choice: The Estonians have always rejoiced in a warm, rich sound and perfect blend, and guided by the utterly precise and dynamic Kaspars Putninš they give here a truly outstanding rendition that picks up every emotional and spiritual nuance with no sacrifice of technical perfection ... This work has been waiting for choirs able to do this, because the technical challenges are not the most important thing about this music".


Jyllands-posten

d. 3. Aug. 1999

By

d. 3. Aug. 1999


Berlingske tidende

d. 21 sektion 2. Apr. 1999

By

d. 21 sektion 2. Apr. 1999


The gramophone

2016 May

By

By

David Fanning

2016 May

"Their [Penitential Psalms] demands on intonation and colouristic range are ... intense. The Berlin-based RIAS Chamber Choir cope admirably with all this and with the Russian texts ... The three Sacred Hymns ... are a small but not unattractive bonus".


The gramophone

2023 July

By

By

Ivan Moody (f. 1964)

2023 July

"Schnittke's set of 'Psalms of rependance' ... is some of the most challenging choral music in the repertoire ... Cappella Amsterdam handle all these difficulties with panache. The singers are as at home with Schnittke's tortured canonic writing as they are with the flashes of tonal (or modal) calm and bursts of sunlight. Tuning is impeccable, as is the pronunciation".