Gorgeous Rachmaninoff Full of Light and Shade

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This week’s review, of Rachmaninoff’s “All-Night Vigil” comes to us from the prestigious BBC Music Magazine, globally renowned for its full-spectrum reporting on all things music. That includes PaTRAM’s current entry into the choral music genre.

In addition to the review, BBC Music Magazine also designated the CD as its “Choral & Song Choice” for this edition of the magazine, and with that come FIVE-STAR ratings for the “Performance” AND “Recording” elements of the CD. High praise, indeed!

To read the full review by Alexandra Wilson, please click on the image above.

As promised we will continue to share, with all our subscribers and friends, reviews of this CD as they become available to us. We welcome comments from our listeners as well as from music critics and look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support! You make the music happen!

“RACHMANINOFF’S VESPERS IN EXCELSIS”

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It brings us great joy that many new as well as our loyal listeners and supporters are enjoying PaTRAM’s new Rachmaninoff’s “All-Night Vigil” release.

We are pleased to share another review, this one from Planet Hugill. Planet Hugill is an online classical music magazine written by Robert Hugill. “Planet Hugill” features regular reviews of concerts, records and operas by Robert, contributors, and guest writers, along with concert previews, classical music news, interviews and feature articles.

To read the full review, please click on the image above.

As happened previously, we recently received another wonderful note from one of our listeners, who is also a professional violinist. Hearing the “All-Night Vigil CD”, Helen Strilec Schatiloff writes, “I’m listening to it to keep myself calm (and my mind attuned to what’s really important)…it is EXQUISITE!!!! Sublime, really. Thank you for all your work to present this to the world.”

Thank you, Helen, and to all PaTRAM™ listeners! We welcome your feedback and commentary. Please don’t hesitate to give us your opinion of the CD.

Thanks to all for your continued support.

Rachmaninoff “All-Night Vigil” Named Recording of the Month By MusicWeb International

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As promised in our prior News blast, we are continuing to share reviews with you, our loyal subscribers and friends. Your support has allowed us to create this sublime music and share it with the world! Let’s rejoice together in our accomplishments.

The first review comes from Gramophone, a well-known UK classical music magazine that reports on and reviews all aspects of classical music from around the world including concerts, artists and recordings. Did you know that our Chairman, Alexis Lukianov, has a voice that sounds like rolling thunder across the Russian Steppe? Listen to his solo in the beginning of the first hymn and throughout the recording. This recording features 8 octavists, including amazing Glenn Miller and showcases the rich sonorities of the uniquely Slavic sound that only a male choir can generate.

o read the full text of Mr. Riley’s review, please click on the image.

The second review is from the Editor-in-Chief of MusicWeb International, John Quinn. We are both humbled and excited to receive the distinction of being named MusicWeb’s  Recording of the Month. A huge honor for PaTRAM™!

Mr. Quinn’s introspective review is very detailed and insightful and captures all of his feelings about the recording. To read the full review by Mr. Quinn, please click on the image above.

We wanted all our readers to know that we are deeply grateful for all the positive accolades. This recording, as with all PaTRAM projects, was recorded with deep faith and great love!

As always, thank you for your support! We look forward to celebrating our accomplishments together.

The Reviews Have Begun to Arrive For Rachmaninoff’s “All-Night Vigil”

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The newly released PaTRAM Institute Male Choir™ CD has arrived and the reviews are coming in. One of the first to review the Rachmaninoff “All-Night Vigil” album is Ralph Moore of MusicWeb International, one of the foremost online Classical Music periodicals, which reviews choral and orchestral classical music from around the world.

To read the full review from Mr. Moore, please click on the image below:

Most of the reviews come from professional reviewers such as Mr. Moore, but it was very refreshing to receive a review from one of our listeners, who took the time to write to us and share his feelings and opinions of this CD.

Mr. Green’s full response can be found by clicking on the above image.

PaTRAM™ would like to sincerely thank Mr. Green for his submission! We are very grateful for his note and support of PaTRAM!

We want to hear from you too! We invite you to share your comments and thoughts about the new Rachmaninoff “All-Night Vigil” album. So, don’t be shy about sending us your reviews of our work.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support.

 

PaTRAM’s “More Honourable than the Cherubim” Continues To Gather Acclaim

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Reviewers continue their acclaim for this CD!

PaTRAM Institute™ is happy with yet another review for their newest CD, “More Honourable than the Cherubim”. This week’s review comes from Colin Clarke of Fanfare Magazine, a prominent classical music periodical.

Mr. Clarke, who has never reviewed a PaTRAM CD, speaking of Dinev’s “It Is Truly Meet”, he writes: “.. this is not only a male-voice choir, but it contains those exquisitely low Russian basses that impart a velvety resonance to the sound, and indeed we hear them in full voice offering a chthonic grounding for the piece.” We urge our listeners to read the full review for complete context.

The surge of support continues to grow, not just with critics, but with our listeners and supporters. The CD remains in the top 10 of Amazon’s New Releases Chart For Opera & Vocal with an across-the-board, 5-Star rating.

We urge our listeners to consider supporting PaTRAM Institute by purchasing a digital download, physical CD or enjoy streaming this album and all PaTRAM music at most mainstream outlets.

PaTRAM would also LOVE to hear from our listeners and supporters. If your CD purchase is on Amazon please don’t forget to post a review there, too! We would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again for your support.

Reviews Continue Coming For PaTRAM’s “More Honourable than the Cherubim”

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The reviews for this CD continue coming in!

PaTRAM Institute™ is extremely pleased with yet another review for their newest CD, “More Honourable than the Cherubim”. This week’s review comes from Daniel Morrison of Fanfare Magazine, a prominent classical music periodical.

Mr. Morrison writes:  “The music on all of these recordings is of sublime beauty and expressivity, and one does not have to be a religious person, as I am not, to be profoundly moved and entranced by it.” We urge our listeners to read the full review for complete context.

To receive this kind of response from someone who neither attends services at an Orthodox church nor considers himself to be religious is truly an achievement. He is not alone in that reaction. Some of our most ardent supporters and donors are deeply moved by and appreciate the beauty of the music outside of its context.

We urge our listeners to consider supporting PaTRAM Institute by purchasing a digital download, physical CD or enjoy streaming this album and all PaTRAM music at most mainstream outlets.

PaTRAM would also LOVE to hear from our listeners and supporters. If your CD purchase is on Amazon please don’t forget to post a review there, too! We would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again for your support.

The Great Reviews Keep Coming For PaTRAM’s “More Honourable than the Cherubim”

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The great reviews continue to roll in!

PaTRAM Institute™ is ecstatic at the reviews coming in for their newest CD, “More Honourable than the Cherubim”. This week’s review comes from James Altena of Fanfare Magazine, a prominent classical music periodical.

Mr. Altena writes:  “Above all, there is the palpable belief and devotion with which all the singers invest their efforts; this is for them not merely music, but prayer and praise to God.” We urge our listeners to read the full review for complete context.

This is one of the MOST important aspects of PaTRAM recordings, that is, to not only have the highest quality of singers, conductors and production but to bring across the feeling of devotion that the composers intended. That is what separates PaTRAM’s work from most other recordings.

We urge our listeners to consider supporting PaTRAM Institute by purchasing this CD at most mainstream outlets.

PaTRAM would also LOVE to hear from our listeners and supporters. If your CD purchase is on Amazon please don’t forget to post a review there, too! We would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again for your support.

The Positive Reviews Continue For PaTRAM’s “More Honourable than the Cherubim”

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PaTRAM Institute™ can barely contain their joy seeing more and more positive reviews coming in for their newest CD.

 

This week’s review comes Henry Fogel of Fanfare Magazine, a well-known and respected classical music periodical in the US.

Mr. Fogel writes, “The first quality that one notices in this choir is the sensitivity of the balancing and blending of voices.” He goes on to say, “A unique feature of this recording is the inclusion of nine octavists in the ensemble. An octavist is a singer with an extremely low bass voice, extending below the traditional bass register. It is to PaTRAM’s credit and to conductor Vladimir Gorbik that at no point is our attention distracted by this remarkable feature—the octavists become part of the ensemble and add just a touch more firm foundation to the sound.”

We urge our listeners to read the full review for complete context.

We urge our listeners to consider supporting PaTRAM Institute by purchasing this CD at most mainstream outlets.

PaTRAM would also LOVE to hear from our listeners and supporters. If your CD purchase is on Amazon please don’t forget to post a review there, too! We would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again for your support.

More Stellar Reviews Being Published For PaTRAM’s “More Honourable than the Cherubim”

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The raves continue!

PaTRAM Institute™ is ecstatic at the reviews coming in for their newest CD, “More Honourable than the Cherubim”. This week’s review comes from Daniel Jaffe of BBC Music Magazine, a prominent classical music periodical in the UK.

Referring to the CD track of Rachmaninov’s ”V molitvakh neusïlayushchuyu Bogoroditsy”, Mr. Jaffe writes, “The superb performance of this, and indeed the entire programme, makes this an outstanding album all round.” We urge our listeners to read the full review for complete context.

With PaTRAM’s new recording company, UK-based Chandos Records, this recording is getting more buzz in the UK than with their prior CDs. There are many Orthodox believers in the UK and hopefully this will fulfill their interests in prayerful, traditional Orthodox sacred music. As Mr. Jaffe also stated, “There’s no shortage of Orthodox choral discs, but here is one worth adding to anyone’s collection.”

We urge our listeners to consider supporting PaTRAM Institute by purchasing this CD at most mainstream outlets.

“More Honourable than the Cherubim” Continues Gaining Ground with Reviewers and Listeners”

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PaTRAM Institute™ is extremely proud of their newest recording and the accolades it’s garnering. MusicWeb International has posted a second review, this one from reviewer John Quinn, who is deeply affected by the sublimity of the music and its performance.

Already there is buzz about being nominated for the MusicWeb International’s Recording of the Year. Very exciting! We urge you to read Mr. Quinn’s full review, as well.

In addition to great reviews, PaTRAM™ is pleased to announce that “More Honourable than the Cherubim” has reached #4 in Amazon’s list of Hottest New Releases in the Opera and Vocal category. We would be honored if our listeners who purchased a CD would kindly write their review, as well.

Join the growing chorus of listeners who, like our critics, are amazed at the beauty of the music and sound of “More Honourable than the Cherubim”. Available on CD, via download and streaming. Here are all the outlets.

PaTRAM™ CD “More Honourable than the Cherubim” Continues To Gain Momentum With Listeners

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These are just some of the comments coming from listeners of the latest PaTRAM Institute Male Choir™ CD.

The new album, “More Honourable than the Cherubim” is receiving play time on radio stations from Alaska to Florida and California to Maine, not to mention, Canada, Australia and the UK. In addition, the CD is playing on the Syndicated channel of PRX/Classical 24, Sirius XM (Symphony Hall channel) and online on YouTube, Passion Musique et Culture, Stage and Cinema as well as MusicWeb International (as we posted last week). The album is even getting airplay on In-Flight, airline music system MOOD-Spafax.

Essentially, this masterpiece is finding airplay via many different outlets. But, one of the MOST popular outlets is Spotify where PaTRAM’s CD has garnered almost 5,000 album streams in the first 7 days of release!

Don’t be left out! Order or download your own copy of “More Honourable than the Cherubim” through a variety of CD Music outlets. You won’t be disappointed.

MusicWeb International Names Latest PaTRAM Institute™ CD, “More Honourable than the Cherubim”, Its RECORDING OF THE MONTH

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Within days of its release, MusicWeb International (an prestigious online classical music magazine) named PaTRAM Institute’s latest CD, “More Honourable than the Cherubim”, its RECORDING OF THE MONTH! An amazing accomplishment given that it was just released on July 30th.

Dan Morgan, the reviewer, said, “Nearly all the works in ‘More Honourable than the Cherubim‘ are new to me, but, as I soon discovered, there’s so much to enjoy here. Indeed, the opener, Petar Dinev’s ‘It Is Truly Meet’ has a purity of tone and certainty of line that augurs well for what’s to come. One of the most striking things about Chesnokov, as revealed in ‘Teach Me Thy Statutes‘, is the sheer strength and consistency of his work. That’s borne out by ‘O Theotokos, We Shall Never Cease Proclaiming’, the first of several contributions to this new collection. Its thrilling weight and amplitude are a pleasing foil to the Dinev; that’s a sign of astute programming. Different again is Gretchaninoff’s ‘Let us Hasten with Fervour’, the burnished, gold-leaf loveliness of this choir sure to ravish the ear and batter the heart. (Such epiphanies move me to say that as much as I admire Pavel Grigorievich’s output, that of Alexander Tikhonovich occupies a very special place in my affections.)

After just a few tracks, it’s clear this is an exceptional release. Gorbik is at once intuitive and inspired, the music-making as finely calibrated as it was in ‘Teach Me Thy Statutes’. As for Blanton Alspaugh, John Newton and Byeong-Joon Hwang’s recording, it scarcely feels like one, the listener transported, without effort, to that votive space. And, having just pledged allegiance to the great Gretchaninoff, it’s Chesnokov who tests my loyalties with ‘Let Us Pray to the Most Holy Theotokos’. The soloist, bass-baritone Mikhail Davydov, is haunting, his voice rising above the choir in fervent prayer. It’s an extraordinary effect that suggests the composer knew just how to use perspectives to dramatic/emotional advantage, as did Hector Berlioz before him. Chesnokov and Davydov return later in the programme with ‘Revealing to Thee the Pre-eternal Counsel’, the sound of which is unusually sumptuous – orchestral, even – the singing full-bodied and impeccably blended.

Those two composers – and Rachmaninoff, of course – are the most accomplished and original ones here. That said, their lesser-known counterparts reveal talents of their own. For instance, Boris Ledkovsky’s ‘We Have No Other Help’ is blessed with some of the most gorgeous colours and cadences I know. Compare that with the deftness and vigour of ‘At Thy Deathless Dormition’, by Stepan Degtiariov, or Sergiy Trubachov’s rather austere ‘Troparion to the “Donskoy” Icon of the Theotokos’, the simplicity of which is strangely moving. In each and every piece, I found myself marvelling at the versatility of this choir; not only that, they respond so warmly – and so readily – to their conductor’s sure and sympathetic guidance. The album draws to a close with a setting of ‘It Is Truly Meet’, by Constantine Schvedov, and Nikolai Uvarov’s ‘The Angel Cried Out’, both of which show these singers at their incisive best. The excellent liner-notes complete this most rewarding and desirable package.

A magnificent release, beautifully conducted, flawlessly sung and incredibly well recorded; indeed, it’s sure to be one of my Recordings of the Year.”

Click to read Dan Morgan’s complete review.