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Stories   >   The tonal blend, sectional balances, intonation, ensemble, and diction are all exquisite on PaTRAM Institute Male Choir - More Honourable than the Cherubim is / Fanfare

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The tonal blend, sectional balances, intonation, ensemble, and diction are all exquisite on PaTRAM Institute Male Choir - More Honourable than the Cherubim is / Fanfare

Posted: September 2, 2021

This disc requires some prefatory theological explanation to provide a necessary context for its contents to be generally comprehensible to persons unfamiliar with Eastern Orthodoxy. As in Roman Catholicism, albeit with significant differences in conception and expression, the Virgin Mary is the subject and object of intense veneration as the chief saintly intercessor to the Holy Trinity for faithful believers. The title Theotokos (literally "God-bearer," more commonly rendered "Mother of God"), officially promulgated for her at the fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, both signifies the centrality of her role as a mediatory intercessor and functions as an affirmation of the orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation, in which Christ as both her son and the Son of God is at once both fully human and fully divine, one person in whom those two natures are seamlessly united yet remain distinct. For the Orthodox, to exalt the Theotokos is a means of exalting Christ, and indeed all three persons of the Trinity. Crucial ancillary doctrines regarding the Theotokos include her miraculous conception of the incarnate Son by the Holy Spirit; her perpetual virginity; and her dormition (falling asleep at death) and assumption into Heaven. (In contrast to Roman Catholicism, while the Theotokos is generally held by the Orthodox to have been sinless, there is no dogma of an Immaculate Conception. Likewise, whereas many Roman Catholics hold that Mary was assumed into Heaven in lieu of death, after the manner of Enoch and Elijah, Orthodox believers hold that she first suffered a natural bodily death, and once again there is no formal dogma of her Assumption to which assent is required.)

The introduction to the booklet notes, by Tatiana Geringer, explains that originally PaTRAM had intended this disc to be devoted to music of Gretchaninov. However, the granting of permission for the Kursk Root ikon to accompany the choir to Saratov, along with several other (unspecified) providential signs, led PaTRAM to set aside its original plan and instead devote the disc to sacred hymns glorifying the Theotokos. Most of the texts fall into one of two categories. One concerns petitions to the Theotokos to act as an intercessor, either more generally for some specific purpose; these include "Let Us Pray to the Most Holy Theotokos," "O Fervent Intercessor," "The Troparion to the ‘Donskoy' Icon of the Theotokos," "We Have No Other Help," "Exaposteilarion for the ‘Kursk Root' Icon of the Theotokos," and "Beneath Thy Compassion." (A troparion-derived from "trope"-is a short hymn, most frequently but not always used for the dismissal at the evening Vespers service. An exaposteilarion-derived from "apostle"-is a hymn chanted near the end of the morning Matins service, beseeching God to enlighten the minds of the faithful so that they may offer true worship.) The other category comprises texts that glorify the Theotokos for some spiritual attribute or activity; among these are "It is Truly Meet," "O Theotokos, We Shall Never Cease Proclaiming," "Let Us Hasten With Fervour," "O Thou Joy of All the Sorrowful," "The Theotokos, Who Is Ever-Vigilant in Prayer," "At Thy Deathless Dormition," "Oh, How Sweet Is Thy Voice," and "Revealing to Thee the Pre-Eternal Counsel." In addition, there are two texts with a Christocentric focus. In "Do Not Lament Me, O Mother" the incarnate Son addresses his mother from the tomb, telling her of his imminent resurrection and glorification; in "The Angel Cried Out" an angel proclaims this same news to her and summons her to rejoice in it.

In this recording, the PaTRAM choir is 55 members strong, divided into five sections: Tenor I, Tenor II, Baritone, Bass, and Octavist (basso profundo), with a 13–12–11–10–9 distribution of members. The exceptional provision of nine octavists provides the choral sound with a rock-sold firmament of tremendous depth, and yet it is used subtly and never allowed to overwhelm the higher voice parts. The tonal blend, sectional balances, intonation, ensemble, and diction are all exquisite-no surprise, given that the singers are under the direction of Vladimir Gorbik, arguably Russia's premier conductor of sacred choral music today (see my interview with him in issue 42:3, Jan/Feb 2019). Particularly impressive are the refinement and delicacy with which this music is rendered; so often performances of this repertoire simply rely upon a massive wall of sound to bowl the listener over. And, while much of the music is contemplative in nature and hence slow in tempo, anyone who supposes that Russian Orthodox chant is devoid of vigor need only listen to Degtiariov's "At Thy Deathless Dormition" to be disabused of that notion in a hurry. In his two brief solo appearances, bass-baritone Mikhail Davydov displays a mellifluous voice with a remarkable compass (most of what he sings actually lies in a tenor range). 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.

Chandos provides its usual standard-setting recorded sound, cushioned and warm yet still clear, and a first-class booklet with notes on the music and composers by Vladimir Morosan (president of Musica Russica, the largest publisher of Russian music outside of Russia), plus artist bios and photos (including one of Chesnokov and another of the performers singing in the presence of the Kursk Root ikon-unfortunately in black and white rather than color). PaTRAM's two previous CD releases, Teach Me Thy Statutes and Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, were both Grammy nominees but not winners for Best Choral Performance. If there is any justice in this world, the third time should be the charm. Russian Orthodox choral music-indeed, choral singing period-simply doesn't get any better than this. Highest possible recommendation. James A. Altena

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