This is the second compilation recording to feature sacred choral classics conducted by Robert Shaw. The baroque era is represented by Vivaldi's Gloria and J.S. Bach's Magnificat; the classical and romantic periods include selections from Mozart's Requiem, and the Verdi and Berlioz Requiems; and the twentieth century is well-represented with selections from the Poulenc Mass in G Major, the Durufle Requiem, and Mahler's Symphony No. 8, the "Symphony of a Thousand." Operatic selections are included by composers Arrigo Boito (the "Prologue" from Mephistofele), and Pietro Mascagni (the "Regina coeli" from Cavalleria rusticana). Also contributing to the dramatic sense of contrast on this recording is the juxtapositioning of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus with the ethereal, a capella sounds of the Shaw Festival Singers, who are highlighted in "Bless the Lord, O my soul," from Rachmaninoff's Vespers; and in the "Agnus Dei" from the Poulenc Mass in G Major.