The choral music of the Russian Orthodox Church is designed to set the soul soaring beyond earthly cares. Sung by the finest Russian and Bulgarian choirs, this extraordinary collection of transcendent prayers and hymns highlights a timeless Russian tradition of faith and devotion. Lush harmonies float in space, angelic high voices pour down from heaven, deep bass voices intone from the center of the earth, and the great bronze bells toll with awesome grandeur. The solemn ecstasy in the music of the Russian Orthodox Church can trace its roots back to the earliest days of Christian worship, via the great Byzantine Empire of the Near East. It presents an uncompromising search for peaks and depths of expressive fervor, aloof from all gimmicks. That was true of the music's multi-cultural roots as monastic chant, and was maintained as it evolved into full choral harmony in the late Romantic period.