'There is nothing like entering a church on a Saturday, standing in the semi-darkness with the scent of incense wafting through the air, lost in deep contemplation searching for an answer to those perennial questions, wherefore, when, whither and why?' These words, from one of Tchaikovsky's own letters, sum up the spirit behind the glorious Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Op 41. The work is steeped in the Orthodox tradition, the choral writing provides that sense of transparency and simplicity demanded by the text, and the resulting ambience is rich in the manner familiar to Western listeners from works such as Rachmaninov's Vespers. This recording also includes ten choruses to texts many of which are taken from the Liturgy. The first nine were published together in 1885, while the tenth, An angel crying, was lost shortly after its first performance in 1887 and only rediscovered thirteen years after the composer's death.

This recording features choral works by some of the great American composers. The Corydon Singers, led by Matthew Best sing Leonard Bernstein's 'Chichester Psalms,' Aaron Copland's 'In the Beginning' and three motets and Samuel Barber's 'Agnus Dei.' The 'Chichester Psalms,' originally orchestrated, are accompanied by organ, harp and percussion with boy soprano Dominic Martelli. Copland's 'In the Beginning' for soprano solo and unaccompanied chorus features mezzo-soprano Catherine Denley. Barber's 'Agnus Dei' is a choral arrangement of his much loved 'Adagio for Strings.' The music on this recording is beautifully sung by a great choir.

The Corydon Singers' recording of Rachmaninov's Vespers is extremely moving and beautifully sung. Conducted by Matthew Best with soloists Joya Logan, alto and John Bowen, tenor, it is an outstanding version. The choir has a very warm and rich sound, especially from the basses. This piece requires an enormous range of color from the more introverted 'Blagoslovi, dushe moya' to the wildly joyful 'Khvalite imya Gospodi.' This performance is one of the finest interpretations of this piece.

In the catalogue of Britten's compositions those involving a chorus, often without instrumental or orchestral accompaniment loom large. They stretch right across his working life, beginning in 1929 and ending in the Op 95 his last completed score finished a few months before his death. The four pieces recorded here belong in the first half of that period, the earliest of them dates from 1933, the latest from 1949, perhaps his most productive period. Mathew Best, as usual, does a wonderful job bringing these works to life.