Dresden's famous Kreuzchor, one of the most traditional boys' choirs in the world, embarks on a new project! This recording marks the launch of a spectacular CD series oriented towards the great Ecclesiastical festivals and high days, capturing the mood and religious background of the church calendar in musical form. The selected works are all taken from the choir's popular repertoire, with special emphasis on composers of Saxony.

The church's four most recent directors of music are united in this collection, in which great sacred choral music illustrates the development of the boys' choir from the beginning of the stereo era to the present day.

Psalm recitals played a large role in Schutz's composing life, and the reason the Psalms of David play such a significant part in the repertoire of the boys' choir of the Dresden Kreuzkirche is the spiritual and stylistic wealth of works, which can be plumbed for so many solemn or joyful occasions. To imagine the Dresden Kreuzchor without the music of Heinrich Schutz is all but impossible in this day and age. Though Schutz was himself never a choirboy there, his oeuvre represents the most significant and long-lasting contribution to the repertoire of this boys' choir, which looks back on a musical tradition of more than 700 years.

With a tradition going back to the 13th century this highly regarded boyschoir, with its full compliment of 120 voices is ideally suited to large scale compositions. The accoustics of the Kreuzirche contribute to a romantic sound even when the emphasis is on transparency, subtly shading of expression and clarity of articulation. Apart from sacred composistions by Johannes Bach, Asnton Buckner and Max Reger, all masterpieces of romantic choral music, this program also includes some lesser-known composers. Among them are Heinrich Kaminski, director of the Berlin Choir, whose works were banned by the Nazis.

The songs on this recording rangs from simple numbers like ' Gluck auf!' (the miners call of good luck) and ' Der Mond ist aufgegangen' (the moon has risen) to variant forms with astringent harmonies, like Max Reger's ' Bald gras ich am Neckar'. The artful polyphony of ' Es geht ein dunkle Wolk' in the setting by Hugo Distler and in Ludwig Senff's 'Entlaubet ist der Walde' also shows how fruitfully composers of various periods have engaged themselves with folk songs. Beautifully sung, well recorded, all a cappella.

The top-notch children's choir sings traditional Christmas carols including works by Brahms, Max Reger, Anton Bruckner, Handel and Mendelssohn.