Tchaikovsky: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Excerpts) & 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78 Latvian Radio Choir & Sigvards Kļava

• Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowski (1840 - 1893): Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Concert Version):
• 1 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Concert Version): No. 2, Glory Be to the Father 03:04
• 2 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Concert Version): No. 3, Come, Let Us Worship 03:43
• 3 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Concert Version): No. 6, Cherubic Hymn 06:02
• 4 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Concert Version): No. 8, The Creed 04:48
• 5 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Concert Version): No. 9, A Mercy of Peace 04:24
• 6 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Concert Version): No. 10, We Hymn to Thee 02:41
• 7 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Concert Version): No. 11, It Is Truly Fitting 03:26
• 8 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Concert Version): No. 13, Our Father 03:25
• 9 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Concert Version): No. 14, Praise the Lord 02:32
• 10 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Concert Version): No. 15, Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord 03:26
• 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78:
• 11 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78: No. 1, Cherubic Hymn No. 1 in F Major 06:05
• 12 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78: No. 2, Cherubic Hymn No. 2 in D Major 05:51
• 13 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78: No. 3, Cherubic Hymn No. 3 in C Major 06:01
• 14 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78: No. 4, We Hymn Thee 03:20
• 15 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78: No. 5, It Is Truly Fitting 03:03
• 16 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78: No. 6, Our Father 03:16
• 17 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78: No. 7, Blessed Are They Whom Thou Hast Chosen 03:23
• 18 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78: No. 8, Let My Prayer Ascend 03:53
• 19 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78: No. 9, Now the Heavenly Powers 04:43
• Total Runtime 01:17:06

Info for Tchaikovsky: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Excerpts) & 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78

During the last decade, the recordings of sacred vocal works released on Ondine by the Latvian Radio Choir under their director Sigvards Kļava have gathered outstanding reviews and gathered several awards. This impressive cycle of recordings continue with a new album of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s (1840-1893) sacred works.

In 1877, Tchaikovsky wrote in a letter to Nadezhda von Meck: “I often go to the public worship; in my opinion, the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is one of the greatest works of art… Oh, I love all that terribly, it is one of my greatest pleasures.” Tchaikovsky enjoyed attending worship services, visited them regularly and always showed interest in sacred music, especially in the music of the Orthodox Church. Already relatively early in his career, in 1875, he issued “A short textbook of harmony, adapted to the reading of spiritual and musical compositions in Russia”, which in 1881 was approved as a textbook of church singing in theological seminaries and colleges. The same year, Tchaikovsky started editing the works of Dmitry Bortnyansky, a pioneer of sacred Orthodox music. However, he encountered problems with various institutions – the Imperial Chapel, the censorship authorities, as well as some conservative church officials who were more comfortable with smaller-caliber composers to whom they could have more authority when needed. Tchaikovsky wished to reform sacred Orthodox music but at the same to draw inspiration from the traditions of past centuries. Prime example of this is Tchaikovsky’s monumental work in sacred Orthodox music, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41. The Nine Sacred Choruses were written some years later. This work is not a cycle in the basic meaning of the word, but rather a collection, and another affirmation of Tchaikovsky’s skills as one of the greatest composers of Orthodox sacred music.

Latvian Radio Choir
Sigvards Kļava, conductor

The Latvian Radio Choir (LRC)
ranks among the top professional chamber choirs in Europe and its refined taste for musical material, fineness of expression and vocal of unbelievably immense compass have charted it as a noted brand on the world map. The repertoire of LRC ranges from the Renaissance music to the most sophisticated scores by modern composers; and it could be described as a sound laboratory – the singers explore their skills by turning to the mysteries of traditional singing, as well as to the art of quartertone and overtone singing and other sound production techniques. The choir has established a new understanding of the possibilities of a human voice; one could also say that the choir is the creator of a new choral paradigm: every singer is a distinct individual with his or her own vocal signature and roles in performances.

Sigvards Kļava
is one of the most outstanding Latvian conductors, also a professor of conducting and producer, music director of the Latvian Radio Choir since 1992. As a result of Sigvards Klava’s steady efforts, the Latvian Radio Choir has become an internationally recognized, vocally distinctive collective, where each singer possesses a creative individuality. Under Sigvards’ guidance, the choir has recorded a number of choral works by little known or completely forgotten composers of the past, as well as formed a friendly collaboration with a number of notable Latvian composers. Sigvards Klava is a professor at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music. Klava is a multiple winner of the Latvian Great Music Award.

Booklet for Tchaikovsky: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41, TH 75 (Excerpts) & 9 Sacred Pieces, TH 78