“America” was the title of the first CD in a new series of recordings, each dedicated to the choral music of a different country, by the Maserati of contemporary choirs, the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart. What could be better than to have followed “America” than “Russia”?! The peculiarities of Russian choral compositions are immediately apparent - only since 1880s, has it been allowed to print sacred music – while Moscow developed into a center of choral singing and many composers were able to enjoy international successes with their works.

This CD offers a wide range of Russian composers who composed in the tradition of Orthodox Church music, ranging from Mikhail Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Sergei Taneyev and Sergei Rachmaninoff to Alfred Schnittke and Sofia Gubaidulina, from romantic-nationalist musical settings of the 19th century to the more intensely expressionist sounds of the two more recent composers. This CD is a treat for the ears: both a recording where you can hear the outstanding virtuosity of the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, and an opportunity to discover a number of previously under-represented works.