Today we're sharing two performances of the same piece, one from a Delos recording, and the other from a live concert. Which do you like better? There are some clear differences: the CD has 29 singers, the concert 44; the CD performance is technically flawless, the concert has a blurry moment here and there; the Delos sound is phenomenal – ambient but crystal clear, the sound from the concert is distant because you can’t place microphones exactly where you want when there is an audience present. And the CD is carefully edited while the concert has the spontaneity of doing it live. This wonderful Russian Orthodox piece is one of our signature pieces. We did the first New York performances when its modern edition came out in 1991, and the Delos CD was the first recording of this piece to be made, and may still be the only one.

– Dennis Keene, Artistic Director

NIKOLAI TOLSTIAKOV Blagoslovi, dushe moya, Ghospoda (Bless the Lord, O My Soul)

Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director

from the Delos recording Hear My Prayer ℗ 2004 Delos
and recorded live in concert, February 5, 2015, Church of the Ascension, NYC

The singers in these performances are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.