Some weeks ago we posted two performances of the same Bruckner motet, one from a Delos recording, and the other from a live concert. We do the same today. Which do you like better? There are some clear differences this time around: 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, as was the case with the two Bruckner versions, 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. Feel free to share your opinions/comments on the YouTube page!

– Dennis Keene

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.