Mary Queen of Angels (mp3 download)

Item No. 009935D

by Various Choirs

in various languages

This recording collects together hymns in honor of the Virgin Mary, spanning a wide range of liturgical chant forms. Included in the eastern tradition are selections by L. Angelopoulos and the Greek Byzantine Choir, Divna and the Melodi Choir, the Choir of Nuns of the Monastery of St. Elisabeth (Minsk, Belorus), and the Choir of Monks of Simonas Petras monastery (Mount Athos, Greece). Included in the western tradition are the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos, the Monks of the Abbey of St Madeline du Barroux, the Carmelites nuns of Carmel of the Saints (Pecs, Hungary), and the Monks of Abbey de Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire. With the exception of "Agni Partheni" (a semi-liturgical hymn of praise), the hymn selection is chant from across the liturgical year.

From the review by Jospeh Metzinger:

The originality of this program resides in the fusion of Gregorian and Orthodox chants with recordings of the best interpretations of this field of music. This recording presents a wide variety of chants in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary from liturgical sources used in Roman Catholic and Greek, Slavic and Serbian Byzantine traditions. There are a total of 18 chants performed by eight different choirs. . . .

While I was amazed at the diversity of the Eastern and Western styles in this collection unified by chants to the Queen of Angels, I was more drawn to the feeling of harmony and prayerful continuity evident across the different traditions. For instance I had never noticed the similar effect of the choral ison—vocal drones—used in the Orthodox chants and the soft organ accompaniments heard in the recordings of the De Silos monks. Most of all, the delight of moving from East to West, from energetic monks to delicate, sweet choirs of nuns seemed somehow completely fitting to the veneration of Mary, equally glorified in both Roman and Byzantine Christian traditions.

Artist: Eight different choirs

Also available as a CD

Salve Mater Misericordiae, Cantique

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Devant ta Grace Imcomparable

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Rejouis-toi Vierge, Mere de Dieu