CD Recommendations?

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Hello all!

I have recently been considering expanding my Liturgical CD collection (I only have ONE Orthodox CD so anything would be an expansion at this point!) and would like your input as to what are good CD's to buy.

Specifically I would like to get two CD's both in English; one in the Slavic style of chant, the other in the Byzantine style of chant.

Now I know some of you are going to argue that there is nothing quite like hearing the music in the original language it was written in, and while I can appreciate that from a music standpoint, from a spiritual standpoint, I don't find it edifying to listen to music I don't understand. (My father loaned me a CD he had purchased that had selections from the Christmas service in Ukrainian, and I didn't get anything out of it. :sigh: )

So, what are YOUR favorite CD's in English?

Step right up and name your favorite Liturgical CD folks!

Thanks in advance for your help!

In XC,

Maureen

[tidbit]

Topeka Girl's Choir. You can find it at Conciliar Press.

[repentant]

Honestly, can you really understand the English? When I hear chant in English, it seems very inaudible to me.

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Yes, I can understand it, as I sing it every week.

[Oblio]

Valaam !

I actually like these guys better than most 'Merican choirs. Their accent is beautiful.

[xenia]

For Christmas I received a CD of the Divine Liturgy (in English) sung by the choir of St. Vlad's. It is wonderful. You can order it here: http://www.svspress.com/product_info.php?products_id=1732

The Akathist of Thanksgiving is probably the best CD on the planet and you can order it here: http://www.saintignatiuschurch.org/akathistcd.html

(I ordered six of these from my church's bookstore to give as Nativity presents.)

[The Prokeimenon!]

Make Ready O Bethlehem (http://www.reginaorthodoxpress.com/mareobean.html) by Anaphora. This CD features myself and the lovely Anonykat. I know Nativity has passed, but this is a wonderful CD of Byzantine Chant in English. The words are clear (very easy to understand) and the music is purely traditional Byzantine.

Rdr Moses

[xenia]

Make Ready O Bethlehem (http://www.reginaorthodoxpress.com/mareobean.html) by Anaphora. This CD features myself and the lovely Anonykat. I know Nativity has passed, but this is a wonderful CD of Byzantine Chant in English. The words are clear (very easy to understand) and the music is purely traditional Byzantine.

Rdr Moses

I have that CD and it's wonderful. :thumbsup:

[The Prokeimenon!]

Here you can listen to samples of "Make Ready O Bethlehem." :) (http://www.peterandpaul.net/Music.shtml)

Rdr Moses

[eoe]

Have you seen this (http://www.valaam.ru/en/songs/mp3/)? I don't really know what rights a person has or what is exactly legal but they provide free mp3 downloads on the valaam website. It does not say that you are forbidden from burning them to cd.

I mean...... in this day and age if you post your mp3s on a website and allow people to download them that is really close to an invitation to burn them to cd. You might consider making a donation if you do burn them tho. I dunno - thoughts?

[Theophorus]

My wife listens to The Gates of Repentance from Apostolos Hill. The CD says they are Byzantine hymns of great lent. It is definitely byzantine style, in english. I believe it is a product of the Antiochians.

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Thanks for the recommendations guys! I will take them into consideration when ordering!

In XC,

Maureen

[Greg the byzantine]

My wife listens to The Gates of Repentance from Apostolos Hill. The CD says they are Byzantine hymns of great lent. It is definitely byzantine style, in english. I believe it is a product of the Antiochians.
Actually, I think Father Hill is part of the Greek Archdiocese. Either way his chanting is wonderful. The Gates of Repentance has Hymnography of Great Lent. Hymns of Paradise is the entire funeral service, and it is my favorite cd so far.

[Rilian]

I would third the recommendation of Fr. Hill, and he is from the GOA.

Two I like in the Byzantine tradition are:

Divine Liturgy of the Holy Orthodox Church of Antioch (http://www.kelfar.net/orthodoxiaradio/) with Yeronda Pandeleimon as the celebrant. He is not a native English speaker, but is very easy to understand and I actually enjoy hearing the litugy with his accent. Just as a word of warning the link has java applets which take a while to load.

Something by the Boston Byzantine Choir (http://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/multimedia/bbc.php). Everything I've heard by them is good.

[Greg the byzantine]

Divine Liturgy of the Holy Orthodox Church of Antioch (http://www.kelfar.net/orthodoxiaradio/) with Yeronda Pandeleimon as the celebrant. He is not a native English speaker, but is very easy to understand and I actually enjoy hearing the litugy with his accent. Just as a word of warning the link has java applets which take a while to load.

Oh wow, I am listening to the link now, and it sounds almost exactly like the chanters in my parish, except for the language. I like it a lot. :thumbsup:
Now I have to add this to the other things I will have to order when I am old enough to get a credit card.

And I just noticed chant in Spanish. I have always wanted to hear what that would sound like.

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Hey guys!

Does anyone have this CD?

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000260SW.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

If so, what do you think of it?

[Michael the Iconographer]

Honestly, can you really understand the English? When I hear chant in English, it seems very inaudible to me.

Yes, I understand English chant. And even if you have to listen closely to it, most of us do not speak Greek or Russian so buying most cd's in those languages is actually pointless.

[HandmaidenOfGod]

*Maureen ducks and hides as she senses another language debate insuing*

[Greg the byzantine]

Hey guys!

Does anyone have this CD?

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000260SW.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

If so, what do you think of it?
There are samples here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000260SW/104-4192416-8076727?v=glance&n=5174

But the chanting is done in Greek.

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Thanks Greg! :thumbsup:

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Okay, so after reading your recommendations and others online, here is what I ordered:

Byzantine Music In The New World (recommended by Liturgica.com)
Akathist of Thanksgiving (recommended by you guys)

And I also ordered The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom by The Greek Byzantine Choir so I could hear the Greek Chant in Greek. (You can start rejoicing now Repentent! :P ) I figured since I am very familiar with the Divine Liturgy, I should be able to follow along with it. *crosses fingers*

Thanks again for your recommendations!

In XC,

Maureen

[HandmaidenOfGod]

P.S. Isn't Greek Byzantine redundant? :confused: