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I was looking forward to receiving this CD because I love chant and because I had walked some of the Camino de Santiago. It was in Burgos, Spain that I heard about the CD. But the CD was a disappointment because there was very little variety in the chants and they all began to sound all alike. I found myself getting bored.
If you got turned onto Gregorian chants by listening to 'the voice of Enigma' album, you may be as bored and disappointed as I was with this CD.
The Spanish recording seems regimented, in contrast to that of the Austrian Cistercian monks of 2008, who seem quite sublime, un-regimented, and singing only in response to their devotion to God. I purchased this version of the monks of Santo Dominto De Silos at the same time I bought the 2008 edition of the Gregorian chant by the Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz (Chant: Music for the Soul). While the effort of the Santo Domingo monks was highly praised when it was released, I fully understand why the version by the Cistercian monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz was so brightly hailed. Even so, this recording by the Spanish monks is clear, pure, and by the books; it is authentic. If you are interested in Gregorian chant, you should have a chant rendition of this style in your repetoire because these fellows deliver it in a style considered normal in the recording world before their performance was usurped for many by the Austrian monks.
This is superb. The passion in the voices melts my heart.I can hear the longing for Christ in their voices. One of my all time favorites.
The voices are mystical and haunting and at the same time so peaceful, each of the singers is so insync with the others. I am a writer, so I got this CD to listen to while I write. Each chant on this CD is a jewel in its self. When listening to this CD, I feel like I am transported into a medieval abbey surrounded by gregorian chant. I have heard many gregorian chant albums and this is by far one of best, it had the richness and a haunting, beautiful quality that many of them lack.
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