This is a specially-priced, 4-CD boxed set of four popular albums from the Voices of Ascension series: Beyond Chant – Mysteries of the Renaissance (DE 3165) From Chant to Renaissance (DE 3174) Mysteries Beyond – Songs and Chants in Praise of Mary (DE 3138), and Hear My Prayer (DE 3300). This sumptuous survey of great choral music was recorded in the warm, natural acoustic of the Church of the Ascension in New York City, with Delos’ “demonstration standard” sound (Gramophone). Further accolades come from Billboard Classical Charts — ” … a wonderfully satisfying cross section of Renaissance music”; USA Today — “A classy offering.. memorable…”; New York Daily News — “Sheer musical excellence … Mr. Keene drew an intensity from his singers that effectively tapped into both the meditative and ecstatic currents of the music.”; The New York Times — “The choral sound of the Voices of Ascension represents the finest in American choral music.”; Stereophile — “… a cohesive, gorgeously blended ensemble.” The New York Times added, “As for Dennis Keene, there isn’t a better choral conductor around.”
Keene writes: “The setting was the place where we originated, and where we still perform: the Church of the Ascension, the oldest church building on Fifth Avenue."
The set offers more than 4 1/2 hours of choral masterpieces, including Gregorian Chant and music by Bach-Gounod, Bainton, Batten, Bruckner, Byrd, Casals, Dufay, Durufle, Farrant, Faure, Franck, Gibbons, Hassler, Hildegard v. Bingen, Holst, Howells, Ingegneri, Isaac, Josquin Desprez, Lassus, Leo, Lotti, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Palestrina, Parry, Schubert, Schutz, Stanford, Stradella/Niemeyer, Sweelinck, Tallis, Tchaikovsky, Thompson, Tolstiakov, Tye, Viadana, Victoria, and Weelkes.
