There is much to recommend this new recording of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by Cappella Romana. Excellence abounds! The elegant English translation, prepared with the blessing of Archbishop Gregorios of the Diocese of Thyateira in Great Britain, involved a committee of translators headed by the eminent Archimandrite Ephrem Lash; the musical settings, assembled with authority and expertise by Alexander Lingas and John Michael Boyer, flow and sing with the cadence of the English language; and Cappella Romana's artistic mastery of the authentic Byzantine style is fully evident. Moreover, by including a number of elements that, for one reason or another, have been suppressed in the practice of recent centuries, such as verses at the antiphons, the Prokeimenon and Alleluia, the litanies between the Gospel and the Cherubikon, and, most importantly, the "secret" prayers of the celebrant made audible, the Liturgy is heard, for the first time on a CD in English, as a coherent whole that "corresponds perfectly to the Divine Liturgy's self-description as 'Logiki latreia' (simultaneously 'spiritual' and 'reasonable worship')," to quote director Alex Lingas's article in the introductory booklet. Indeed, this recording presents a rendition of the Divine Liturgy that can serve in some respects as both a musical and a liturgical model.
There is much more that can be said about this fine production. If you are interested to learn more about the recording project, the genesis of the translation, the musical settings, and to read the text of the translation, please consult the 40-page booklet of the CD, which is posted in PDF form on the Cappella Romana website. (It's much easier to read on the website than in the minuscule typeface of the booklet.) Also, in an historic first, all the music used for the recording will available in printed form after July 20. The double CD itself (CD I-81) is available from www.musicarussica.com.
