Review: Russian romantic songs provide an inexhaustible source of poetic figures and wonderful melodies. All major Russian composers have occupied themselves with this genre and the tradition of the classical romance can even be observed in the works of Soviet artists. Here the Don Cossacks present a harmonious combination of vocal and instrumental works and reward the listener with a fascinating series of typical works by Russian composers offering prime examples of the immense spectrum of Russian vocal lyricism, as only they can.

Songlist: How young we were, The Rustling of the Birches, Mussorgsky Fantasy, Ljubo, bratcy, Ljubo,, Brothers, Life's Good!, Evening Song, Pesjna Tomskogo, Song From The Opera, Chorus from the opera Khovanshchina, No not hurry, A Cossack once rode across the Danube river, You are my melody, A Joyce's Waltz, Autumn Dream, Russian Fields, A Russian Ri=omance

Review: The Christmas concert, with Russian and German Christmas carols, was recorded in one of Germany's most beautiful Baroque churches. In addition to the well known sacred songs such as "In dulci jubilo" and Russian pieces like "Gospodie Pomuli", Wanja Hlibka delved deeply into the ways of both cultures. The a cappella version of "Es ist ein Ros entspungen", for example, enchanted the 1700 concert goers with the Kosaken's Russian melancholy..... a moving and grandiose experience. The church's interior, when one considers the basilica's dimensions, presents a challenge to a vocal ensemble. With a depth of over eighty meters, it requires the vocal power of the Russian operatic soloists comprising Wanja Hlibka's choir to elicit the necessary charisma from the vocally sophisticated arrangements and to captivate the audience in the way that they did. The atmosphere of the concert, dependent on the desired expression and dynamic, ranges from a peaceful, quiet, almost gentle honoring of the child in the manger to an enormous room-filling song of praise proclaiming the joy at the birth of the Redeemer.

Songlist: Credo, Neude Freude Ist Uber Uns Gekommen, Christus Ist Geboren, Gott Sei Mit Uns, In Dulci Jubilo, Oh Kommet Ihr Glaubigen, Tedeum Laudamus, Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen, Gospodie Pomilui, Sisser Die Glocken Nie Klingen, Russischer Weihnachtsgesang, Die Glocken Von Jerusalem, In Der Kirche, Leise Rieselt Der Schnee, Ich Bete An Die Macht Der Liebe

Review: The rich and emotional music of the Russian Orthodox Church is seldom heard in the Western world, making this treasure an even greater enhancement to the spectrum of the Edition. No western and few Russian ensembles can communicate the Orthodox liturgy as convincingly as the legitimate successors to Serge Jaroff's legendary Don Cossacks Choir. Rarely to be found on a west European release, the compositions especially selected for the liturgically conceived Musica Sacra reveal a surprising new insight into the high art of sacred Russian music and tradition.

Songlist: Grosse Bitt Litanei - Vater unser, Wir verbeugen uns vor Deinem Kreuz, Herr erbarme Dich unser, Heiliger Gott, In der Kirche, Credo, Unter Deiner Gnade, Gott sei mit uns, Erster Psalm Davids, Tedeum Laudamus