Solesmes recordings
  • Flares
    Posts: 4
    What do you make of the recordings from Solesmes? I will purchase some gregorian chant cd's (I have none) and it seems that it is best o start from Solesmes cd's.

    Specifically, I am thinking about the recording called "Latin Liturgy" (2cd's) and one of their cd's on the Vespers and Compline (what is the difference between those cd's by the way?).

    Any thoughts are welcome.
  • Mark P.
    Posts: 248
    You are, of course, free to order recordings from Solesmes. My favorite Gregorian chant recordings are done by the Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle. Do a search on Amazon for samples. Exquisite to my ears.
  • Flares
    Posts: 4

    You are, of course, free to order recordings from Solesmes. My favorite Gregorian chant recordings are done by the Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle. Do a search on Amazon for samples. Exquisite to my ears.


    Yes, Mark, they sound very good. Their 6 volume is to be reissued by Newton Classics, so I'll wait for it.

    On the other hand, I am really interested in a recording of the Compline and since Solesmes has recorded it, I thought it would be an easy bet (well, one would expect that they sing under Solesmes tradition, all-male, no organ drones etc). I looked into pasts threads and I noticed that it is not always the case that their cd's are good and, to complicate things, they have 2 different cd's of the Compline, which unfortunately I could understand their difference (besides being recorded in different times and possibly and different direction).

    Now, regarding "Latin Liturgy" (2cd's), I am interested in it because it features the "Nunc Dimittis", "Sub tuum praesidium" and it is in Solesmes tradition, all-male, no organ drones. But I don't know how good their rendition is in this recording.
  • RobertRobert
    Posts: 343
    You can't go wrong with Solesmes recordings from any era, if these are going to be the first chant recordings you own.

    The Vespers and Compline record from the 1980s, Dom Claire directing, is one of the better recordings. You should be aware that it is monastic Compline that they sing, which differs in many ways from the Compline that would be sung in churches.

    "Latin Liturgy" features a lot of better known chant pieces, many of them more accurately described as Latin plainsong than Gregorian chant. They are very tastefully rendered on this recording. A better introduction to the true Gregorian repertoire would be the CD "Gregorian Sampler"; the set of 1930 HMV recordings is also a solid introduction and very charming, if you don't mind the scratchy recording quality.

    "Sundays in Ordinary Time", one of the more recent recordings, is also very good.
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