He Was Placed In The Tomb (1997)

Solesmes' He Was Placed in the Tomb contains the Gregorian Office for Holy (or "Great") Saturday, the evening service that observes the time Christ spent in the bonds of death; it is signified by the lighting of the candle of Paschali. The ancient Christian church recognized this as a time for fasting, and some churches still observe this practice on Holy Saturday -- it is a somber and serious service, though not without some element of anticipation of the joy to come when Easter arrives. This performance of the Office is ... Read More

Solesmes' He Was Placed in the Tomb contains the Gregorian Office for Holy (or "Great") Saturday, the evening service that observes the time Christ spent in the bonds of death; it is signified by the lighting of the candle of Paschali. The ancient Christian church recognized this as a time for fasting, and some churches still observe this practice on Holy Saturday -- it is a somber and serious service, though not without some element of anticipation of the joy to come when Easter arrives. This performance of the Office is by the Monastic Choir of St. Peter's Abbey in Solesmes, presumably from their own edition, which has been the Vatican standard since 1903. Recorded in 1996, this is one of the very last recordings of the Solesmes Choir as led by its longtime director, the late Dom Jean Claire, who retired shortly thereafter. The choir is in excellent voice; the pacing of the chant is as it should be and the acoustic in the Abbey Church at Solesmes is warm and bathes the voices in a benevolent... Read Less