books and cds

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Recommended books

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	Josef Pieper Only the Lover Sings, Art and Contemplation Ignatius Press Read review by Hamilton Reed Armstrong
	John Saward The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty, Art, Sanctity & Truth of Catholicism Ignatius Press Read review by Hamilton Reed Armstrong
	Paul Hillier Arvo Pärt Oxford Studies of Composers, Oxford University Press Read review by Mark Nowakowski
	Alain Bensançon The Forbidden Image, An Intellectual History of Iconoclasm Oxford Studies of Composers, Oxford University Press. Read review by Hamilton Reed Armstrong
	Robert R Reilly Surprised by Beauty: A Listeners Guide to the Recovery of Modern Music Published by Morley Books Read review by Mark Nowakowski

Recommended CDs AND MUSIC

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	Pavel Lukaszewski: Via Crucis Pawel Lukaszewski's Via Crucis presents us with a rare occurrence in the world of modern music: a prayerful, deliberately religious new work of Catholic music, infused with meaning and many layers of symbolism. Having witnessed a skilled live performance of the work, this review will concentrate on not only the recent Polyphony recording, but also on live-performance viability of the piece. Click to read review.
	Fr. Dawid Kusz: Witaj Maryjo When our Church leaders talk about creating art within the tradition of the Church, Dawid Kusz's music might be exactly what they are ordering. A recently ordained Dominican, the Krakow-based Fr. Kusz writes with an incredible expressive range, all while remaining faithful to ancient forms and textual clarity. Click to read review.
	Arvo Pärt: Da Pacem In "Da Pacem," the noted Arvo Part scholar Paul Hillier once again leads the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir in another spectacular effort-- one that earned this CD a Grammy for Best Choral Performance of 2006 and universal critical acclaim. Click to read review.
	Richard Toensing: Kontakian on the Nativity of Christ Richard Toensing's Kontakian on the Nativity of Christ presents us with a unique offering amongst the selection of Foundation music reviews. Toensing's aim is to reconcile the sounds of the Eastern tradition with American hymnody, and he does so admirably. Click to read review.
	Henyrk Gorecki: Miserere After the Elektra recording of the Third Symphony, this is probably the finest Gorecki experience available in the recorded audio realm. Click to read review.
	Arvo Pärt: Te Deum It is rare that a studio recording can capture the brilliance and emotion of a truly special live performance. In their recording of Part, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir does not dissapoint. Click to read review.
	John Tavener: Children of Men - Original Motion Picture Score The critically acclaimed apocalyptic 2006 British film "Children of Men" received three Oscar nominations and won three British Academy Film and Television Arts awards. What might surprise some is that the film carries a deep Christian undercurrent. Click to read review.

COMPARISON REVIEWS OF RECORDINGS

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Henryk Gorecki: Symphony no. 3 "Sorrowful Songs"
Gorecki: Symphony no. 3
The Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) is one of the best-selling pieces of the 20th century, while also being one of the most recorded works of the modern era. Reverent, tragic, and unflinching in its post-modern stylings, the third symphony earned composer Henryk Gorecki as much criticism as it did praise. Click to read review.

Morten Lauridsen: Lux aeterna
Whenever I am seeking to introduce somebody to new music, or perhaps blunt their opinion of modern art, I turn to composers like Lauridsen to show the way. Often shunned by modernists, Lauridsen's music certainly represents a clear continuity in the history of sacred music while remaining fresh and engaging to the modern ear. Click to read review.

DUAL CD/DVD REVIEWS

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Oratorio Voices of Light: The Passion of Joan of Arc (DVD)

Richard Einhorn: Voices of Light (original motion picture score for The Passion of Joan of Arc)

Despite being written almost eight decades after the making of this film, Richard Einhorn's score is a perfect fit to the film. Effective, moving, and well-deserving of the critical acclaim it has garnered over the years, it is difficult not to think that the marriage of film and score was not somehow divinely intended. Click to read review.