Alexander Knaifel - Chapter Eight

“It is amazing with what a deep sense of beauty this composition for church, choruses and cello is imbued” said Mstislav Rostropovich on first experiencing Chapter Eight.  Basing the music on the Old Testament Song of Songs, The Song of Solomon,  Russian composer Alexander Knaifel (1943-2024) conceived of Chapter Eight as a “community prayer” to be realized “in the most reverberant church acoustics.” The subtle blending of sounds is central to a work “without plot or drama”, as Knaifel said, but by no means without mystery.  Here cellist Patrick Demenga is called upon to renounce a soloist’s role and surrender to the combined utterances of the three choirs, under the direction of Estonian conductor Andres Mustonen, and the pervading atmosphere of the church.  The album was recorded in Lucerne’s Jesuitenkirche, built in the Baroque era, and long renowned for its exceptional acoustic properties.