This new album by the Yekaterinburg Philharmonic Choir presents Alfred Schnittke’s Three Sacred Hymns and his Concerto for Choir, a setting of poems by Grigor Narekatsi (St. Gregory of Narek). Andrei Petrenko, the artistic director of the ensemble, says: “The Concerto is a unique choral canvas that blends musical layers of great profundity. The piece helps its listeners and performers to transcend their earthly existence and to explore the sublime realms that Narekatsi and Schnittke have revealed. It is an embodiment of spirituality and possesses an endless array of meanings that can only be understood through its sacred text.”