A winning new recording by St. Louis musicians should demonstrate to anyone's satisfaction that the local classical scene is alive and well.
The St. Louis Chamber Chorus is surely the most consistent commissioner of new works — all for a cappella chorus — in the region. This disc, with music by both long-established and up-and-coming composers, offers some of the Chamber Chorus' most significant commissions in a studio recording.
Recorded in the nave of Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in south St. Louis by engineer Barry Hufker, it offers beautiful singing, clean sound and engaging music. Although Ned Rorem is the big name here, and his "Ode to Man," from Sophocles' "Antigone," is an important work, it's not the most impressive of the works on the disc.
