Concertos for Choir Nos. XVI, III, XXV, V, XXVII (Part 3)

Released in 1988, this recording captures the resurgence of interest in the liturgical choral works of Dimitri Bortniansky, an 18th-century composer who served as the director of the Imperial Chapel Choir in St. Petersburg. The production features the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir under the direction of Valery Polyansky, whose work during this era was instrumental in bringing Russian sacred music back into the public repertoire as Soviet cultural restrictions began to ease.

The recording is notable for its austere, unadorned presentation, characteristic of the era's state-sanctioned classical releases. Polyansky’s interpretation aimed to highlight the rigorous counterpoint and expressive melodic lines that define Bortniansky's 'concertos,' which were designed to elevate the Orthodox liturgical experience. As a label-less or limited-distribution pressing, the record reflects the scholarly and niche nature of its production, prioritizing historical preservation over commercial packaging.