The concerto is an a cappela work of symphonic organization - a vast four-movement work for a sixteen-part mixed choir treated in an orchestral fashion. The work could not be used in a liturgical context, but it invokes the music of the Russian Ortodox Church in several ways. The text is taken from 'Book of Mournful Songs' by the tenth-century Armenian author Gregory of Narek in a Russian translation. Outstanding: International Record Review, BBC Music Magazine.