Sancta Nox: A New FSSP Christmas Album

We are delighted to announce a brand-new album by the seminarians of Saint Peter Wigratzbad, to be released tomorrow.

From the website of de Montfort Music:

‘Sancta Nox’, the debut record label release by The Seminarians of Saint Peter Wigratzbad, was recorded in Germany by two of the top talents working in classical music today: 10x Grammy Award-winning producer Christopher Alder and engineer Christian Weigl, also a Grammy winner. “Sancta Nox: Christmas Matins from Bavaria by the Seminarians of Saint Peter Wigratzbad” was recorded in an ancient 12th century abbey with state-of-the-art acoustics called St. Magnus Abbey, Bad Schussenried which was custom built for monastic singing. The recording label is De Montfort Music, which has helped cultivate a new audience for ancient choral music by developing several chart-topping albums of chant. This latest recording transfigures the sound of anticipation and remembrance into something mystical and beautiful, inspiring a feeling of hope in the cycle of life and an embrace of the eternal through the gift of meditative song. SANCTA NOX: Christmas Matins from Bavaria is a uniquely curated presentation, comprising 17 tracks of sublime melody, mostly monophonic Gregorian chant but concluding with a moving multi-lingual arrangement of the beloved classic Stille Nacht.

Many have heard The Seminarians sing this Matins repertoire leading up to Christmas services over the years, often suggesting that the group record and capture this stirring moment of the season. The text – beginning with “Dómine, lábia mea aperies Et os meum annuntiábit laudem tuam” (“O Lord, open Thou my lips. And my mouth shall declare Thy praise”) – is spiritually uplifting, meant to convey souls to a particular vision of something larger to come; the effect of the music is far-reaching and timeless, bound to touch the deepest emotions of any human heart.

Samples available at de Montfort Music, and you can order a copy of this wonderful CD at fraternitypublications.com.