It is for good reason that Chesnokov's Salvation is created and Let Thy Good Spirit, both from his opus 25, are perennial favorites with choirs. They are harmonically expressive, richly scored, and employ colorful contrasts between the male and treble groups of voices. We Have No Other Help is cut from the same choral cloth as the other two works, but it is practically unknown, both in Russia and elsewhere, and would have to remained so if it were not for our friend and colleague Ken Fulton from LSU, who commissioned an edition of it and proceeded to perform it as an All-State piece in at least half a dozen southern states. Imagine a Russian choral piece that's better known in Texas than in Moscow! |
