Top 11 Favourite Sacred Works

[Symphonic Addict]

At the current moment:

Boulanger (L.): Psalm 130 Du fond de l'abîme
Dvorak: Requiem
Fauré: Requiem
Finzi: In terra pax
Handel: Messiah
Lloyd: A Symphonic Mass
Poulenc: Stabat Mater
Schmidt, Franz: Das Buch mit Sieben Siegeln
Schmitt, Florent: Psalm 47
Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Vasks: Missa

Terrific choices. A huge thumbs up for the Schmitt.

[Symphonic Addict]

Of non-Henning works:
Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine
Rakhmaninov All-Night Vigil
Berlioz Grande Messe des morts
Liszt Via crucis
Bruckner Mass in e minor
Wuorinen Mass for the Restoration of St Luke's
Papa Missa in tempore belli
Victoria Missa Alma Redemptoris Mater
Tallis Mass for Four Voices
Byrd Mass for Five Voices
Clemens non papa Magnificat octavi thoni

The Monteverdi and Berlioz are extraordinary indeed.

[ritter]

...
Wuorinen Mass for the Restoration of St Luke's
...

What a beautiful work!

[Karl Henning]

What a beautiful work!

That it is!

[Symphonic Addict]

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
Janacek: Glagolitic Mass
Schmitt: Psaume XLVII
Taneyev: At the Reading of a Psalm
Berlioz: Te Deum
Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Virgine 1610
Duruflé: Requiem
Kastalsky: Requiem for the Fallen Brothers
Bruckner: Te Deum
Braunfels: Te Deum
Szymanowski: Stabat Mater

[vandermolen]

Bloch: Sacred Service
Fricker: The Vision of Judgement
Kastalsky: Requiem for Fallen Brothers (I told you lot that it was good! )
Howells: Hymnus Paradisi
Durufle: Requiem
Szymanowski: Stabat Mater
Vaughan Williams: Sancta Civitas
Foulds: A World Requiem (rather in the spirit of the Kastalsky)
Preisner: Requiem for My Friend
Finzi: Requiem da camera
Holst: Psalm 86

Not sure if these are all officially 'Sacred'

[kyjo]

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
Janacek: Glagolitic Mass
Schmitt: Psaume XLVII
Taneyev: At the Reading of a Psalm
Berlioz: Te Deum
Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Virgine 1610
Duruflé: Requiem
Kastalsky: Requiem for the Fallen Brothers
Bruckner: Te Deum
Braunfels: Te Deum
Szymanowski: Stabat Mater

These could've easily been my choices - except I don't know the Monteverdi and Kastalsky yet. The Taneyev work struck me as having by far the best music in its first few movements (that opening is something else!) - I was rather disappointed by the majority of the rest of the work by comparison. Could just be the recording I listened to (Pletnev on Pentatone), which I found didn't have very satisfactory vocal soloists.

[Cato]

Wow!  From 2013!  Given the other symphony topic from 2007, this must be Wayback Machine Day!   

This is the one I bought and am more than satisfied: the notes mention Brahms praising von Suppe's sacred music most highly, so that should be the ultimate recommendation!

[asin]B00ARWDRVU[/asin]

I also mentioned the Psalm 150 by Cesar Franck, a work often sung by the parish choir when I was a child, and a marvelous little piece.

Unfortunately, there are few recordings of this available...at least via Amazon.

Not to be forgotten, Bruckner's marvelous miniature Os Iusti!


https://www.youtube.com/v/ov-OAmpcRfw

[Symphonic Addict]

Bloch: Sacred Service
Fricker: The Vision of Judgement
Kastalsky: Requiem for Fallen Brothers (I told you lot that it was good! )
Howells: Hymnus Paradisi
Durufle: Requiem
Szymanowski: Stabat Mater
Vaughan Williams: Sancta Civitas
Foulds: A World Requiem (rather in the spirit of the Kastalsky)
Preisner: Requiem for My Friend
Finzi: Requiem da camera
Holst: Psalm 86

Not sure if these are all officially 'Sacred'

Better late than never. 

[Symphonic Addict]

These could've easily been my choices - except I don't know the Monteverdi and Kastalsky yet. The Taneyev work struck me as having by far the best music in its first few movements (that opening is something else!) - I was rather disappointed by the majority of the rest of the work by comparison. Could just be the recording I listened to (Pletnev on Pentatone), which I found didn't have very satisfactory vocal soloists.

I don't know any other recording of the Taneyev, but I do recall being pleased by the whole work.

[vandermolen]

Better late than never. 

Haha 

[amw]

Bach - Mass in B minor
Bach - St Matthew Passion
Beethoven - Missa Solemnis
Schubert - Mass in E flat
Byrd - Mass for five voices
Mozart - Requiem
Zelenka - Requiem in c minor (ZWV 48?)
Ferneyhough - Missa brevis
Stravinsky - Requiem Canticles (if I had to pick favourites, this one would arm-wrestle the B minor mass and Missa Solemnis for the top spot)
Stravinsky - Threni
Ligeti - Requiem

I have no coherent memories from the year 2013, but apparently had a similar taste in sacred music.

Updated list would probably include:
Bach B minor mass
Bach St Matthew Passion
Bach St John Passion
Beethoven Missa Solemnis
Browne Salve Regina I & II
Dvořák Stabat Mater
Finnissy Seven Sacred Motets
Gesualdo Tenebrae
Josquin Ave Maria
Machaut Motets (no, I will not pick just one)
Palestrina Stabat Mater
Ratkje Crepuscular Hour
Schubert Mass in E flat
Stravinsky Requiem Canticles
Stravinsky Threni
Tallis Lamentations
Weeks Mala Punica (ok, Song of Songs is stretching the definition of "sacred" a bit)

... I feel like an interesting constraint for a thread topic might be "top 10 favourite non-Roman Catholic sacred works".

[kyjo]

I don't know any other recording of the Taneyev, but I do recall being pleased by the whole work.

I see there's also a Svetlanov recording, but I'm not as great a fan of his recordings as you and others here are.