Review "Warm and consistent tone throughout the evening." Paul Salamunavich, Conductor Emeritus, Los Angeles Masterwork Chorale --Paul Salamunavich (Live at the concert) Review A great night minus the L.A. flight: CD relives a stellar SCSO show. Edward Ortiz - Sacramento Bee - December 21, 2009 For the 185-member Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, the release of "Eternal Light," is a milestone. It not only marks the 12-year-old organization's entry into the online commercial retail sale of recordings, it's a celebration of the SCSO's first tour with its own orchestra. That's no small matter, since few U.S. choral groups operate their own orchestras. The recording was made during the SCSO's June tour performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. That date saw the chorus and orchestra perform Mozart's "Requiem" and Morten Lauridsen's five-movement "Lux Aeterna." It was one of the SCSO's best performances to date and showed how the organization took to the stellar acoustics at Disney Hall. Sonically, that performance was a stark contrast to the SCSO's past performances at the Community Center Theater. The "Requiem" features strong solo performances by soprano Sandra Rubalcava and mezzo soprano Oksana Sitnitska. The CD also captures tenor Robert MacNeil's vivid performance, which proved a highlight of the "Requiem." "Eternal Light," which the SCSO has self released, can be purchased online. It is priced at $15. --Edward Ortiz - Sacramento Bee - December 21, 2009 Review Local Choral Group Releases CD by E. Haig - Sacramento Gazette, Friday, January 2, 2009 The Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra (SCSO) celebrated its twelfth anniversary last June by traveling en masse to Los Angeles where it performed in the new, acoustically pure Walt Disney Concert Hall. The live concert was recorded, and it has now been pressed into a quality CD with the title, Eternal Light. The concert featured both the 130-voice chorus and the 40-member orchestra that Sacramentans have long admired in local performances. For Mozart s Requiem, conductor Donald Kendrick benefited from fine solo work by soprano Sandra Rubalcava, mezzo Oksana Sitnitska, tenor Robert MacNeil, and bass Elias Mokole. Those four added their voices to the superb chorus that is the hallmark of this quality organization. The highlights of this Requiem are the Kyrie, the Dies Irae, the Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei, all sung by the chorus, and the solo quartet on the Benedictus. Throughout, the orchestra, chorus and soloists can each be heard clearly on what is a state of the art live recording. But as good as the Requiem is, the best work on this CD is contained in Morten Lauridsen s Lux Aeterna, which the organization has performed in Sacramento in past years. It is a piece that seems particularly suited for this chorus, with lush harmonies juxtaposed with lilting orchestral accompaniment. And the third of the five movements is a lovely a cappella that shows the true greatness of this chorus. Copies of Eternal Light are available for the bargain price of $15 (or two for $25) via the SCSO website. The price includes shipping and handling. The organization has pressed 2,000 copies of the CD and hopes to use it as a means of extending its musical reach beyond the immediate Sacramento area. This year also marks the organization s first away from the Community Center Theater, as all local concerts are being held at the Mondavi Center on the campus of U.C. Davis. Eternal Light is the second CD from SCSO. In 2004, after returning from a tour of Europe, it released European Horizons, which it pressed from a live recording of a performance in the Lizst Academy with the Budapest Concert Orchestra. But because of a since-negotiated contract with the local branch of the American Federation of Musicians union, Eternal Light is the first that will be able to be heard on radio stations and via streaming on the web. The organization also hopes to release a CD of its popular Home for the Holidays concert, from last month s performance at Mondavi, in the fall of 2009. Beyond that project, a Carmina Burana performance may also find its way to CD in the next year or so. More immediately, SCSO has two more Mondavi concerts scheduled for the first half of the new year. On March 22, in celebration of the birthday of J.S. Bach, the orchestra and chorus will perform the Magnificat and portions of the Passion. And then, on June 7, Maestro Kendrick will bring the season to a close with a concert entitled Choral Soundscapes. It will feature works by John Corigliano and Monteverdi along with a new work by Eric Whitacre. Both concerts should be well worth attending, but for those who can t wait, Eternal Light is a fine substitute for the real thing. --by E. Haig - Sacramento Gazette, Friday, January 2, 2009 Product Description The Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, conducted by Donald Kendrick, took advantage of the magical acoustics of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles to create this live recording of their performance on June 27, 2008. The program included a memorable performance of the Mozart Requiem paired with Morten Lauridsen's "Lux Aeterna". Paul Salamunavich was in the audience that evening and he commented: Such warm and consisten tone thorughout the evening." Soloists included: Sandra Rubalcava, Soprano Oksana Sitnitska, Mezzo Robert MacNeil, Elias Mokole, Bass The CD has enjoyed high acclaim in California and was featured on Capital Public Radio (KXPR 88.9 FM) in Sacramento for an entire week in late January 2009.