Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

If all you know of Samuel Barber is that he wrote a beautiful Adagio for Strings (as heard on almost every classical compilation ever) this is a good place to find out more. Yes, the Adagio is here, played by the London Symphony Orchestra, although Cross Rhythms readers may have preferred the choral Agnus Dei that uses the same piece. There are four choral items in this collection (thirteen minutes out of seventy-four), all of which are settings of Christian poems. Barber seems to have been a religious man although unlikely to have called himself a Christian composer. This is an excellent collection but not an essential purchase for most readers.

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