Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

The newly composed classical pieces for this 2009 album are its strongest point - the melodies are beautiful and accessible, the orchestrations faultless and the choral work uplifting. All of this is not surprising considering the talent involved - the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Choir of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome, and the three composers who have worked on the album - Stefano Mainetti, Simon Boswell and Nour Eddine. The album's main selling point, however, is the presence of Pope Benedict XVI - on many of the tracks he speaks and prays in Latin, Italian and German - recordings provided by Vatican Radio. He also sings at times on one track, the most unusual "Regina Coeli", and does a reasonably good job of it. The combination works pretty well, though it would help to be fluent in the languages he uses! He has said, "I am convinced that music really is the universal language of beauty which can bring together all people of good will on earth", and I don't think Cross Rhythms readers will argue with that. My favourite track is "Advocata Nostra" which has a distinctive North African flavour about it.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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