The fourth album in the New Series by St. Petersburg composer Alexander Knaifel is arguably one of his most significant works, spanning the spectrum from the spiritual to the secular and back again, with frequent inspired digressions. The Lege Artis Choir delivers an impressive interpretation of two prayers to the Holy Spirit. Tatiana Melentieva sings in "Bliss," based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin, while Piotr Migunov pays tribute to the great Russian poet alongside Saint Ephraim of Syria in "Oh Lord of My Life, a Poem and a Prayer." Oleg Malov, who accompanies the two singers, also takes on four additional solo piano pieces. A whimsical tea party lives up to its name, unfolding a surreal, Wonderland-like magic. "This Child" (inspired by the Gospel of Luke), a confession, and the eponymous "Lukomoriye" (both after Pushkin) impress with calm, luminous timbres and a mysterious magic.
