Two Gregorian chant offices of Maundy Thursday – the Office of Tenebrae and the Ceremony of Foot-washing, sung in the dramatic style appropriate to the night before the Saviour’s Passion.

In the late 19th century Pope Leo XIII charged the Abbey of Solesmes with the restoration and preservation of Gregorian Chant according to the original 10th–11th century manuscripts. The care and zeal with which the monks undertook this mission quickly extended the Abbey’s influence beyond Europe. Their goal: that Gregorian Chant be available to all people so they may “pray with the help of beauty” (Pope St Pius X).

Today, the Abbey continues to be a vibrant source of research and liturgical prayer with their library of over 200,000 volumes, and a musical palaeography workshop second only to the Vatican. But above all, Solesmes is a living community of Benedictine monks searching for God and sharing their spirituality, community life, and heritage.

“This recording...is utterly magnificent and the singing of this great choir is thrilling beyond words. Buy this disc if you expend your last pence; it's better to starve to this music than to live without it.” – Classics CD

“This disc is a marvelous evocation of Holy Thursday's Tenebrae and foot-washing ceremonies, important for understanding the evolution of chant interpretation at the home base of chant restoration. Some of the antiphons have never been recorded before.” – Fanfare

“Setting the standard for Gregorian performance.” – American Record Guide