Ex oriente lux - the musical light from Eastern Europe shines in a calm yet incredibly powerful way. Traditional a capella choral music here has gone its own way for centuries and has not been directly dependent on the development of secular music. Especially striking is the renunciation of the elements of leading-tone tension and cadential harmony so characteristic of Western major-minor tonality. Historical developments have not passed Eastern European church music by without a trace, of course - many innovations, strongly modified, have been adapted to the liturgically influenced context by well-known composers such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arvo Pärt and Krzysztof Penderecki. From this process, very attractive choral works have seen the light of day, especially in recent years, from which several have been impressively realised here from the standpoint of sound quality. Following pioneering releases such as the first complete recording of Hugo Distler's Mörike Choral Song Book, the Carmina Mundi Chamber Choir continues to set new standards of excellence in choral music production with this recording.