Too often, critics dismiss hymns as merely functional, utilitarian relics--musically lacking in artistic sophistication. But the long history of the Christian church and the enduring nature of its traditional music--the contributions to the hymn repertoire by esteemed composers, and the frequent placement of hymns at moments of prodigious significance--deny such uninformed attitudes. Indeed, the greatest hymns successfully serve their functional purpose while, through masterful marriage of music and text, lifting spirits to somewhere beyond place and moment. This fine recording from Philadelphia"s Saint Clement"s Choir offers an outstanding program of familiar hymns and hymn anthems--and several unfamiliar ones--all of which meet the above description. Interestingly--and convincingly--they are not performed "congregationally," but rather as choral performance pieces, several appearing in arrangements by composers such as Stanford, Howells, Bairstow, and Saint Clement"s Choir"s director Peter Richard Conte. --David Vernier