Music for the spirit and the soul

Some great suggestions, especially El Cant de la Sibil. Boa2's choice is the 3rd disc on the Sibil (Sibilla, Sibila ...) theme from different periods and regions - I have all 3!!
I saw Montserrat Figueras (of course with Jordi Savall and La Capella Reial de Catalunya) in Paris a few years back and was stunned. This was in a church not far from Place de la Concorde and you can't describe the ambiance, the sound and how wonderful the experience. Just wished my system could get close....
Check out their label Alia Vox that Jordi Savall started to make the music he wanted to do.
Try also Powers of Heaven. Estonian Philharmonic Choir/Hillier on the harmonia mundi label

Ok Howard, no more Figueras stuff except just to say you are now down the slippery slope of acquiring the entire Alia Vox back catalogue and if you include his previous labels recodings Astree/Auvidis/Harmonia Mundi etc you are in trouble as he started recording in the 60's! You can forget about that pair of interconnects....

I too lived in Paris twice totalling 7 years - this is a great place for concerts ! Can I tell you about Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble I attended in the same church.... Try the disc "Officium" - an heavenly match of Sax and a quartet of male voices interpreting early music.

Marco,
I enjoy Arvo Part and have "De Profundis" with the Theater of Voices, and Hilliard Ensembles take on Miserere which is perhaps one of the grim but moving pieces of music.
Don't know Gavin Bryers so will have to check it out - any disc in particular ?
As for Bach, I'm not buying any more until I get through my Teldec Complete Bach 2000 collection....and with all these new suggestions/distractions I'm not going to get any further!

Howard,
Now I'm jealouse! I adore Italy, especially Florence and Bergamo, the Northern Lakes, Venice.....

Yep, I fell in love with Montserrat....and yes I will never forget that experience in such an intimate environment. The whole family was three including their daughter Adrianna.
Sorry all - I checked my archives and realised I made an error in my first posting. This was back in 1999! Savall and Figueras were playing with their other group Hesperion XXI (peviously XX). They were playing mostly music from a disc they just released at the time "DIASPORA SEFARDI" - one vocal and one instrumental disc (This is another fantastic disc to own). If anyone of you have this disc, there is a photo of them, a small grouping of 9 or 10 musicians altogether - it was exactly like this on a small raised stage.
You guys have got me all going now and I've just gone back and listened to some more of Savall and Figueras' stuff this weekend till 3am ! Just finished listening to "LES VOIX HUMAINES" with just Savall playing the Viole de Gambe - Lyra and Bass, yet sound like human voices singing...

This thread is getting interesting and I thought I was the only one listening to this stuff !
Jax2, I'll be interested to know how you got into the Sibil as this is not really mainstream.
My route was quite bizzare. I have been a fan of record label 4AD with 2 of my favourite vocalists, Elisabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins and Lisa Gerard of Dead Can Dance and more recently known for her collaboration in the film Gladiator. DCD released an album in 1990 called AION a very moving atmosperic album with Gerard's vocals. One track stood out - The Song of the Sibyl. This interpretation, 16th Century Catalan is quite different to those of Figueras but it was enough to get me looking for more...
Anyway, AION by Dead can Dance definitly fits this category.
Back to Elisabeth Fraser, she made one of the most beautiful songs I know 'The Song to the Siren'. With minimal music (strings), her voice has so much passion I could weep...If you can find it on 12" vinyl, this is the one to get, if not then its still worth getting the album by "This Mortal Coil - It'll End In Tears". This Mortal Coil is a project on 4AD where all the artist on the label mix particpate to make music.