1.   Born in Berkeley, Calif., he attended Yale University determined to become a composer with an emphasis on choral writing.

2.   Rautavaara sets his text in Finnish, rather than Latin, and trades in the vocal slides familiar from Slavic choral writing.

3.   The choral writing is mostly block harmony, but this keeps the text vivid and the textures lucid.

4.   The choral writing is beautiful in a serenely understated way, and the performances are winning.

5.   The choral writing for the madrigalists is breathtaking.