Shadorne,
I think I have erred. Though I had listened to this cd at reduced volume, I never really listened at VERY low levels-- until now. I think what I am hearing IS, after all, clipping. I took the time to listen to a few other choral recordings and found, in every case, that high enough volume caused the very distortion I have been hearing. You'd think (or, at least, I would have thought) that after 50 years of playing with reproduced sound, I would have been smart enough not to jump to a false conclusion that I had a faulty disc.
In any case, this is a fine recording (though the piece is somewhat uneven--like the Requiem) with some exquisite moments of glorious music, solid performance, and superior sound. You will not be disappointed that you got the cd.