The influence of Arvo Pärt is strong but not inescapable. Grigorjeva, in particular, is a composer I’d like to hear more of; her On Leaving ruminates in the grand Russian Orthodox tradition.

Alex Ross. The Rest Is Noise (2004-08-12)

And then there’s 42-year-old Galina Grigorjeva’s “On Leaving.” What a treasure.
After the brief “To thee, O Lord” dedication, a height of ecstasy is quickly scaled in the second of five movements, followed by a basso fall to Earth in the third. This part of the work, “A canon on the separation of the soul from the body,” makes it gratifyingly clear that this artist is fully in command of her forces, the singers describing a soul’s fearful, valiant struggle to escape the gravity of life.

A female composer’s graceful promise (2004-12-24)
CNN.com

The work’s essential appeal comes from its varied and skillfully-wrought harmony, imaginatively combining the traditonal with more modern structures and occasionally foiling the expected functional relationships. It makes for nine minutes of restrained yet memorable, moody drama.

Baltic Voices 2 Review (2004-07-01)
David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

The strongest piece may be by the Russian-Estonian composer Galina Grigorjeva, whose On Leaving (1999) fills out some of the connections between the Part style and Eastern Orthodox church music that have been lurking beneath the surface of this tradition for some years now.

Baltic Voices 2 Review, All Media Guide

Russian-born Galina Grigorjeva is now an Estonian, her “On Leaving” featuring a brooding soulfulness that suited this examination of the moment of death with poetry and polyphony based on prayer texts.
It was deeply spiritual, an excellent high tenor soloist most affecting and the ultra-deep basses fathoming the bleakness of it all.

Geoff Chapman, Toronto Star (2003-11-08)