-
Venice in the North
Following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the peoples of Russia and Ukraine began to look to the West not only for trading partners, but also for political, intellectual and artistic models. The Westernization of northern Slavic societies rooted in Byzantine traditions of governance and religion accelerated during the tumultuous seventeenth century, which saw
-
Maximilian Steinberg, “Passion Week”, Op. 13 — Notes
Historians of Orthodox Christianity have charted the emergence of a ‘Russian Religious Renaissance’ out of the so-called ‘Silver Age’ of Russia, the culturally fruitful but politically turbulent decades immediately prior to the Bolshevik takeover in 1917. This movement encompassed a broad range of efforts aimed at various forms of spiritual, ecclesial, cultural, and national renewal
-
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
The Divine Liturgy bearing the name of St. John Chrysostom (d. 407) is the form of the Eucharist celebrated most frequently in the modern Byzantine rite. Like the communion services of most other Christian traditions, it features two large sections: a service of the Word that climaxes with readings from the New Testament and concludes
-
The Akáthistos Hymn Recording Available Now
The Akáthistos Hymn to the Virgin Mary, set by Ivan Moody. This lyrical masterpiece in 24 stanzas has been treasured for nearly 1,500 years by Eastern Christians. Father Moody’s 1998 setting, composed specially for the ensemble, weaves beloved Greek melodies into Russian choral textures as it progresses from reverent contemplation to ecstatic transcendence. This second
-
The Sun Break Review for Arctic Light II: Northern Exposure
“St. James Cathedral is the perfect space in which to hear Cappella Romana. The sonorities of the deep voices and the pure quality of all the voices in this unaccompanied choir make harmonies as clean as they can be, sometimes creating overtones if you listen carefully, and enhanced by the acoustics of the setting, as
-
2012-2013 Season: Rachmaninoff Liturgy
Sergei Rachmaninoff – The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom • ЛИТУРГИЯ ИОАННА ЗЛАТОУСТА OP. 31 Director: Alexander Lingas Following three sold-out performances last season of Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil (“Vespers”), this year Cappella Romana presents Rachmaninoff’s first major a cappella work, his 1910 Divine Liturgy. Additional hymns and psalms set by composers such as Kastalsky, Tchaikovsky,
-
St. Tikhon Choir Gives a “Stunning Debut”
Cinemusical gives stars across the board to the Saint Tikhon Choir’s recording of Benedict Sheehan’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom on Cappella Records: “The work is a blend of liturgical components (litanies, various antiphons and hymns, an “Our Father”, communion, blessing) and psalm settings (Sheehan adapted Psalms 145 and 148). There are references to ancient
-
Machaut: Messe de Nostre Dame
Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377) Guillaume de Machaut’s Messe de Nostre Dame (c. 1360-65) began to attract great interest during the 20th century. It is the first mass composed for four voices with a known composer, and as such, it is widely considered to mark the beginning of a new musical era. In addition, Machaut himself
-
Byzantine Christmas: Sun of Justice – Taking the Journey
The ecclesiastical feast day celebrating the Nativity of Jesus Christ – which came to be called simply “Christ’s Mass,” or “Christmas” in English – was added to the calendar in the Eastern Church somewhat later than other major feasts. Originally, Christ’s Nativity and Baptism were celebrated on the same day: Epiphany (January 6). Much has
-
Sun of Justice: A Two-Fold Offering – Part Two
With this two-fold offering of traditional Byzantine Music, we seek to give the listener two distinct yet complementary experiences: first, that of being in a traditional Orthodox church somewhere in the Middle East, wherein one choir sings in Greek and the other in Arabic; and second: that of being in a traditional Orthodox church in
-
Cappella Romana Rehearses Arctic Light II
Cappella Romana rehearsing “Psalm 84” by Cyrillus Kreek with renowned Finnish choral director Timo Nuoranne. The Psalms of Estonian composer Cyrillus Kreek (1889-1962) take a pride of place in “Arctic Light II.” Kreek and his family converted from the Lutheran church to the Orthodox faith in 1896, when Kreek was just seven years old. His
You must be logged in to post a comment.