Search - Anatoly Grindenko, Russian Patriarchate Choir :: Meditation: Chants for Great Lent

More chant of great power and intensity from Anatoly Grinden

Sator | Sydney, Australia | 07/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Russian Orthodox music presented here comes from the music for Great Lent, which is a meditation on the meaning of Holy Week. Great Lent or Velikiy Post, is the most important and one of the longest of the four Lenten periods in the year. It opens with a powerfully meditative chant 'Let all mortal flesh keep silent' which is specially sung only once a year along with the Old Testament lamentation 'By the rivers of Babylon'. The music here is, as usual with Orthodox chant, profoundly solemn and deeply meditative - some would say even mystical.



The Russian Patriachate Choir is made up of twelve singers, as was the tradition in small churches in ancient Russia. The choir sing their liturgical music according the strictest musicological research into the pratices of old Russia, much of which were lost in the political turmoil of last century. Anatoly Grindenko is on a journey of rediscover of a musical heritage and is a true pioneer of the Russian early music movement. He is developing a very strong following amongst cognescenti in the Western world for whom he has has developed something of a cult following. We are completely indepted to Opus 111 for the excellent series of recordings that they made of this group, each one of which is worth collecting, for they belong in the collection of anyone with a serious interest in Early Music. Yet they are so powerfully communicative that they should be heard by anyone who has even the slightest interest in chant.



Excellent recording as usual from Opus 111."