In the Orthodox Church, the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection—His Passover (Pascha) from death to life—is appropriately termed “the feast of feasts and the holy day of holy days,” to quote the eighth ode of the Paschal Canon, composed by St. John of Damascus. As with most Orthodox liturgical occasions, all the human senses are engaged in the celebration: the sight, with the change from the darkness of the Nocturns service to the brightness of the light-filled temple at Matins; the smell and taste, with fragrant Paschal incense, the partaking of Holy Communion by all the faithful present, and the breaking of the 40-day fast with special foods; bodily movement, with the procession around the church, symbolizing the myrrh-bearing women’s early-morning journey to Christ’s sepulcher. Most of all, the Paschal celebration is one of sound—the clergy’s shouted proclamations “Christ is risen!” to which everyone responds “Truly He is risen!”; the unbridled pealing of bells; and the exuberant singing of the clergy, the choir, and the entire assembly. The present CD aims to present this rich sonorous tapestry of the Paschal celebration through musical settings drawn from various national Orthodox traditions, especially as they co-exist on the North American continent.
The musical elements of Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy historically have ranged from the very simple—capable, indeed, of engaging the entire assembly, to the most complex and ornate, as befitting such an exalted and special occasion. The musical settings offered on the present CD are a reflection of this diversity—from the transparent melodies of Russian znamenny and Byzantine chant, to the eight-voice Baroque-style splendor of the Paschal Communion Hymn “Receive the Body of Christ,” by Polish-Ukrainian composer Mykola Dyletskiy and the elegant, Classical-era polyphony of Dmitry Bortniasky’s sacred concerto “Let God Arise.”
The choice of repertoire reflects the variety of musical styles and translations one is likely to encounter in churches across America, and shows how stylistically different chant traditions can be effectively juxtaposed within a single liturgical unit such as the Paschal Canon. Some of the works are English-language adaptations of compositions originally written in other languages such as Church Slavonic—an unavoidable transitional phenomenon; but a sizeable percentage represent essentially new compositions, based upon traditional patterns of Russian and Byzantine chant, while incorporating the phrasing and cadence of the English language.
About the Artists
Archangel Voices is a professional-level vocal ensemble whose goal is to create high-quality recordings of Orthodox liturgical music in the English language. Through its CDs, which include Through its CDs, which include "With the Voice of the Archangel," "Christ Is Born! Give Glory!," "Resurrection! Chants and Hymns of the Holy Pascha," "The Orthodox Divine Liturgy: Master, Bless!" and "Lamentations: Orthodox Chants of Holy Week," the ensemble aims to bring the beauty of Orthodox liturgical music before a wide audience of listeners, to serve as a vehicle for spreading the Orthodox faith through music, and to embrace various traditions and styles of Orthodox church music as they are manifest in the practice of parishes in North America.
The founder and Artistic Director of Archangel Voices, Dr. Vladimir Morosan, is known throughout the Orthodox musical world as a conductor, scholar, and lecturer. He is also founder and president of Musica Russica, a firm specializing in the publication of Russian and Orthodox choral music.
Read more...