Album Notes

Russian Orthodox Church singing occupies a special place in old Russia▓s vast and varied spiritual heritage. Its fate was such that for a long time even the fact of its existence was denied.

Old Russian culture was declared to be "the culture of great silence" which found its reflection in "silent" branches of art. While works of old Russian architecture and icon-painting had long ago become an important, integral part of world culture, samples of ancient singing, being a kind of terra incognita, were inaccessible both to wide audiences and most professional musicians.

The choir of the Moscow Patriarchate was set up through the cares of Metropolitan Pitirim of Volokolamsk and Yuriev. The choir studies the traditions of Russian choral church music, attempting to revive the peculiarities of Early Russian church singing.