Search - Russian Orthodox Chant :: Russian Medieval Chant: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

A fantastic presentation of an old Russian style of liturgic

Christopher Culver | 12/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After the fall of the Soviet Union, it was briefly all the rage that classical musical labels in the West rushed to record some of Russia's great Orthodox church choirs, which had been denied to them during the long years of Communism. The Opus 111 label won the opportunity to record the Russian Patriachate Choir led by Anatoly Grindenko. Yet, this is not just an exotic presentation of little-known Eastern chat like on some other labels, for Grindenko and his choir sought to represent the whole tradition of Russian Orthodox liturgical music. Each of the several discs they recorded is based on manuscripts from various eras of the Russian Orthodox Church.



On DIVINE LITURGY, we hear the style of chant know as znamenny, from a manuscript from the 17th century. Much less ornate than modern Russian chant, the znamenny style is nonetheless a development onward from the perfect austerity of Byzantine singing. It is a beautiful disc, sure to prove valuable to the believer, and revealing to all music fans a style that is very little known outside Russia. The liner notes are quite informative, describing clearly the features of the znamenny style and the challenges that Grindenko and company faced in deciphering old forms of notation."