Source: PaTRAM
November 17, 2015
“Praise the Lord, All Ye Nations” is the first album of the Patriarch Tikhon Choir, a 30-voice mixed choir that brings together vocalists and choral musicians from the United States, Canada, and Russia. The Choir is dedicated to Saint Tikhon (Belavin), who is uniquely honored for his labors, accomplishments, and vision in these three lands. The singers, who, in addition to performing on the concert stage, routinely sing Orthodox liturgical services, impart an essential spiritual element to their interpretation of Orthodox sacred music.
Alexis V. Lukianov, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Patriarch Tikhon Russian-American Music Institute (PaTRAM), says of the CD, "This is the first album of the Patriarch Tikhon Choir. Our choir seeks to present Orthodox sacred music, rooted in the Russian tradition and sung by believers, in its highest possible form. We strive to unite heartfelt spirituality, a deep love for the traditions of Orthodox Christian singing, and an uncompromising standard of musical professionalism. Our mission and the evolution and refinement of our choir and institute are just getting underway. God willing, we will in the future record many more albums, featuring different liturgical services, composers, and even venues."
The recording includes works from the Orthodox All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy ranging from austere, centuries-old Znamenny Chants to sumptuous polyphonic works by such Russian masters as Dmitry Bortniansky, Alexander Gretchaninoff, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Also featured on the program are compositions and arrangements by contemporary Orthodox composers, Benedict Sheehan and Sergei Trubachev. In keeping with the choir’s multi-cultural approach, the CD includes selections in Church Slavonic and in English.
The ensemble is under the direction of Maestro Vladimir Gorbik, one the most prominent church musicians in Russia today. Since 1996 he has served as the choir director at the Moscow Representation Church (Metochion) of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery. He has made more than a dozen outstanding recordings of sacred music, embodying the finest repertoire and interpretive traditions of the Moscow School and the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery. Critics have hailed Vladimir Gorbik’s “consummate choral artistry”--a depth of expression and subtlety seldom encountered in modern-day recordings of Russian sacred music.
The PaTRAM Institute has created an educational initiative aimed at positively impacting the cultivation and practice of Orthodox liturgical choral singing in North America. The Institute and Maestro Gorbik have held highly successful master classes in the United States and Canada and provide ongoing online music theory, choral conducting, and voice lessons for church musicians. Visit the PaTRAM Institute’s website at www.patraminstitute.org to learn more about its programs and efforts.
