Choir Of The Russian Orthodox Cathedral, London - Hymns And Chants Of The Russian Orthodox Church

Wednesday 1st February 1995
Choir Of The Russian Orthodox Cathedral, London - Hymns And Chants Of The Russian Orthodox Church

STYLE: Choral
RATING 6 6 6 6 6 6
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 18757-
LABEL: Ikon 9001
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by John Irvine

To most Cross Rhythms readers the sound of Russian Orthodox worship would probably be both remote and alien, and yet at the same time, strangely familiar. Remote and alien, because very few of us have had any in-depth familiarity with Orthodox worship, theology and culture, particularly of the Russian variant. Strangely familiar, because of its use as a backdrop for films about Russia. With the end of communism in the former Soviet Union, the Russian Orthodox Church is experiencing something of a revival as restrictions are removed, churches reopened and increasing numbers of people seek for spiritual meaning in their lives. At the same time too in the West record companies (aided and abetted by Classic FM) are discovering the commercial possibilities of marketing Orthodox harmonised chant as the follow up to Gregorian Chant. As a completely separate exercise, Ikon Records based at the Orthodox Cathedral in London, have taken the opportunity to begin to re-release their massive back catalogue onto compact disc. This particular recording, dating from 1977, is a collection of chants from the orthodox tradition, exemplifying the 'sound' of Russian worship we've come to expect from film and TV. As a bonus, the great tenor Nicolai Gedda takes soloist parts in five of the chants. The quality of the recording does leave much to be desired and the choir are perhaps not up to scratch technically vis-à-vis a professional choir. However, we are listening to a living, working choir rather than a group of professionals, and the heartfelt conviction conveyed in the performances more than makes up for being a little rough around the edges. A very welcome reissue which I recommend that you investigate!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Be the first to comment on this article

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.