June 5 & 7 Slavjanka Concerts

[Joyce Clyde]

From: Paul Andrews <psa1...@gmail.com>
To: Paul Andrews <paula...@earthlink.net>

 

Dear friends,

 

Imagine a musical tradition so resilient that it has survived empires, schisms, and centuries of exile — and is still being composed today. That’s the theme of our upcoming concert series on the first weekend of June…

 

Unbroken Light:

From Medieval Chant to Modern Orthodox Sound

 

Our concert program traces the unbroken lineage of Byzantine chant as it took root in the Slavic world and evolved across eight centuries. From the austere, modal beauty of medieval monophonic chant — shaped by the monasteries of Athos and the Serbian tradition — you’ll hear how this ancient chant form gave way, in the 17th century, to the shimmering new world of early Russian polyphony.

 

Then you’ll hear how composers like Dmitry Bortnyansky and Maxim Berezovsky went even further in the 18th century, weaving Byzantine melodies into the grandeur of the Baroque sacred concerto.

 

And finally, you’ll hear how this medieval inheritance continues to resonate in the works of 19th- and 20th-century composers such as Kornelije Stanković, Alfred Schnittke, and contemporary voices from Russia, Serbia, Georgia, and Bulgaria. This ancient chant is clearly not a relic of the past – it’s a living musical language, and a continuing source of creative and spiritual power for Orthodox sacred expression today.

 

Friday, June 5^th 7:30 PM                                    

First Congregational Church of Berkeley            

2345 Channing Way, Berkeley

 

Sunday, June 7^th 7:00 PM                       

Old First Presbyterian Church

1751 Sacramento Street, San Francisco

 

Tickets and more info at  https://www.slavyanka-chorus.org/concerts

 

Hope you can join us!

 

Paul Andrews

President,

Slavyanka Chorus