The Sirin Choir from Moscow Russia sing church chants and spiritual verses in St. Nicholas ( The Green Church) Dundalk on 5 May 2011
… beautiful to hear and deeply affecting. (Irish Examiner, Ireland)
The amazing Sirin Choir from Russia will perform in St.Nicholas’ Church ( The Green Church) Dundalk on 5 May 2011. The programme will include modern day choral masterpieces such as Louth Contemporary Music Society Commissions Arvo Pärt’s The Deer’s Cry and John Tavener’s O My People along with a selection of Church Chants and Spiritual verses from the 15th and 16th centuries.Some of the Church Chants will be performed a cappella with a selection of the spiritual verses accompanied by hurdy-gurdy, psaltery or violin.
Sirin Choir was formed in 1989 by a group of professional musicians who took the name after a bird of Paradise from Russian Christian legends. Before that Andrey Kotov, Sirin’s Artistic Director spent many years studying Russian sacred folklore in rural settings where these ancient traditions are still preserved. His research has meant that Sirin is uniquely able to present repertoire ranging from the dark, sonorous style of Old Believers’ church to the haunting songs of spiritual wanderers.
The ensemble has presented its interpretation of Russian church and spiritual folk music on extensive concert tours in Russia and Europe and was multifold prizewinner of renowned choral competitions. Sirin took part in the 1st European Symposium for Choral Music in Ljubliana, World Symposium for Choral Music in Rotterdam, gave performances at various festivals, like the festival in Thoronet and the festival of Old Lyon (France), Musica Sacra in Marktoberdorf (Germany), Old Music in Jaroslaw (Poland), Musica Sacra in Maastricht ( Holland), Trialogos (Estonia), Isle de France , Lufthansa Baroque Festival (Great Britain), Cork International Choral festival (Ireland), Sacred Music in Fribourg (Switzerland), Festival of Sacred Music in Fez, Bangkok Christmas Festival (Thailand), Europalia (Belgium) and many others. Sirin’s performances were included in the program for celebrating 2000 years of christianity in Jerusalem.
As a special request of Sirin, the Russian composer Vladimir Martynov set texts from the Old Testament’s book The Lamentation of Jeremiah to music. The stage version of The Lamentation of Jeremiah, where all roles are performed by Sirin members, had more than 150 performances in Russia, France (as part of the official program of Avignon Theatre Festival), Italy, Germany, Estonia and Sweden. It was awarded with Golden Mask, the highest distinction in Russian theatre, as the best theatrical production of the year.
…consummate vocal skills and absolute professionalism. This choir deserves the mark “excellent and higher”. (Compact, Spain)
…the genuine feeling carried in the group’s performance stirred profound emotions… offering clear lessons to those who fancy the worldwide supremacy of the English choral tradition (The Independent, UK)
…beauty of this singing resembles the singing of seraphim (Esslingen Zeitung, Germany)
…Immediate shock from the first sounds… After listening to the recording you have only one wish: to hear this rare repertoire at a concert, to have direct contact with these superb and exciting voices. (Diapason, France)
Tickets €10 available on the door or from www.centralticketbureau.com
0818 205 205
UK: 0870 850 2896
www.louthcms.org
The Sirin Choir is funded by the Arts Council Touring Award and financially supported by Create Louth. The Concert’s sponsor is National Tile.
Concert Programme
1. In the Beginning was the Word (demestvenny chant.)
2. Praise the Lord from the Heavens (old believers’ chant)
3. Verses to St.Theodore the Tyro (spiritual verse)
4. Christ and the Poor Brethren (spitirual verse)
5. On the Ocean (spiritual verse)
6. John Tavener – O My People (LCMS commission)
7. I Am the Unfruiful Tree (spiritual verse)
8. The Sinful Soul Laments and Moans (spiritual verse)
9. When I was Young (spiritual verse)
10. Arvo Pärt– The Deer’s Cry (LCMS Commission)
11. Trisagion (znamenny chant)
12. The Sinful Man Walked Through the Whole World (spiritual verse)
13. On This Holy Place (spiritual verse)
14. Today Christ is Born in Bethlehem (strochnoy chant.)
15. Ivan Moody – Bogoroditse Devo
16. Play, o World and Rejoice (spiritual verse)
17. Verses to St.Andrew (spiritual verse.)
18. Christ is Risen (Greek, Serbian and Russian chants)
19. On the Sion Mountain (Easter Chant)
20. Vladimir Martynov – Omnes Sancti (from “Games of Humans and Angels”)
21. This is Not Just Noise (Easter chant)
22. Holy Resurrection (Easter chant)
23. Vladimir Martynov – The Beatitudes
