Suprasl - Orthodox Mosaic

Suprasl - Orthodox Mosaic

Artist: Russian Patriarchate Choir; Anatoly Grindenko
Item number: AJ038
Category: Russian
Chant Type: Russian
Language: Old Slavonic
Label: Opus 111
Period: Medieval
Length: 78'58
Release date: 1999
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1. Trisagion Hymn

2. Hymn of the Cherubim

3. Canon for the Feast of the Cross

4. Office of the Holy Sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ

5. Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

6. Dogmatic hymn

7. Hymn to the Mother of God

8. Psalm 140 for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

9. Stikhera for the procession of the Shroud

10. Dormition Vespers

11. Office of the Resurrection: Hymn to the Mother of God


This unique collection of chant by Anatoly Grindenko and the Russian Patriarchal Choir rounds out their offeirng of recordings, and gives us a very unique selection of Russian chant, one of the jewels of ancient Russian chant practice. First, the recording offers the first ever chance to hear unadulterated chant forms from the 16th century heirmologion of the monastery of Suprasl' that was lost in the 1930s and found in 1972. Second, the recording gives us an experience not only of the uniqueness of this chant form, but a sense of the variety of chant forms extant in Russia as late as this time (i.e. Kievan, Valaam, Zaamany, etc.) before Russian liturgical music underwent a major change and began to take on a standardized form. Of interest is the number of chants that are sung with an ison (typical of Byzantine chant) and other unique chant elements such as extended melodies, distinct intonation, long note-values and the inclusion of meaningless syllables (akin to "terrarim" in Greek chant). These components both confirm the age of the manuscript, but also the commonality of key elements of Eastern liturgical chant practice that were widely practiced in the Orthodox Church as last as the date of this manuscript's creation. Liner notes in English, German and French; includes hymn text.

By: Benjamin Williams

Grindenko has delivered a very valuable recording to lovers of Orthodox chant. The uniqueness of this recording is discovered in the experience of sitting down to listen to "Russian chant" and then finding yourself being caught up in it and then wondering if it isn't "middle Byzantine" somehow? This is due to the chant elements that certainly are not common to what most people think of as "Russian" liturgical music. The preponderance of Russian polyphonic choral music has given most people the understanding that it is the distinctively Russian form. Gridenko shows us this is not the case. The recording is very good and the chanting is both engaging and moving. Part of it is the uniqueness of the sound, that catches you out by its novelty and then pulls you in by its beauty. This won't be something a die hard Bortniansky fan will necessarily enjoy, but those who love the early chant forms of the Eastern Church will be extremely pleased.