There’s a myth. The myth is that “Russian” is a bad word.

Someone went so far as to say that the problem with PaTRAM™ is the ‘R’. But we are unabashedly the Patriarch Tikhon Russian-American Music Institute™.

The history of the Orthodox church is deeply interwoven with the history of Russia. The music of the church is profoundly intertwined with the rich and vibrant fabric of the Russian culture. The great Russian masters of music, such as Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Chesnokov and Bortniansky, dedicated their lives to composing music of the ages for the ages. These musical jewels must be preserved and shared with generations to come.

Sadly, the standard of church singing has been steadily declining throughout North America, and many of our churches have come to lack the critical element of beautiful and prayerful singing that helps draw people to the “right worship” (orthodoxia or pravoslavie) of the Holy Trinity.

While a small number of Orthodox parishes continue to have on their staff a trained and competent choir director, it is more common for parishes to be challenged merely to find a qualified leader of church singing. Thus, many Orthodox churchgoers today struggle through services marked by lackluster choral performances, often more mechanical than prayerful, rarely experiencing worship in the full beauty of the Eastern Orthodox musical tradition.

This is the problem we seek to solve, and it is a religious and spiritual problem, not a political one.

In this time of political conflict with Russia, Russian culture, traditions and even the Russian Orthodox Faith are being looked upon very negatively by the West. But PaTRAM is non-political and promotes our cultural and religious heritage for future generations.

If this resonates with you, please join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram and let your voice be heard! Comment on our posts and tell us what you love about the Russian Orthodoxy and the music of the Church.

—

Tatiana Geringer

CEO, PaTRAM Institute

PaTRAM Institute™ presents a concert to support Osanna Chamber Ensemble’s 2023 season:

John Arlievsky, Osanna’s artistic director, partners with pianist Akiko Hosaki in a recital of art song by Robert Schumann and Sergei Rachmaninoff, centering around Schumann’s celebrated song cycle Dichterliebe. Click on the image for tickets and information.

The concert will be at the Synod of Bishops on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and will be followed by a home-infused vodka tasting reception in the courtyard, weather permitting. Tickets are available online and at the door, and all proceeds will go toward making Osanna’s planned projects a reality.

2023 marks 150 years since the birth of Sergei Rachmaninoff – our recital presents a selection of 5 of his songs on themes of Spring and nature, several of which are rarely performed.

Together, these songs represent the great variety and breadth of Rachmaninoff’s artistic perception.

A deep sensitivity to both nature’s quietest stillness and most resounding movements are expressed in “Островок – Little Island” and “Весенние Воды – Spring Waters”, respectively. In “Уж ты, нива моя – O You, My Grain Field”, the chant-like weaving and flow of the melody describes an endless grain field, as if in humble marvel of God’s creation. Finally, the poet’s deepest passion is translated into deceptive harmonic ambiguities in “В молчаньи ночи тайной – In the Silence of the Mysterious Night” and “Ночь печальна – Night is Sorrowful”. From innermost sensitivity to overwhelming rapture, the full range of Rachmaninoff’s artistry is displayed in his songs for voice and piano. -John Arlievsky

The story of Dichterliebe ( “a poet’s love”) follows a naïve dreamer’s path from the blossoming of a love, through devastation at its loss, which comes despite spring’s blissful promise. Growing out of resentment and into forgiveness, our hero is ultimately consoled and renewed by summer’s full bloom – which is Spring’s very death and completion.

Robert Schumann’s musical setting enriches this narrative and grounds its metaphors by wrapping the audience in the realism of emotional experience. Schumann’s celebrated retelling of Heine’s poetry is, in our interpretation, presented as one of healing and growth. –John Arlievsky

“Music holds such immense power that it can dramatically transform your life in an instant. Music can heal, inspire and touch your soul. Do you want to hear this kind of music? Do you want your children, grandchildren, and future generations to hear this kind of music?”

Maybe this very much resonates with you, or perhaps, for you, it misses the mark.

How about this?

“The glorious tradition of church singing dates back a thousand years, yet our musical treasures are being lost in North America. In the coming years we risk having multiple generations of Orthodox Christians in North America who have no experience with how beautiful music and an excellent church choir facilitates prayer and a powerful worship experience for parishioners.”

Both of these are just little snippets of longer posts we’ve been sharing this week on PaTRAM’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Over the next few weeks we are going to be sharing many of these posts in an effort to better tell our story. We believe that music does have the power to transform our lives in an instant, and that the splendor of Russian Orthodox choral music together with its astounding spiritual depth, in both the English and Slavonic languages, has the power to lift spirits and save our souls.

Dostovesky said that “beauty will save the world,” and we want to share this beautiful music with the world.

You can be a part of this process by helping us in a few simple ways.

1. If you have not already, and if you are on Facebook and Instagram, please like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram.
2. If you already like us on Facebook, you may not be seeing our posts. Go to our Facebook Page and also click “Follow” to make sure that Facebook shows you our posts in your feed.
3. Please like our posts and comment on our posts. Your likes and comments actually help more people see these posts.
4. If a particular post really resonates with you, please share it! That will help us know we’re doing a good job telling our story, and help more people know about our work.

You can review some of the posts we have already shared by going to the following links.

Facebook: facebook.com/patraminstitute

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patram_inst/

Please LIKE, COMMENT on, and SHARE these posts. Tell us when we are doing a good job telling our story. And share your own perspectives and story. We love hearing from our subscribers! What does beautiful sacred music mean to you?

Thank you for your continued support!

—

Tatiana Geringer

CEO, PaTRAM Institute

There is a moment of silence as all eyes are focused on the magnificent altar of the Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Conductor John Arlievsky stands alone in the center of the dimly lit church. With the wave of his hand, the angelic voices of the Osanna Chamber Ensemble begin to fill the beautiful church venue from atop the choir loft. The choir then slowly descends the steps to sing in the back of the church. The sound is different, somehow deeper, as it begins to gently envelope the listener.

The singers move to the center of the church. Now they stand among the patrons. The intricately woven musical fabric of sound and silence of Arvo Pärt’s masterwork floats throughout the space and through the listener.

The life-lifting journey into the depth of Eastern Orthodox spirituality is complete as the choir stands before the altar and sings the final appeal to our Lord – “Come out to seek me; lead me up to Thy pasturage and number me among the lambs of Thy chosen flock.  Nourish me with them on the grass of Thy Holy Mysteries, by the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints. Amen.”

The concerts, held on March 23 and 24, were a great success. Patrons called the experience “truly immersive”, “sublime”, “ethereal”.  It was wonderful to see people from all walks of life, faiths and backgrounds come together to experience the music. Bravo to John Arlievsky and the talented singers of the Osanna Chamber Ensemble! They brought the notes on a page to life and provided a unique and moving experience for all who attended.

Following the concerts, PaTRAM™ invited everyone to enjoy socializing with the choir and the conductor and to enjoy each other’s company at receptions in the church hall. Guests were treated to delicious lenten hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. Singers love to sing, and the music continued as choir members played piano and sang arias. Both evenings were delightful.

PaTRAM Institute™ is pleased to present the Osanna’s first concerts and the ensemble’s 2023 concert season! Over the years PaTRAM has had the distinct honor of supporting Osanna through educational grants and concert opportunities all thanks to the generosity of PaTRAM donors and sponsors. The choir has truly blossomed and achieved a high level of precise and prayerful execution of liturgical music as was evident at the concerts.

And this is just the beginning for the ensemble! John and his team have big plans for the choir as they continue to hone their skills through lessons with master teachers and live concerts. Together with PaTRAM, Osanna plans to form an outreach program to mentor and inspire the next even younger generation of church musicians and continue to preserve and foster Orthodox choral treasures.

We would like to sincerely thank our sponsors, donors, patrons and volunteers. You allow us to share the music of the Church with the world. We would also like to extend a very special thank you to Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov, Rector of the Cathedral, Matushka Alla and Father Evgeniy for opening the doors of the cathedral to us and for their warm hospitality.

Please join us for the next concert coming soon! We will share details shortly.

Thank you for your continued support. We cannot do any of this without you!

Arvo Pärt is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt’s music is in part inspired by Gregorian chant. From 2011 to 2018, Pärt was the MOST PERFORMED LIVING COMPOSER in the world, and the second most performed in 2019—after John Williams.

Kanon Pokajanen is a 1997 composition by Arvo Pärt for four-part choir. The text is the “Canon of Repentance to Our Lord Jesus Christ”, an Orthodox hymn in Church Slavonic and is sung a cappella, following the tradition of Russian sacred choral music.

Arvo Pärt describes his encounter with the text and the history of setting this text to music thus:

Many years ago, when I first became involved in the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church, I came across a text that made a profound impression on me although I cannot have understood it at the time. It was the Canon of Repentance.

Since then I have often returned these verses, slowly and arduously seeking to unfold their meaning. Two choral compositions (Nun eile ich…., 1990 and Memento, 1994) were the first attempts to approach the canon. I then decided to set it to music in its entirety-from beginning to end. This allowed me to stay with it, to devote myself to it; and, at the very least, its hold on me did not abate until I had finished the score…

It took over two years to compose the Kanon pokajanen, and the time “we spent together” was extremely enriching. That may explain why this music means so much to me.

Pärt was commissioned by KölnMusic GmbH to write a work commemorating the 750th anniversary of the building of Cologne Cathedral. He finished it in 1997 and it premiered at Cologne Cathedral on March 17, 1998, performed by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under the direction of Tõnu Kaljuste, to whom (both choir and conductor) this piece was dedicated.

Arvo Pärt’s Kanon Pokajanen, premiered 25 years ago to the month, and offered to you at the height of this Lenten season with this concert, is a journey into the depth of Eastern Orthodox spirituality by vehicle of repentance. In this masterwork, Pärt weaves the fabrics of sound and silence as space and negative space. He approaches this medium through a sense of time that reflects the minimalism and timelessness of both the kanon’s Church Slavonic text and of Orthodox liturgics in general. We invite you along this life-lifting journey, embodied by the artistry of Arvo Pärt, presented by PaTRAM Institute and performed by the Osanna Chamber Ensemble.

CLICK TO PURCHASE TICKETS 

Source: Wikipedia