On January 11-23, 2022, The Moscow Performing Arts Center will be hosting the 12th edition of the Christmas Festival of Sacred Music. It has been given the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia with a support of the Moscow City Department of Culture. The Festival, tied to the Christmas festivities, has taken place every year since 2011 under the artistic direction by Vladimir Spivakov, a UNESCO Artist for Peace, member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, and Hilarion, the Metropolitan of Volokolamsk, Head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The 12th Edition of the Festival will be opened on January 11 by the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia under the baton of Arsenty Tkachenko together with the oldest professional music collective of Russia – the Moscow Synodal Choir, stars of The Bolshoi Theater and The Novaya Opera Theater. Part I of the concert will feature works by Rimsky-Korsakov and Hindemith, whereas in Part 2 Saint-Saëns's Christmas Oratorio will be performed.
'Opening the annual Christmas Festival of Sacred Music for the 12th time, I would remind the words of one of the principal chants for the Christmas service. It tells that with Jesus's birth “the light of reason shone on the world, – says Vladimir Spivakov. – Everyone feels that Christmas is a special season, the time to gain wisdom, to find one's place in the world, to perceive spirituality, It is most important for those who have chosen the path of serving the arts, culture. Our task is to bring forth love, kindness and truth which the God combines with human mind as Patriarch Kirill said. Our music festival is also attending this high aspiration, finding a response in people's hearts, which strengthen our decision to continue and develop our festival.'
The closing concert of this Festival edition will traditionally unite Vladimir Spivakov, the NPR and the Academic Grand Choir “Masters of Choral Singing” who will perform Luigi Cherubini's Requiem. 'This inspired opus in commemoration of Louis XIV was highly appraised by Beethoven, Schumann and many musicians after them. – Vladimir Spivakov says. – Returning to such great works we can for a while forget about the hardships of our life, raise above them and reject all the transient.'
January 11, 2022* | Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow Performing Arts Center
The Opening of the 12th Edition of the Festival of Sacred Music
Soloists: Ekaterina Petrova, soprano
Polina Shamaeva, mezzo-soprano
Yulia Mennibaeva, contralto
Yaroslav Abaimov, tenor
Igor Podoplelov, bass-baritone
The Moscow Synodal Choir
The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia
Conductor – Arsenty Tkachenko
With participation of Hilarion (Alfeyev), the Metropolitan of Volokolamsk
Rimsky-Korsakov. “Sunday Overture” on themes from Obikhod “Praise to the Desert”
Rimsky-Korsakov. The Introduction to the opera “The legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia”
Hindemith. Suite from the ballet “Nobilissima Visione” (“The Noblest Vision”)
Saint-Saëns. Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio)
January 23, 2022* | Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow Performing Arts Center
The Closing of the 12th Edition of the Festival of Sacred Music
The Academic Grand Choir “Masters of Choral Singing”
The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia
Conductor – Vladimir Spivakov
Cherubini. Requiem no. 1 in C minor for mixed chorus and orchestra (in commemoration of Louis XIV)
*The Covid-free event