Metropolitan Hilarion Gave an Icon to Benedict XVI

Façade of Papal Palace. Castel Gandolfo (Province of Roma. Lazio Region) ITALY

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On Tuesday, Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk, the Head of the MP Department for External Church Relations, with Benedict XVI Ratzinger, the Pope of Rome, at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo. The official website of the MP DECR reported, “During their meeting, they discussed a wide range of questions relating to the bilateral relations between Roman Catholics and the MP”. As a memento of the meeting, Metropolitan Hilarion presented the pope with an icon of St Benedict of Nursia and an album containing illustrations of frescoes by St Andrei Rublyov. At present, Alfeyev is visiting Italy; his trip will culminate with his participation in a concert of Russian sacred music that’s part of the Year of Russian Culture and Russian Language in Italy. On Friday, there’ll be a joint concert of the Moscow Synodal Choir and l’Orchestra Sinfonica Accademia delle Opere under the direction of Diego Montrone at the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milano. Incidentally, the famous fresco of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is in the refectory of the convent attached to this church. The concert will present spiritual music from Sergei Rakhmaninov, Giuseppe Verdi, and Metropolitan Hilarion (sic). Vladyki Hilarion will be at the concert, along with Svetlana Medvedeva, the wife of President Dmitri Medvedev.

30 September 2011

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=42437

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The Montrone vids were uniformly bad, in one way or another, so, here’s two vids of Verdi and Rakhmaninov… the good stuff:

Herbert von Karajan and Leontyne Price perform the Libera Me from Verdi’s Requiem from a classic 1967 recording… goosebumps are guaranteed… yet, the anticlimactic ending is JUST right.

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This is the classic recording of Rakhmaninov’s Vigil from the Sov times (it came out in ’65), with Aleksandr Sveshnikov at the podium. This particular performance is the GOLD STANDARD for all subsequent recordings of the second movement (Bless the Lord, O my Soul (Psalm 103 (104 in the Proddie numbering) from the Vespers). Klara Korkan’s reading of her part is MAGISTERIAL. If a mezzo lacks a solid and resonant lower range, she’d had best not attempt this piece. Ms Korkan’s performance never ceases to move me to tears…

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Editor’s Note:

Normally, I wouldn’t cover such an item, as its fluff and pure propaganda from the Blunder’s apparat, but this should show all concerned that the video circulated by PortalCredo.ru is nothing that you should lose any sleep over. It’s nothing but the usual bullshit from the usual cast of suspects. Indeed, I’ll bet that Vyzhanov is going to trim his sails regarding the Blunder. Vyzhanov’s a better and slicker version of Lyonyo, Potapov, Erickson, and Lebedeff. That means that he’d slice the Blunder’s throat in a heartbeat if he thought that it’d benefit him.

I checked You Tube, and Alfeyev’s “compositions” are not very popular in the least. Over three years, the most popular has only garnered some 32,000 hits (the rest, far less). Hell, I have You Tube vids with more hits than that over a similar period. After all, Alfeyev is only the “composer of record”. The smart word at the Centre has it that all the scutwork’s done by a ringer at the Gnessin (don’t forget, the Blunder studied there in Soviet times). Diego Montrone is a second-rank conductor… he’s not world-class (he has no Italian Wikipedia entry). He and his ensemble have travelled to Russia, he appears to be a regular at such ecumaniacal events… he’s probably a nice enough guy, a musician with no idea of the real theological idiocy involved. His most popular You Tube vid has only 3,600 hits. ALL of the You Tube vids were equally wretched… trust me, I suffered through more than one of them.

In short… HO HUM. The brouhaha on the Orthodox Forum has no basis in fact. Then again, Nina Dimas started it. Her connection with this isn’t an encouraging sign of accuracy, is it?

BMD 

VOR Presents… Apples Had Nowhere to Fall in Orthodox Churches

On 19 August, Orthodox Christians celebrate one of the biggest church holidays… the Transfiguration of Our Lord, which has the popular nickname “Apple Spas”. On this day, parishes serve liturgy, and, after services end, the priests bless the first-fruits of the harvest. According to custom, after the priest blesses the fruit, the people eat some of it before having a normal lunch. Blessed fruit is supposed to be shared generously with others; hence, the old proverb, “On the second Saviour’s day {Transfiguration: editor}, the beggars will eat apples” («На второй Спас и нищий яблочко съест»).

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The Transfiguration of Our Lord

St Andrei Rublyov

15th century

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The Church commemorates an occurrence on Mount Tabor associated with the earthly life of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospel, on the day that Jesus Christ was transfigured, three of His three disciples, John, James, and Peter were witnesses. Christ’s face shone like the sun, and His clothes glowed with a white light. Two of the Old Testament prophets, Ss Moses and Ilya, appeared and talked with the Lord. A cloud came down, and a voice came from it, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased; hear Him”.

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The historical event occurred in February, forty days before Easter, but the church moved the celebration to August, as marking the actual date would fall within the Great Lent.

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Through its celebration of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, the Church solemnly professes and glorifies the connection between the Divine and Human Natures in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Lord used His Transfiguration to protect His apostles from discouragement, to keep up their spirits through the coming disappointments that He knew that they would have to face.

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The Transfiguration in Russia is known as the “second” or the “Apple” Spas, as we bless new ripe apples at this time. Of the three “Spas” holidays… “Honey” (Procession of the Honourable Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, 14 August), “Apple” (Transfiguration of Our Lord, 19 August), and “Walnut” (the Wonderworking Icon of Christ “Not Made by Hands”, 29 August)… the Three August Feasts of the Lord, this is the most important one.

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On this day, believers bring fruit to the services to be blessed.

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According to the Orthodox calendar, Apple Spas comes during the Assumption Lent, but believers can eat the apples and other fruits blessed after the end of services on 19 August.

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Traditionally, for Apple Spas, people bake apple pies and cook up batches of apple preserves, and they share these with one another. The old peasant belief is that Apple Spas is the end of summer heat, and that autumn coolness starts soon afterwards.

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The Transfiguration is ever joyful, always peaceful, and full of bright hope; the clergy wear white vestments on this day.

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19 August 2011

Voice of Russia World Service

http://rus.ruvr.ru/photoalbum/54883649/