Artemij Vedel. Spiritual concertos 22-27
- Release: Kyiv Choir Productions
- Released: 2007
- Sound Engineer: Andriy Mokrytskyi
- Cover: Reproduction painting by Yurij Chymych "Kyiv Monastery - A Sunny November" (1990. Gouache)
To Thee We Sing (from Liturgy #1)
Artemij Vedel. Spiritual Concertos 22-27
Concerto No.22 “ Thou, art my strength, O Lord” 6:30
( Heirmos 4th song Sunday canon 8th tone)
01. Adagio. Allegro
02. Adagio. Moderato
03. Allegro vivace
Concerto No.23 “O Lord, the nations are coming” (ps.78) 10:01
04. Adagio. Allegromaestoso
05. Andante. Allegro
Concerto No.24 “When, O Lord will You forget me” (ps.12) 9:42
06. Adagio. Allegro
07. Largo. Allegro
Concerto No.25 “O Lord, hear my request”(ps.21: 2) 8:32
08. Adagio. Allegro moderato
09. Largo. Allegro
Concerto No.26 “To you, Lord I pray and call” (ps.27) 9:42
10. Allegro moderato. Adagio
11. Allegro. Adagio
12. Allegro
Concerto No.27 “19 “ Hear daughter and See” (D-dur) (ps.44) 6:19
13. Adagio. Allegro
14. Andante. Allegro
Divine Liturgy No.1 18:24
15. Cherubic Hymn
16. The Mercy of Peace To thee we sing
17. It is Truly Meet and Right
18. The Lord’s Prayer
19. Let Our Lips be full of praise
Total recording time 68:30
About the album
On this compact disc the Chamber Choir “Kyiv” presents 6 spiritual concerts (No’s. 22-27) (*Today the author’s attribution of some concerts has been revised. Concertos No. 22; 24; 25 and 27 are considered to be by S. Dekhtyarev), and the Divine Liturgy No.1.
High professionalism, magnificent choral instrumentation, solemn sublimity and aristocratic style are inherent in Concerto No. 26 “To Thee, O Lord, I Call.” The Adagio “Blessed is the Lord, when He hears the voice of my prayer” is an inspired hymn, which sounds antiphonal in male and female voices, remarkable and unusual for the late eighteenth century for its phonic idea.
“The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom” from Wedel’s unique autograph collection consists of 6 parts (the first one, ‘Glory to the Only Begotten Son,’ is not completely preserved). The cycle includes the most significant numbers – “I Am the Cherubim,” “Grace of the World. Let us sing to thee,” ‘It is worthy to eat,’ ‘Our Father,’ and ”Let our mouths be fulfilled.” In terms of its character and stylistic features, the Liturgy is close to the lyrical and dramatic concertos of the mature period of Vedel’s work. It organically combines the traditions of Western European music with a peculiar intonation system genetically linked to Ukrainian song. The beautiful “Cherubic Song” is distinguished by the beauty of its melody and the perfection of its choral instrumentation – a true masterpiece of choral miniature. A light sadness shrouds “The Grace of the World” with its lyrical, touchingly pure ending “I will sing to you.” It is contrasted with the monumental and majestic “It is worthy to be”. The prayer “Our Father” is distinguished by its intonational expressiveness and brightness of word embodiment. The final part, “Let our mouths be fulfilled,” sounds bright and solemn.
Tetiana Husarchuk,
Doctor of Arts