On February 25 – March 4, the festival “Great Lents
Concerts” will take place in Minsk. It will be organized by St. Elisabeth
Convent in cooperation with Belarusian State Academy of Music with the blessing
of Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl.
This year, Great Lent Concerts will be held under the theme
“The Restoration of Ancient Traditions” and will combine spiritual and
classical music concerts. Church and secular choirs, orchestras and soloists
will perform in various concert halls of the city.
About
Great Lent Concerts
The festival will be held in Minsk for the second time,
while the idea itself of giving spiritual concerts during Great Lent has deep roots. Great
Lent Concerts appeared in St. Petersburg in the end of the 19th
century – the beginning of the 20th century. That unique for Russian
musical culture event was born again in the beginning of the 21th century. During the restoration of the tradition, the
organizers of the concerts invited to the cultural capital of Russia the best
musical collectives from all over the world. The Festive Choir of St. Elisabeth
Convent was among them.
By the initiative of Nun Juliania (Denisova), the chorister
of the Festive Choir of St. Elisabeth Convent and a church composer, last year Great Lent Concerts were organized in Minsk for the first time. Spiritual
music was sounding in various concert halls of Minsk during the whole week,
while the sold-out concerts became the evidence that people really need
spiritual food today.
Nun Juliania noted that, too: “Great Lent Concerts”
are held not only for Orthodox people, but also for people who do not go to
church and people of other confessions. Music is the very genre that eliminates
distinctions between us and makes them insensible. At the same time, the
organizers of the festival and its participants are faithful people. Their life
itself and everything they do become their preaching… Great Lent Concerts is a
form of contingence and cooperation: thanks to the festival, our convent comes
out of the church walls and goes to city halls, to people”.
The active support of Ekaterina Dulova, the director
of Belarusian State Academy of Music, allowed to extend the format of the
festival. This year, Minsk citizens will hear not only choir singing, but also instrumental music performed by young and talented musicians. High level of
spirituality is typical not only for Divine service chants – it penetrates the national
art and the works of great composers.
January 31, 2018
St. Elisabeth Convent
CONVERSATION