Search - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Valery Polyansky :: Tchaikovsky: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Tchaikovsky began his first large-scale sacred composition in 1878. He chose the hallowed text by St. John Chrysostom (347-407), Bishop of Constantinople and one of the fathers of the Greek (and by extension Russian Orthodox) church. This is one of the most important texts in the Orthodox liturgy, and Tchaikovsky intended his setting for church use. However, it was first performed in a public concert and immediately condemned by the Patriarch of Moscow as being tainted by the world. Tchaikovsky creates a rich variety of choral textures to provide atmosphere and create quasi-orchestral effects. Valeri Polyansky (b. 1936), who is now making a name for himself as an orchestral conductor, established his career in choral music. A graduate of the legendary Moscow Conservatory, he studied with Boris Kulikov and Gennady Rozhdestvensky. In the 1980s and early '90s, Polyansky recorded Russian sacred music extensively with the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir! . In 1992, he founded the Symphonic Capella, a large choral and orchestral ensemble based in Moscow. Sung in Church Slavonic. Recorded in the Cathedral of the Dormition in Smolensk in 1990.