Groot Omroepkoor in the Concertgebouw (2015) (Photo: Hans van der Woerd)

A Russian Christmas

Programme

Gabrieli Canzon no. 3 from Canzoni et sonate
Rutter What sweeter music
trad. Come all together
Sigvards Klava
Sviridov Parts from Praises and Prayers
Tchaikovsky Parts from Nine spiritual choral works
Momotenko-Levitsky Three spiritual hymns

Due to the different church calendar, the Russian Christmas celebrations will not take place until early January, but on 19 December you can already experience its richness with the internationally renowned Latvian Radio Choir and Sigvards Klava, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Momotenko-Levitsky.

The innovators Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov
After studying the intriguing, often polyphonic old Russian Orthodox choir music, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov tried to shake up the somewhat worn-out nineteenth-century tradition. Even though they adhered to the ban on musical instruments, the church authorities did not like it. But the two defied the lawsuits with which they tried to prevent the performance of their work in church.

Colourful Christmas repertoire
The choral repertoire written since then around 1880-1920 is supple in rhythm, exciting in harmony, full of colour and
famous for its deep basses. This is the music that we now identify with the richly decorated Russian churches, where incense is smouldering and dried-up old men kiss icons like apples. When the Soviet Union disintegrated, the Ukrainian Silvestrov and his Russian colleague Sviridov continued the 'romantic' tradition. And Alfred Momotenko-Levitsky? A Russian secret tip' from the Netherlands!

Date:

Friday, November 14, 2025

Time:

2:15 pm

Pause:

Location:

Large Hall

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