Event
Rodion Shchedrin: The Sealed Angel: A Russian Liturgy
A free, pre-concert lecture will be presented by linguistic scholar and University of Chicago professor Dr. Yuroslav Gorbachov, one hour prior to the performance.
Shchedrin composed The Sealed Angel in 1988, in commemoration of the millennium of the conversion of Russia to Christianity. It received its premiere that same year, and was awarded the Russian State Prize in 1992 by President Boris Yeltsin.
Originally titled 'Russian Liturgy,' this major work references pre-1917 Russian Orthodox worship, with its sacred, Old Slavonic texts, chant-like melodies, and broadly liturgical structure. Shchedrin hoped to reawaken an appreciation of orthodox Christianity within the officially atheistic Soviet state; but rather than signal a literal resumption of the tradition, he suggests a new approach to it, through utilization of a modern harmonic palette, and instrumental accompaniment, which would have been forbidden in traditional worship. Even with these modifications, however, he was cautious concerning official censorship, and ultimately changed the work's overtly religious title to the relatively harmless 'The Sealed Angel,' after a well-known story by the celebrated Russian novelist Nikolai Leskow (1831-1895), thus veiling the work's liturgical basis.
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LocationHyde Park Union Church (View)
5600 S. Woodlawn Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637
United States
Categories
Kid Friendly: Yes! |
Dog Friendly: No |
Non-Smoking: Yes! |
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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