An historic event
in the magnificent setting of the Church of Saint Jean Baptiste
CHRISTMAS ORATORIO
Composed by Bishop Hilarion
Alfeyev
Russian Orthodox Bishop of Vienna and Austria
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
7:30 p.m.
Performed by
• The Central Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Ministry of Defense
•
The Choir of the National Tretyakov Art Gallery
•
The Youth Choir of the Musical College of the Moscow Conservatory
Conducted by
Valery Khalikov
In recognition of the 200th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States, canonical reunification of the Moscow Patriarchate with the Russian Orthodox Church abroad, and the long anticipated return of the historic Danilov monastery bells, owned by Harvard University for more than 75 years, the World Premiere of the Christmas Oratorio composed by the Russian Orthodox Bishop of Vienna and Austria Hilarion (Alfeyev) was featured at Saint Jean Baptiste Catholic Church on Tuesday, December 18, 2007.
The church was filled to capacity for the concert. Bishop Hilarion, just 41 years of age, was present and worked closely with the ensemble prior to the performance, but did not speak publicly. His music, however, said volumes, and was described as possessing a "transcendent" quality. The oratorio combines chanted text ― taken from Matthew's and Luke's accounts of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ ― with inspiring musical compositions by the bishop, who studied music before entering the monastery and being ordained to the priesthood and later the episcopacy. He previously wrote The Passion According to Saint Matthew, which premiered in Rome on March 29, 2007.
"At the heart of this composition lies the Gospel narrative of the birth and early days of Jesus Christ's life on earth," Bishop Hilarion said of his work. "The libretto uses Orthodox liturgical texts from the feasts of the Annunciation, the Nativity, and the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple."
"The movement of the oratorio is essentially one from darkness to light, from the painful expectation of the Messiah to the triumphant joy of mankind's salvation by God incarnate," the bishop said. "The angels' glorification in song of the Son of God who is born in Bethlehem is joined to that of all humans. This joint exaltation is symbolized by the singing of two choirs, the boys' choir and the mixed choir."
One concert attendee, the daughter of a Russian Orthodox priest, said: "Imagine this [Central Symphony] Orchestra of the Russian Ministry of Defense performing a religious piece like this, when just a few years ago Russia was a communist state!"
The New York concert at Saint Jean Baptiste was the second of three United States venues for the World Premiere. On Monday night, December 17, 3,000 guests crowded Washington's Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the debut in the nation's capital. The final performance took place at The Memorial Church of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Thursday, December 20.
Bishop Hilarion is the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions in Brussels and a member of the Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue. Pope Benedict XVI has repeatedly stated that a high priority of his papacy is to improve relations between the Christians of East and West.
Russian Orthodox Church
Representation to European Institutions