THE PASSION ACCORDING TO MATTHEW CONCERT LIVE FROM THE VATICAN (Mark your Calendars!)

EWTN ^ | March 22, 2007

[NYer]

THE PASSION ACCORDING TO MATTHEW CONCERT LIVE In honor of the coinciding of Holy Week for Catholics and Orthodox this year, Bishop Hilarion Alfeev of Vienna, the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church of Moscow to the European Community, will perform his latest musical composition, “The Passion According to Matthew,” live from Rome and carried worldwide by EWTN. March 29 3:00 PM March 29 10:30 PM BIOGRAHPY Born in 1966, Hilarion Alfeyev received his initial education in music, studying violin, piano and composition, at the Moscow Gnessins School and the Moscow State Conservatory. After military service from 1984-86, he entered, in January 1987, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where he was tonsured a monk on 19 June, ordained deacon on 21 June and ordained priest on 19 August the same year. In 1989 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary and in 1991 from the Moscow Theological Academy. From 1991 to 1993 he taught Homiletics, Dogmatic Theology, New Testament Studies and Byzantine Greek at the Moscow Theological Schools. In 1995 he completed his doctoral thesis on ‘St Symeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition’ at Oxford University, Great Britain, under the supervision of Bishop Kallistos Ware. From 1995 to 2001 he served as Secretary for Inter-Christian Affairs of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. On 27 December 2001 he was elected Bishop, and on 14 January 2002 consecrated by His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, and 10 other bishops. He served as an Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Sourozh in Great Britain until his nomination, on 17 July 2002, as Head of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions. On 7 May 2003 he was appointed Bishop of Vienna and Austria, as well as temporary administrator of the Diocese of Budapest and Hungary, in addition to his position as the Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions in Brussels. Bishop Hilarion is the author of more than 300 publications, including numerous books in Russian, English, French, Italian, German and Finnish.Apart from his doctoral degree in philosophy from Oxford, he also holds a doctorate in theology from St Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris.

[NYer]

For those who may have missed this earlier thread ...

Bishop Alfeev on Music as Prayer - Interview With Russian Orthodox Composer

[NYer]

The concert will be performed by 145 musicians from the Orchestra of Moscow. Consider that only 25 years ago, such a concert would have been impossible.

[onedoug]

Bach?

[livius]

No, this is a new piece by a Russian Orthodox composer who is also a bishop. It sounds really interesting and I'm looking forward to listening!

[markomalley]

Bishop Hilarion Alfeev of Vienna, the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church of Moscow to the European Community, will perform his latest musical composition, “The Passion According to Matthew,” live from Rome…

Not only is this a tremendous opportunity for cultural enrichment, I see this as a not-very subtle diplomatic move…a very positive one at that! (To my knowledge, the progress BXVI has been making with Constantinople hasn't been marked by similar progress with Moscow. This is a very positive gesture being made by Moscow for a warming of relations)

[BelegStrongbow]

Pardon my ignorance but are those times Rome local?

[NYer]

Pardon my ignorance but are those times Rome local?

Eastern Daylight Savings Time.

[NYer]

Not only is this a tremendous opportunity for cultural enrichment, I see this as a not-very subtle diplomatic move…a very positive one at that!

This particular bishop is very much in favor of restoration of ties with the Pope.

[FloridaCatholic]

The concert will be shown on EWTN on Thursday March 29th at 3pm EST and will be replayed at 10:30pm EST. It is an hour and a half long and is a must see for all who pray for the reunification of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church

[NYer]

Welcome to Free Republic!

And thank you for the information regarding the replay time. Do you suppose the concert will be recorded and made available on DVD?

[FloridaCatholic]

My understanding is that there will be a DVD available through the INSIDE THE VATICAN MAGAZINE. They are the driving force that has put this concert together. The website is http://insidethevatican.com.

[kosta50]

The concert has passed. I have seee it. I followed the Italian narrative using the NT, but the choir sining was in church Slavonic whihc I understand, and of course appreciated very much.

I haven't heard the reaction to the concert, especially tha last part. Any comments?

PS The link to Inside the Vatican doesn't open anything. Perhaps the link is corrupt.

A Blessed and happy Paschal Resurrection to both of you.

[NYer]

I haven't heard the reaction to the concert, especially tha last part. Any comments?

It received a standng ovation. From Zenit News Agency

---

Date: 2007-04-02

Concert Brings East and West Together

Patriarch and Cardinal Say It Prepared for Easter

ROME, APRIL 2, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The performance of Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeev's "The Passion According to St. Matthew" united East and West for a "unity concert " which ended with a long, standing ovation.

Composed by Bishop Alfeev of Vienna and Austria, representative of the Russian Orthodox Church of Moscow to the European Community, "The Passion According to St. Matthew" was performed last Thursday in an auditorium beside the Vatican.

At the beginning of the concert, Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Councils for Interreligious Dialogue and for Culture and a trustee of the concert, read a message from Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.

"For all of us it is good preparation for the great and salvific days of Passion Week, which will help us comprehend the great atoning work accomplished by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," the patriarch wrote.

"Only if we are conscious of this atoning feat are we deemed worthy of a special joy to meet the risen Christ on the bright day of Christ's Passover," he continued.

Both lungs

Cardinal Poupard observed: "The Passion According to St. Matthew" is not just "a merely cultural event, but also, and I would say, above all, a moment of reflection and preparation for the great feast of Easter." This year, Orthodox and Catholics will celebrate Easter on the same day.

The concert, the cardinal added, offers the opportunity "of participating in first person in this journey of mutual knowledge, esteem and communion desired by both Churches, which continues ever more intensely and fruitfully" so that the Church can breathe "with both lungs."

This is in order to take advantage of the richness of the "spiritual and cultural patrimony of East and West, welcomed and lived in its substantial unity and its creative cultural complementarity," Cardinal Poupard added.

Other concert trustees included Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, retired president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; Nikolay Sadchikov, Russian ambassador to the Holy See; and composer Arvo Part.

"The Passion" was conducted by Vladimir Fedoseev and interpreted by the Petr Chajkovskij Grand Symphonic Orchestra, and by the Trethakovskij Choir.

The concert was presented for the first time in Moscow two days earlier, in the presence of Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II.

EWTN covered the performance, which was broadcast by the Vatican Television Center.

[kosta50]

Thank you. It was a very moving event, I must admit. Any personal thoughts?

[NYer]

Unfortunately, the live concert was telecast while I was at work. The encore showing began at 11pm and I fell asleep in the middle :-( My consolation is that it will be available on DVD, which I plan to purchase.

As an aside, I was fascinated by Cardinal Poupard's introduction to the performance. I speak both French and Italian. This is the first time I have heard Italian spoken with a heavy French accent. He rolled his 'r's :-)

[livius]

I loved it! It was wonderful to hear big, rich orchestral parts - most modern music is very minimalist. I liked the use of a bass as the narrator. And I liked the interspersing of the verses from the Orthodox services (Noble Joseph, for example) with the Passion Gospel. I’m going to buy the DVD as soon as it’s available.

[kosta50]

As an aside, I was fascinated by Cardinal Poupard's introduction to the performance. I speak both French and Italian. This is the first time I have heard Italian spoken with a heavy French accent. He rolled his 'r's :-)

At first I thought he was German, but then I saw his name. It is so lovely to hear these fathers switch from one language to another so effortlessly. The Church is so increidbly rich with knowledge and talents of so many of its great sons. And how rich does that makes us!

Yes, the DVD is a keeper.

[kosta50]

I liked the use of a bass as the narrator. And I liked the interspersing of the verses from the Orthodox services (Noble Joseph, for example) with the Passion Gospel. I’m going to buy the DVD as soon as it’s available

The bass narrator was (judging from his vestments) a tonsured cantor of the Orthodox Church. In the Slavonic tradition, the word of God is always recited in "deep voice" to simulate the power it carries.

The choir sang Divine Liturgy hymns, as you aptly observe. And the last part was a triple repetition of the Eastern hymnology and was absolutely hair-raising. You could tell the blond lead woman singer (whose voice could incredibly be heard above everyone else's!) was just "bubbling" with excitement.

It was a truly blessed ecumenical event that brought us all together under one roof as brothers and sisters of One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Blessed and joyous Paschal Resurrection to you and all.