DAYS OF SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS

8 – 14 MAY 2018, TURIN
 

ORGANIZERS

“SAINT MAXIMUS OF TURIN” CHURCH, TURIN, ITALY

 “BULGARIAN COLLEGIUM HOSANNA”, SOFIA, BULGARIA
 

The forum is being held with the blessing of
archimandrite Ambrose (Kasinasko)
 

It is already the third  millennium  where creators in the area of the Christian spiritual culture and art – theologians, philosophers, hymnographers, songwriters, icon painters and others – make a contribution for the blossoming of the Christian civilization. Among these great and spiritual men, Saint brothers Cyril and Methodius hold a domineering place. Their Great Moravian mission enrichens the Christian liturgy with yet another language – this of the Slavs.
Nowadays, the sacred books, the  hymnographical  literature and in particular the St. John Chrysostom liturgy’s text are translated in almost all of the contemporary languages. Orthodox people living in the USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy etc. all sing in their own languages, but they “install” the translations to a music, written for the Church Slavonic or Greek texts.
In recent times most of West Europe’s Orthodox churches have their chants sung chiefly in Russian, with few Ukrainian, Romanian and Moldovan ones, a couple of Greek chants, whereas in Serbian, Bulgarian or Georgian they are sung practically nowhere. To a point, this repertoire satisfies the Orthodox emigrants but the local congregation is forced to “sink” in an intonational setting which divides them from their own cultural identity. Despite this, the emigrants’ children and grandchildren absorb the language and the cultural traditions of the countries they live in. Gradually, the chants brought by their parents and grandparents become less and less familiar for their kin or for the local Orthodox.
So  as  to  overcome  this  condition  and  also as a request from a conductor in America, the composer Georgi Popov firstly wrote the St. John Chrysostom liturgy in English. Colleagues from other West European Orthodox churches shared the same problems. Аfter the completion of the English liturgy, driven by this necessity, the composer wrote the St. John Chrysostom liturgy in French, German and Italian. Additionally, writing a liturgy in liturgical Greek language is a far-off dream of his.
Few  years  ago  with  God’s  providence  archimandrite  Ambrose (Kasinasko), the primate of “Saint Maximus of Turin” church in Turin and “Bulgarian collegium HOSANNA” met at a festive liturgy in Rome. After two visits in his church and after the completion of all five St. John Chrysostom liturgies arose the idea of organizing annually these Days, dedicated to the Saints Cyril and Methodius. Father Ambrose is the name-giver and the host of the upcoming forum.
In May, when we celebrate the memory of the Saint Brothers Cyril and Methodius, six St. John Chrysostom liturgies will be held – each day in a different language: Church Slavonic, Greek, Italian, French, German and English. In these liturgies will take part choirs from Europe who are willing to learn one whole liturgy or several parts of it. Since “Bulgarian collegium HOSANNA” is the co-organizer of the forum, the choirs who decide to learn some of the parts will divide the liturgy with the Bulgarian choir.
The  participants will have the opportunity to give concerts in various churches in Turin and Milan.
Also,  during  the  forum, a seminar called  “The Light in the liturgical music” will be conducted which will include both introduction to the church vocal technique bregmophony and work on the scores with the author.
The  organizers  believe  that  in  the   upcoming  forum will take part representatives of the church choral art from many churches and countries will take part. “Days of Saints Cyril and Methodius” is an attempt to draw closer together the Christians from different countries, to unite them and also to strengthen the Orthodox entity.