Nun Juliania, a choral conductor and Church composer,
is well-known both in her home country Belarus and abroad. In the past years
Nun Juliania’s choir recorded several beautiful albums of Liturgy chants.
The current album You
Simply Have to Love represents a great collection of non-Liturgical
Orthodox music which belongs to the spiritual heritage of various Christian
nations, including Belarus, Russia, and Greece.
Agni Parfene, a classical
hymn dedicated to the Mother of God, is
probably the most recognizable non-Liturgical chant of Eastern Christian
tradition. The song Creeping over the
Water tells a touching story about a girl who prefers a monastic cassock
over bridal dress. Listening to O,
Wondrous Isle of Valaam one cannot help imagining the majestic domes of the
monastery surrounded by the pine tree forest and nicknamed the Athos of the North. The Belarusian spiritual folk-song Three Angels reminds us that narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:14). Finally, You Simply Have to Love is a true masterpiece composed by Nun
Juliania with lyrics by Archpriest Andrew Logvinov who calls upon us to love
and forgive everyone.
It is not a secret that there is some prejudice toward
choral music regarded by some as old-fashioned and boring. I think the most
obvious advantage of the album is a careful selection of songs which can appeal
to a general audience. Moreover, some of the songs presented in the album can
be performed even by small choirs. This may be an opportunity for those who
love spiritual choral music to make it more popular in the modern society and
educate the young generation obsessed with listening to pop artists.
The album You Simply Have to Love gives
us an excellent chance to reflect on eternal values, such as faith, joy, hope,
love, and mercy while enjoying the best examples of spiritual music.
You can visit the Catalog of St. Elisabeth Convent to listen to a short preview of the album.
You can visit the Catalog of St. Elisabeth Convent to listen to a short preview of the album.
By Vladimir Sypchu,
a chorister from the parish of
the Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the
Temple,
Minsk, Belarus
Catalog of Good Deeds, 2018
Catalog of Good Deeds, 2018
CONVERSATION