Double CD of St Ephraim Male Choir with Bulgarian, Greek, Hungarian, Russian, Ruthenian, Serbian, and Ukrainian prayers

Orientale lumen - Light of the East. The title of the encyclical of St John Paul II was borrowed by the Saint Ephraim Male Choir for their concert series in St Stephen's Basilica, launched in December 2012. Already in its first season, the series was highly successful and instantly embraced by the audience; thousands wanted to listen to the 'vocal pieties' encompassing the unusually broad repertoire of Byzantine liturgical music. BMC Records released a compilation CD for Christmas 2013, featuring memorable moments from the second season of Orientale lumen.
During its second and third seasons Orientale lumen grew to be one of the most popular church music events in Budapest: both professionals and choral music lovers have spoken highly of it. The Saint Ephraim Male Choir has continued to invite internationally renowned artists to perform at the concerts: the series hosted the Hungarian début of Soeur Marie Keyrouz, Nektaria Karantzi, Dragoslav Pavle Aksentijević and Barilli Women's Choir. Also, after a ten-year hiatus the Russian Patriarchate Choir of Moscow returned to Hungary to perform together with the Saint Ephraim Choir, and nor should we overlook the magnificent performances by Márta Sebestyén, Tünde Szabóki, Bishop Fülöp Kocsis and Anatoly Fokanov - all of whom were guest performers in the series. Two classic Russian pieces were also presented: Saint Ephraim Male Choir was expanded to a mixed choir with the help of the Schola Cantorum Budapestiensis and the NIKA Chamber Choir to perform Tchaikovsky's Divine Liturgy and Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil.
Bulgarian, Greek, Hungarian, Russian, Ruthenian, Serbian, and Ukrainian prayers can be heard on the recording, conveying and representing the religious sentiments from numerous decades, of various nations and diverse peoples to the audience in St Stephen's Basilica, who sometimes also participate in the joint prayers. This compilation ventures to convey this quite unique milieu.

Track Listing

• Bell prayer I
• Evening sacrifice
• God is with us
• Christ is born
• When the Angel came down to Mary... Moldavian Religious Chant
• Christmas bell prayer
• Awake, Oh Christian Soul... Moldavian Religious Chant
• Oh, pious Jesus
• Little girl
• Hark, how the bells
• Praise the Lord, O my soul
• Credo
• Cherubic chant
• Interlude for bells, wood & metals
• Two Movements from Presanctifi cated Gifts
• Kratima (Ps 105)
• Slavite Gospoda jer je dobar: Traditional Serbian Chant (Ps 135)
• We hymn Thee

• Bell prayer I
• Credo
• Bell prayer II
• I will bless the Lord at all times
• Symantron (wood bell) prayer
• Do Not Reject Me (Ps 70)
• Bell prayer III
• Blessed is the man (Ps 1)
• Bless the Lord, O my soul (Ps 103)
• Praise ye the name of the Lord (Ps 134/135)
• Interlude for chains and metals
• Lamentation of the Virgin Mary
• Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ (Prayer from Morning Service)
• Cherubimic hymn
• Bell prayer IV
• Te Deum laudamus

Additional Details

Label: BMC Records

Genre: Classical

Run Time: 103 mins

Release Date: 08/07/15

UPC: 5998309302176