Russian Orthodox Passion (16th century)

Antiphons for Good Friday

Choir of Danilov Monastery Moscow
Georgy Safonov, direction

This disc contains a unique liturgical hymn called ‘Good Friday Antiphons’, a poetic work that is traced back to great Christian antiquity. The ecclesiastic chant is dated to the 16th century. The Good Friday Antiphons are recorded on this CD in the Supraslskiy chant. Suprasl Lavra is one of the biggest Orthodox monasteries established in 1498 near the river Suprasl, close to Białystok (Poland). In the 16th and 17th centuries this monastery became one of the largest centers of Eastern European Orthodox monasticism.
The present chants are reconstructed from the manuscript Irmologion of 1598. To restore the ancient traditions of Russian Orthodox Church chanting is not an easy task. It is well known that until the latter half of the 17th century Russian church tones were not written by means of standard linear musical notation. Rather it was a special melismatic liturgical singing that has its own specific notation and is known as ‘kryuki’. Their sense and meaning can be uttered only by those who have already studied chants before and know them by heart. The symbols can only help and direct. Therefore, it was a living tradition of sharing the craft of chants from generation to generation. As this unique tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church was broken in the 18th and 19th centuries, the restoration of music manuscripts of this nature can only be done with a degree of approximation. In this sense the Irmologion of Suprasl is unique in every respect.
It is the only known collection of ancient Russian church chants written in linear musical notation. The manuscript contains church chants translated from ‘kryuki’ into linear musical notation at the end of the 16th century, when the living tradition was not yet lost. The chants of Suprasl are remarkable for their smoothness, a unique intonational beauty, even flow of tune and at the same time deep feeling.

(balení: digipack)

1	Die Fürsten der Völker versammelten sich - Gesetzesloses beschlossen sie wider mich (Antiphon 1)	5:00
2	Judas eilte fort und sagte (Antiphon 2)	3:19
3	Wegen der Auferweckung des Lazarus - Bei Deinem Abendmahle, Christus - Sie, die dir das Leben gab, o Herr (Antiphon 3)	5:39
4	Heute verlässt Judas den Lehrer - Brüder, lasset uns die Bruderliebe in Christus erwerben (Antiphon 4)	6:18
5	Der Jünger des Meisters nahm den Preis an - heute sprach der Schöpfer des Himmels (Antiphon 5)	4:35
6	Heute wacht Judas, den Herrn zu verraten (Antiphon 6)	5:36
7	Den Gesetzlosen, die dich gefangen nahmen (Antiphon 7)	4:42
8	Ihr Gesetzlosen sprechet: Was hörtet ihr - Er soll gekreuzigt werden, riefen sie (Antiphon 8)	5:40
9	Da legten sie die dreißig Silberlinge vor (Antiphon 9)	2:47
10	Der sich mit Licht umkleidet wie mit einem Gewande - Der Jünger verleugnete, der Räuber rief: (Antiphon 10)	5:00
11	Für das Gute, das du, Christus (Antiphon 11)	2:27
12	Dies spricht der Herr zu den Jude (Antiphon 12)	4:21
13	Die Versammlung der Juden bat den Pilatus (Antiphon 13)	2:45
14	Du hast, Herr, den Räuber als Weggenossen genommen (Antiphon 14)	1:28
15	Heute hängt am Kreuze der, der die Erde über den Wassern (Antiphon 15)	9:38
16	Ansprache von Erzbischof Hilarion am Karfreitag vor dem Grabtuch Christi	4:01