Ikon - music of the Russian Orthodox Church | Nonsuch Singers

The texts of the Orthodox liturgy have inspired some of the greatest Russian composers, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Stravinsky among them, as well as modern masters like Krzysztof Penderecki and Arvo Pärt, and the British composer John Tavener, who converted to the Orthodox faith in 1977.

We feature works by all of these composers in the opening concert of our new season. Spanning the period from the late 18th to the 21st century our programme includes composers whose sacred pieces are considered cornerstones of the liturgical repertoire. Beginning with the Ukrainian Dmitry Bortniansky, perhaps the greatest composer in the Russian Empire before Glinka, we go on to sample the music of Alexander Grechaninov, Pavel Chesnokov and Alexander Levine.

Nonsuch Singers and our conductor Tom Bullard look forward to welcoming you to this lovely church and its beautiful acoustic for this evening of inspirational choral music.