At Russian Orthodox Cathedral in aid of Konevets Monastery

Sunday 15th November at 3.00pm the male voice ensemble, The Konevets Quartet, will be performing Russian sacred music and folk songs at Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Harvard Rd, W4 4ED

Tickets £8 (concessions £5)

Part of the proceeds of the concert will go to the Konevets Monastery in Russia.

The Konevets Quartet

The Konevets Quartet, under the direction of Igor Dmitriev, was founded by graduates of the St. Petersburg Music Conservatory in July 1992 with the goal of sharing the rich Russian vocal tradition with its audiences. The Quartet takes its name from the Konevets Island and Monastery, 160 kilometres northeast of St. Petersburg on Lake Ladoga. Members of the Quartet have also studied at the Glinka Choral Academy and each is an experienced choir director, composer and arranger. The Quartet's aim was to become a chamber choir with a fused harmonic sound, rather than soloists, and the repertoire has been developed and arranged with this in mind. It includes primarily Russian sacred music, ranging from hymns by twentieth century composers such as Chesnokov, Grechaninov and Stravinsky, to ancient chants in one, two and three-part arrangements. The repertoire also features Russian folk songs, and regimental songs and marches of the Tsarist armies and military academies, forbidden during Communist times. Finally, the Quartet performs choral music by Russian composers, with lyrics by Russian poets such as Pushkin and Lermontov, and with music by Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Taneyev and other famous Russian composers. Some of the songs are rarely performed or unknown even in Russia, and the Quartet constantly searches to expand the breadth of its music.

As musical ambassadors of Russian Church music and of the Konevets Monastery, part of the Quartet’s revenue goes towards the restoration of the Monastery, which suffered catastrophic damage during the Soviet era, and its representational church in the heart of St. Petersburg. With this goal, it has toured extensively to wide success, including Russia, England, Scotland, America, Canada, France, Italy, Ireland and throughout Scandinavia. The Konevets Quartet has taken part in dozens of prestigious international festivals and has recorded seven critically acclaimed CDs. These are distributed worldwide and are available for purchase at its concerts, including today during the intermission and after the concert, when they will be pleased to sign CDs.

The Konevets Monastery

Over 600 years ago, St. Arseny Konevsky founded a cloister in honour of the Mother of God on Konevets Island on Lake Ladoga. During Soviet years the island was occupied by the military and literally disappeared from the map. The Monastery, once closed and its buildings brought to ruin, is now being reborn. The Quartet has sung for those working on the Monastery’s restoration, for pilgrims and tourists, and even for squatters who seek shelter in the restored buildings. The Quartet frequently sings at the Monastery’s church services on Sundays and Feast Days.

November 5, 2009