The Russian Orthodox liturgy is steeped in tradition, and its music is no different.
The vocal music performed in Russian Orthodox churches is always unaccompanied vocals, explained Kirill Sokolov, director of the St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble. The group performs several concerts across the Central Coast, including a concert in Santa Maria on May 17.
The first half of the concert will feature all sacred music sung in Russian, he said.
“We have a very deep a cappella tradition because we have no instruments at the church—no organ, no nothing. Just the human voice,” Sokolov said. “In the beginning, the songs were a lot like Gregorian chant, but in the 18th century, the Russian composers began to create a sacred music style for the Russian Orthodox church.
“The result of this is beautiful liturgies and vespers by Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, and others,” he added.
The St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble will perform sacred works by those celebrated Russian composers for the first half of the show, Sokolov said. The members of the ensemble are all Orthodox Christians, he explained, and are used to performing at churches in Russia.
He said that during the Soviet era of Russian history, much of the music was banned, but the great composers’ work was “untouchable” at the time.
“We’re like a part of the church, and always when we sing the concert, we’re feeling the old prayers,” he said. “The words of this old music is mostly from vespers or the psalms from the Bible, so it’s really spiritual and touches our soul very deep.”
Sokolov sings baritone in the quartet, and directs the group, which also includes singers Andrei Volikov, Sergey Shapinskiy, and Vadim Smantser. They will also perform in Santa Barbara on May 16 and in Nipomo on June 17.
The group won’t just perform sacred music but also a collection of Russian folk songs for the second half of the show. That music is secular, Sokolov said, and includes “humorous songs” with translations.
“The folk music is more light and bright, and we will sing lots of songs which are well known here in the United States like ‘Kalinka’ and others,” he said. “It’s really interesting music.”
The St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble has been together for a decade now, Sokolov explained. The common interest that united them was their love for vocal music, he said.
They used to play with an accordion player, but decided years ago to stay dedicated to a cappella music. That vocal style is part of sacred Russian music making, he said.
“Here in the United States, you have a lot of different traditions,” he said. “And this type of music, people really want to listen because it’s unusual for them.”
The group tours the United States twice a year Sokolov explained. They usually tour the West Coast in spring, and “love the places, all the people around us,” he said.
They welcome listeners to enjoy the music, no matter what faith or musical background they come from.
“We have lots of concerts and love to travel here,” Sokolov said. “Most of our concerts we do in the churches, but not only Orthodox churches, all different churches in the nation: Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Episcopal—all kinds of churches.
“It’s really a good cultural exchange between our countries and between our churches,” he added. “This is very important for us.”
Managing Editor Joe Payne always has an ear open for harmony. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 11-18, 2017.