Traditional

Christmas in Russia Traditional

Christmas Eve of the Russian Orthodox Church (on January 6th) is traditionally celebrated in the liturgy of the Christmas Vigil (vsenoschnoye bdeniye). This most important event of the evening before Christmas is a service lasting many hours with much singing and with light processions. The Christmas message was also a source of inspiration for many Russian composers. They created music, which celebrated the depth, pathos and emotion of the Christmas story in all its splendour. The present recording contains chants from the Christmas Vigil - one of the most beautiful Masses of the Eastern Orthodox rite - with works by the greatest composers from Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria. In 1921, the unforgettable Sergei Jaroff founded the Don Cossacks choir, which he conducted without interruption until its disbanding in 1979.