Sunday, November 15, 2009
Release of Hymns of Mount Athos & The Glory of Byzantium: Christmas Hymns





On November 17, Jade Music/Milan Entertainment, Inc. is releasing the album "Hymns of Mount Athos" by the Choir of Monks from the Monastery of Simonos Petra. Legendary Mount Athos is home to twenty Orthodox monasteries with more than two thousand monks living, praying, singing and meditating. For centuries they have dedicated several hours of the day to liturgical chant, reflecting on their faith and the depth of Byzantine culture. Simonos Petra is a beautiful symbol of monastic life. Built in the 13th century, it is home today to sixty monks. This recording, Hymns of Mount Athos, is a testimony to the pure beauty of Orthodox chant.

Two weeks later, on December 1, we will release the album "The Glory of Byzantium: Christmas Hymns".

Following the success of The Glory Of Byzantium, Jade Music is releasing The Glory of Byzantium: Christmas Hymns. The album features the Byzantine Choir Of Greece under the direction of Lycourgos Angelopoulos. Compositions on this recording were mostly written by composers of the 17th and 18th centuries; Petros Bereketis, Hourmouzios Hartofylax, Petros Lampadarios, and Petros Peloponnisios among others. These centuries belong to the most important when it comes to post-Byzantine art.

While I have not listened to either of these CDs yet, I am interested in them since Jade Music has consistently provided high quality products in the past. For a list of other Music CDs by them, please click on "Music Reviews."

2 comment(s):

del_button November 22, 2009 at 2:33 PM
Mark said...

Matthew:

Thank you for this. National Geographic has an illustrated article "Called to the Holy Mountain. The Monks of Mount Athos which takes a sympathetic look at the life of the monks on the holy peninsula. There are also some stunning photos by Travis Dove.

del_button November 22, 2009 at 3:34 PM
Matthew said...

Mark:

Fantastic photos! Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I have listened to a few of the songs and they are great. I would recommend the CD since most of us do not get to hear their style of chant often.

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