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Archaion Kallos 2022

International Festival of Orthodox Music

Once again, the Philokallia association invites you to the Archaion Kallos International Festival of Orthodox Music. Join us for a beautiful spiritual and musical experience. In its literal sense, the Greek expression “archaion kallos” means “ancient beauty,” but in the vocabulary of the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Christian Church, “archaion kallos” speaks of a certain archetype, an “original beauty;” that is to say, the beauty which man beheld in Paradise and which he experienced after Creation.  The Philokallia Association (philokalliaa word of Greek origin meaning “love of the beautiful”) gave this name to the first and only festival of Orthodox music in Prague because we perceive every act in sacred music, whether of composition or interpretation, as a kind of conscious or unconscious search for this pristine beauty, the Archaion Kallos.

The festival is held under the auspices of:
the Minister of Culture, Martin Baxa,
the Mayor of Prague 2, Alexandra Udženija,
the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic H.E. Mr. Athanassios Paressoglou,
the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, H. E. Mr. Antonios Theocharous

and with the blessings of
His Eminence Michal, Archbishop of Prague and the Czech Lands.

We look forward to seeing you and trust that this year’s festival will take us all a step closer to Archaion Kallos.

CONCERTS

The Music of Romanian Monasteries

22. 9. 2022, 19:30

The concert will take the listener down the mystical paths of Romanian sacred music performed by the leading male choir Nectarie Protopsaltul.

Program: music from the Neamț monastery, Cernica monastery and others

Male choir Nectarie Protopsaltulartistic director: Sabin Preda

Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2

Admission: 300 CZK, 150 CZK (students, seniors)
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

Treasures of Slavic Sacred Music

2. 10. 2022, 19:30

Join us for a “musical excursion” through the world of Slavic Orthodox music with music from Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, etc. and a world premiere by Czech composer P. Koronthály on Orthodox texts.

Sbor Notre Dame, conductor Leona Stříteská
Mixed choir Melodie
, conductor Pavel Salák

Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK (students, seniors)
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

East and West
in the liturgy of the late Middle Ages

6. 10. 2022, 19:30

An outstanding concert which presents various settings of the Western Latin Mass by great masters of the late middle ages such as F. Landini and J. Ciconia along with masterpieces of the “Eastern Liturgy’’ by significant composers of the byzantine ars nova such as St. John Koukouzelis. For the first time in Prague, hitherto unknown Byzantine compositions from the musical archives of Cyprus will be performed, along with Ars Nova and Ars subtilior polyphony from the prominent Cypriot codex known as the Turin Manuscript J.II.9.

Tomáš Hála: positive organ, clavisimbalum
Anna Petrtylová: soprano
Marek Žihla: tenor
&
Giorgos Dimitriou (Cyprus, Vienna): protopsaltis (solo)
with members of the Ensemble Hilaris

Venue: Church of Saint Wenceslas of Zderaz, Resslova 300/6 120 00, Prague 2

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK (students, seniors)
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

The concert is held with the support of the Embassy of Cyprus in Prague  and under the auspices of the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, H. E. Mr. Antonios Theocharous.

Philokalia Today
Contemporary music for piano inspired by Orthodox spirituality

12. 10. 2022, 19:30

Traditionally, one concert of the festival presents the Prague audience with contemporary music inspired by Orthodox spirituality. This year we invite you to musical trip to modern and postmodern piano music with works by V. Mokranjac, J. Tavener, I. Moody, A. Pärt and H. Bartoň (world premiere) .

V. Mokranjac: Echoes (Odjeci)
J. Tavener: 
Ypakoe
I. Moody: 
Fioriture
A. Pärt: 
Für Alina
H. Bartoň: Prelude to psalm 141, for piano and electronics (world premier)

 Radka Hanáková: piano

Venue: Liechtenstein Palace – Galerie, HAMU, Malostranské nám. 13, Prague 1

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK (students, seniors), for students of HAMU entrance free
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

Hildegard of Bingen and st. Kassia of Constantinople

19. 10. 2022, 19:30

The concert is dedicated to two of the earliest Christian women composers, the German mystic Hildegard of Bingen and the Byzantine composer and poet St. Kassia. Their works will be performed by the leading women’s ensemble Tiburtina and Greek singer Evanthia Vavoulioti.

Program: Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum, Ordo Virtutum, Troparion Kassianis aj.

Tiburtina Ensemble, artistic director: Barbora Kabátková
Evanthia Vavoulioti (Greece): psaltria
with the accompaniment the Philokallia Ensemble

Venue: Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Viničná 2, 128 00, Prague 2
Admission: 300 CZK, 150 CZK (students, seniors)
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

The concert is held with the support of the Embassy of Greece in Prague and the Church of Greece and under the auspices of the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic, H.E. Mr. Athanassios Paressoglou.

CHURCH SERVICE (free entry):

All-night vigil on the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos
or
Music from the Holy Mountain of Athos

7. 9. 2022, 21:00 until 01:30 (8. 9. 2022)

All-night vigil with authentic Byzantine music from the Holy Mountain of Athos on the feast day of the Nativity of the Theotokos.

Fotios Kalyvas (Greece): protopsaltis
Sotiris Tsepidis (Greece): ison singer, psaltis
with the accompaniment (isokratema) of the
Male choir of the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Malá Chuchle, artistic director: Marios Christou.

Venue: Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, V Lázních 15, Malá Chuchle

Free entry

RELATED EVENTS

WORKSHOPS

The art of interpreting the Byzantine chant

27. 8. 2022, 9:00 – 16:00

A workshop led by Petros Papaemmanouil

The workshop includes:

– An introduction to byzantine music theory
– An introduction to the historically informed performance of Byzantine Chant
– Choral singing of selected compositions

Schedule:
9:00 – 12:00
lunch
14:00 – 16:00

Further information

EXHIBITIONS

1.9. – 31.10. 2022

An Exhibition of Traditional Romanian Liturgical Vestments

This unique exhibition promises an unusual experience, as Church attire in Romania is still strongly influenced by local folk costumes. Priests’ vestments decorated with folk motifs as well as folk costumes and much more will be on display starting on September 1st at the Old Catholic Cathedral of St. Lawrence on Petrin hill.

Venue: Church of Saint Lawrence (Starokatolický katedrální chrám sv. Vavřince), Petřínské sady Praha 1, 118 00
Free entry

Friday: 19:00 – 20:00
Saturday: 19:00 – 20:00
Sunday: 9:00 – 12:00

LECTURES

All lectures are held in Czech

19. 9. 2022, 17:30 / FREE ENTRY

Svatá Kassia Konstantinopolská a byzantská hymnografie

doc. ThLic. Pavel Milko, Ph.D.

Povídání o slavné byzantské hymnografce z 9. století, kde se kromě jiného zastavíme i u slavného 75. kánonu Pátošestého sněmu, který se týká liturgického zpěvu.

Jazyk: čeština

Místo konání: Husitská teologická fakulta, Univerzita Karlova, Pacovská 350/4, Praha 4

Přednáška se koná ve spolupráci s Ústavem východního křesťanství

Archaion Kallos 2021

International Festival of Orthodox Music

Once again, the Philokallia Association invites you to the Archaion Kallos International Festival of Orthodox Music. Join us for a beautiful spiritual and musical experience. In its literal sense, the Greek expression “archaion kallos” means “ancient beauty,” but in the vocabulary of the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Christian Church, “archaion kallos” speaks of a certain archetype, an “original beauty;” that is to say, the beauty which man beheld in Paradise and which he experienced after Creation.  The Philokallia Association (philokalliaa word of Greek origin meaning “love of the beautiful”) gave this name to the first and only festival of Orthodox music in Prague because we perceive every act in sacred music, whether of composition or interpretation, as a kind of conscious or unconscious search for this pristine beauty, the Archaion Kallos.

The festival is held under the auspices of:
the Minister of Culture, Lubomír Zaorálek,
the Mayor of Prague 2, Jana Černochová,
the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic H.E. Mr. Athanassios Paressoglou,
the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, H. E. Mr. Antonios Theocharous

and with the blessings of
His Eminence Michal, Archbishop of Prague and the Czech Lands.

We look forward to seeing you and trust that this year’s festival will take us all a step closer to Archaion Kallos.

Church service (free entry):

All-night vigil on the feast of St. Romanos the Melodist
or Music from the Holy Mountain of Athos

30. 9. 2021, 8:30 P.M. until 1:00 A. M. (1. 10. 2021)

All-night vigil with authentic Byzantine music from the Holy Mountain of Athos on the feast day of renown composer St. Romanos the Melodist (6th cent.)

Georgos Dimitriou (Cyprus, Greece)
Dimitrios Vitsios (Great Britain)

with the accompaniment (isokratema) of the Philokalia Ensemble (male voices)

Venue: Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, V Lázních 15, Malá Chuchle

Free Entry

This event in an integral part of the church service and is held with the support of the Embassy Hellenic Republic in Prague, the Church of Greece and under the auspices of the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic H.E. Mr. Athanassios Paressoglou.

Concerts:

Philokalia Today

Contemporary instrumental music inspired by Orthodox spirituality

3. 10. 2021, 7:30 p.M.

Philip Glass: Piano Quintet ‘Annunciation’, Czech premiere
Jiří Gemrot: Piano Quintet ‘Dormition’ – Fantasy Variations, World premiere
Jan Dřízal: Makom, World premiere

Radka Hanáková: piano

Sedlacek Quartet
Michal Sedláček: 1st violin
Jan Maceček: 2nd violin
Tomáš Krejbich: viola
Matěj Štěpánek: Cello

Venue: Hamu, Galerie, Malostranské náměstí 13/258, Prague 1

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK, for students of HAMU entrance free
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

The office of the holy three youths in the fiery furnace
or
A Byzantine service as a Liturgical Drama

6. 10. 2021, 7:30 p.M.

The Czech premiere of one of the most remarkable monuments of Byzantine culture. A historically informed interpretation of a unique Byzantine Divine Service with theatrical elements performed by the Polish protopsaltis Marcin Abijski in collaboration with the ensemble Ensemble Hilaris. century.

The program also includes compositions of a significant musical manuscript from Supraśl dating back to the period the 16th-17th centuries.

Marcin Abijski (Poland): domestikos, choral master, project’s artistic director,
Ensemble Hilaris, artistic director: Kryštof Spirit (ČR)
Ioannis Tsounis (Greece): solo protopsaltis
with the accompaniment (isokratema) of the Plaltikis diakonoi byzantine choir.

The concert is held with the support of the Polish Institute in Prague.

Venue: Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Viničná 2, 128 00, Prague 2

Admission: 300 CZK, 200 CZK
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

The Music of Bulgarian Monasteries

7. 10. 2021, 7:30 p.M.

The first part of the concert will lead listeners to the olden days of Bulgarian sacred music. Its appearance, which originates in the Slavic regions of contemporary Bulgaria and Macedonia at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries, is based on the Greek musical tradition and is enriched with elements of Old Slavic literature from the Preslav and Ohrid literary schools. Although it has undergone a thousand-year development, its basic musical form remains relatively conservatively preserved in its original form. It is also interesting for the listeners to encounter music which comes from the direct line of the Cyril and Methodius tradition.

In the second part of the program you will hear the concert premiere of selected parts of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by composer Igor Angelov. This elaboration is based on the original and well-known motifs used in the Bulgarian liturgical tradition to this day, and is enriched by contemporary harmonious practices while maintaining respect for old texts and tunes.

Ensemble Polyfonion, artistic director: Igor Angelov

Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK, for students of HAMU entrance free
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

Byzanc jinak! An unorthodox Orthodox concert

16. 10. 2021, 7:30 p.M.

Traditionally, one concert of the festival presents the Prague audience with folk music of Orthodox nations. This time, Gerasimos Papadopoulos and Alexandra Papastergiopoulou will sing and play sacred folk music from various areas of the former Eastern Roman Empire (known today as Byzantium).

Gerasimos Papadopoulos: vocals, oud and
Alexandra Papastergiopoulou: cello, percussions, vocals

Guest vocal performance by Elli Aloneftou (Cyprus)

The concert will be followed by a jam session featuring musicians from regular jam sessions focused on music from the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, and Central Asia organised monthly by the collective Modalmusic.cz, z.s.

Venue: Kampus Hybernská, Hybernská 4, Prague 1

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK,

Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

The concert is being organized with the support of the Embassy of Cyprus in Prague and the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus.

The Sounds of Silence
Sacred Memories out of Silence

14. 10. 2021, 7:30 p.M.

A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC AND LIVE ELECTRONICS INSPIRED BY ORTHODOX SPIRITUALITY.

Valentin Silvestrov, Alexander Knaifel, Slavomír Hořínka, Jan Trojan and others.

A distinct concert of the festival that is traditionally concerned with hesychasm, quietness and inner silence and the multi-sound music that evokes from it.

Programme:

A. Knaifel: Confession
V. Silvestrov:
 Nostalghia
Slavomír Hořínka: Prayer inside (Soundscape composition)
Jan Trojan: Echo – sound Interventions
and more.

Andrea Mottlová: piano

Venue: Liechtenstein Palace – Galerie, HAMU, Malostranské nám. 13, Prague 1

Admission: 200 CZK, 100 CZK, for students of HAMU entrance free
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

WORKSHOP

The art of interpreting the Byzantine chant

8. 10. 2021, 9:00 A. M. TO 5:00 P. M.

A workshop led by Petros Papaemmanouil

The workshop includes:

– An introduction to byzantine music theory
– An introduction to the historically informed performance of Byzantine Chant
– Choral singing of selected compositions

Schedule:
9:00 – 12:00
lunch
14:00 – 17:00

Venue: HAMU, Malostranské náměstí 13, Praha 1 (room 2020)

Price: 500 CZKFor further information and reservations: workshopsacredmusic@gmail.com


EXHIBITIONS

Exhibition

1.10. – 31.10. 2021

An exhibition of Orthodox Icons

Venue: Church of Saint Lawrence (Starokatolický katedrální chrám sv. Vavřince), Petřínské sady Praha 1, 118 00
Entrance free

Friday: 7:00–8:00 P.M
Saturday: 7:00–8:00 P.M
Sunday: 9:00 A.M–12:00 P.M.


LECTURES

THE LECTURE WILL BE HELD IN CZECH

DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON / FREE ENTRY

Mezi liturgií a divadlem:
paraliturgická scéna Mládenců v peci ohnivé

Mgr. Alena Sarkissian, Ph.D.

Přednáška představí pozdněbyzantskou liturgickou scénu provozovanou v předvánoční postní době v rámci jitřní bohoslužby. Scéna známá jako Mládenci v peci ohnivé byla doložena v rukopisech počínaje 15. stoletím. Budeme se společně zamýšlet nad okolnostmi, jež vedly ke vzniku této jedinečné byzantské bohoslužebné praktiky a stručně představíme její performativní kvality, ale i meze její divadelnosti.

Jazyk: čeština

Místo konání: Divadelní ústav, Nekázanka 887/16, Nové Město, 110 00 Praha 1

Přednáška se koná ve spolupráci s Teatrologickou společností.


SCREENINGS

OLD BELIEVERS

a documentary film

9. 10. 2021, 19:00

by Jana Ševčíková

Language: Old Slavonic, subtitles: Czech

Venue: Municipal Library of Prague, Mariánské nám. 98/1, 110 00, Praha 1.

Archaion kallos 2020

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ORTHODOX MUSIC

Dear Friends,

We thank you all for your support of our festival and we are happy to share with you that even in these difficult times, we were able to realize many beautiful things from the festival program. Specifically, we have behind us a number of successful events, such as the All-Night Vigil on the Feast of St. John Koukouzelis (30.9.2020), at which exceptional Greek soloists took part, an online concert by the name of “An Unorthodox Orthodox Concert!” (20.10. 2020) presented by the Greek musicians Gerasimos Papadopolous and Alexandra Papastergiopolou. The latter transported us all the way to Athens, where they showed us authentic Greek spiritual folk music, in the same manner as we usually do during our annual festival. Another success was the recording of the concert “Philokalia Today,” that you’ll be able to listen to on Czech Radio (Český rozhlas), which will stream it. This is also a good opportunity to send a big thank you to Czech Radio for their support of the festival. The concert will present to the Czech public contemporary instrumental music inspired by Orthodox tradition. On the waves of Czech Radio you’ll also have the opportunity to hear two musical delicacies – the Czech premiere of the musical composition “Annunciation” by Philip Glass, as well as the world premiere of the composition “Makom,” which Jan Dřízal wrote at the request of the festival. These two will be accompanied by compositions by Arvo Pärt and Ivan Moody. Other events that took place were the online workshop led by top Austrian musicologist Nina-Marie Wanek on the musicology of Egon Wellesz, an exhibition of painted crosses inspired by the tradition of the “Happy Cemetery” in Romania, and finally we had the amazing opportunity to take part in the Workshop of the Art of Interpreting Byzantine Chanting under the guidance of musicologist and professor at Aristotle University in Soluni Maria Alexandra, Marios Christou, and singer and lecturer of Byzantine singing Evanthie Vavoulioti. Unfortunately, the sad news is that the exhibit of painted crosses which was up for display at the Church of St. Michael and Archangel in the Kinsky Gardens, burned down along with the church.

Dear friends, even though the festival faced its toughest year yet, which gave us a lot to stress about, the pandemic wasn’t able to destroy our “ancient beauty” (archaion kallos). You could read up on articles about the festival through these portals: klasikaplus.cz (zde) and Harmonie (zde).

We thank all of our sponsors, media partners, and also friends of the festival who helped and still help our festival’s artists, many of whom had their performances cancelled, by donating to the account 559 435 8001/5500.

Thanks to your generosity, we can continue our work.

We thank you!

Online concert on Tuesday 20. 10. 2020:

Dear friends

we are happy to invite you to the concert

Byzanc jinak! An unorthodox Orthodox online concert…

An online performance by
Gerasimos Papadopoulos: vocals, oud and
Alexandra Papastergiopoulou: cello, percussions, vocals

Traditionally, one concert of the Archaion Kallos festival presents the Prague audience with folk music of Orthodox nations. This time, Gerasimos Papadopoulos and Alexandra Papastergiopoulou will sing and play sacred folk music from various areas of the former Eastern Roman Empire (known today as Byzantium).
The concert is being organized with the support of the Embassy of Cyprus in Prague and the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus and is held under the auspices of the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, Antonios Theocharous.
Due to the epidemic situation in the Czech Republic this concert is taking place online. Unfortunately, the Prague Trio Fahrza and our guests Elli Aloneftou and Tereza Nikou will not participate and they will be replaced by Alexandra Papastergiopoulou (Greece).
You are invited to watch the performance on Tuesday at 8:00 P. M. (Czech time!). The concert will be broadcasted for FREE from our Facebook page.

At this point we would like to let you know that if you wish, you can help the festival and the musicians that are facing a financial crisis with a donation. Due to the covid19 situation most of the concerts were cancelled leading to a minimum, if none, income for the artists. With your donation you can support our concerts, the artists and our project. Any, even the smallest amount is welcomed and can make a difference. Our bank number is 559 435 8001/5500. If you want to be mentioned send us also your name in the comments when you make your payment

Program Changes Due to COVID-19:

DUE TO THE EPIDEMIC SITUATION THE FESTIVAL’S PROGRAM IS ENCOUNTERING CHANGES. WE ARE SORRY TO ANNOUNCE THAT ANY EVENTS TAKING PLACE AFTER 10/10/2020 ARE POSTPONED.

WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED FOR ANY FUTURE CHANGES.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING.

Archaion Kallos 2020

Once again, the Philokallia Association invites you to the Archaion Kallos International Festival of Orthodox Music. Join us for a beautiful spiritual and musical experience. In its literal sense, the Greek expression “archaion kallos” means “ancient beauty,” but in the vocabulary of the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Christian Church, “archaion kallos” speaks of a certain archetype, an “original beauty;” that is to say, the beauty which man beheld in Paradise and which he experienced after Creation.  The Philokallia Association (philokalliaa word of Greek origin meaning “love of the beautiful”) gave this name to the first and only festival of Orthodox music in Prague because we perceive every act in sacred music, whether of composition or interpretation, as a kind of conscious or unconscious search for this pristine beauty, the Archaion Kallos.

As in previous years, the festival will present a wide and varied spectrum of Orthodox music, ranging from the sounds of Byzantine music through romanticism (P. I. Tchaikovsky), to works by leading contemporary composers such as Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt and Ivan Moody, as well as world premieres of both established and emerging Czech composers – this year there will be sound installations by Slavomír Hořínka and Mikuláš Mrva and a piano piece by Jan Dřízal.

The festival is held under the auspices of:
the Minister of Culture, Lubomír Zaorálek
the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, Antonios Theocharous
the Mayor of Prague 2, Jana Černochová
and with the blessings of
His Eminence Michal, Archbishop of Prague and the Czech Lands.

We look forward to seeing you and trust that this year’s festival will take us all a step closer to Archaion Kallos.


Programme

Church service (free entry):

All-night vigil on the feast of St. John Koukouzelis
or
Music from the Holy Mountain of Athos

30. 9. 2020, 8:30 P.M. until 1:00 A. M. (1. 10. 2020)

All-night vigil with authentic Byzantine music from the Holy Mountain of Athos on the feast day of renown composer St. John Koukouzelis (14th cent.), whose 740th birthday anniversary we are celebrating this year.

Konstandinos Fotopoulos (Greece)
Fotios Kalyvas (Greece)
with the accompaniment of the Viennese Byzantine Male Choir 

Due to epidemiological safety measures taken by Austria, the formerly scheduled singer Dimitris Apostolakis won’t be able to perform. Instead of him there will be a performance by Greek soloist Fotios Kalyvas

Venue: Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, V Lázních 15, Malá Chuchle

Free Entry

This event in an integral part of the church service.

Concerts:

A Tribute to P. I. Tchaikovsky   POSTPONED

Celebrating Tchaikovsky’s 180th birthday anniversary

7. 10. 2020, 7:30 p.M.

P. I. Tchaikovsky: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (selection)

Choir Notre Dame, choral master: Leona Stříteská

a guest performance will be given by

Choir of the Archiepiscopal Grammar School of Prague with conductor Igor Anglelov and

Choir of the Cathedral of Ss. Cyril and Methodius with conductor Larissa Sakvina

Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

St. Kassia of Constantinople and St. Hildegard of Bingen

POSTPONED (the date will be announced soon)

8. 10. 2020, 7:30 p.M.

A concert dedicated to the two most prominent women composers of sacred music both East and West of the middle ages, to Hildegard of Bingen and Kassia of Constantinople, rendered by the outstanding early music ensemble Tiburtina and the Greek psaltria (byzantine music chanter) Evanthia Vavoulioti.

Programme: Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum, Troparion Kassianis, and other.

Tiburtina Ensemble, artistic director Barbora Kabátková
Evanthia Vavoulioti:
Psaltria
accompanied by the male voices of the Greek community choir of Prague

Venue: Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Viničná 2, 128 00, Prague 2

Admission: 300 CZK, 200 CZK
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

Philokalia Today

POSTPONED (the date will be announced soon)

Contemporary instrumental music inspired by Orthodox spirituality

12. 10. 2020, 7:30 p.M.

Philip Glass: Piano Quintet ”Annunciation”, Czech premiere
Jan Dřízal: Makom, World premiere
Arvo Pärt:
Fratres (violin and piano version)
Ivan Moody: Kharama

Andrea Mottlová (Vavrušová) – piano

Sedlacek Quartet
Michal Sedláček: 1st violin
Jan Maceček: 2nd violin
Tomáš Krejbich: viola
Matěj Štěpánek: Cello

Venue: Liechtenstein Palace – Galerie, HAMU, Malostranské nám. 13, Prague 1

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK, for students of HAMU entrance free
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

Hesychasm – The Sounds of Silence

POSTPONED (the date will be announced soon)

14. 10. 2020, 7:30 p.M.

A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF BYZANTINE CHANT AND ELECTROAcOUSTIC MUSIC INSPIRED BY ORTHODOX SPIRITUALITY

A distinct concert of the festival that is traditionally concerned with hesychasm, quietness and inner silence and the multi-sound music that evokes from it, this year inspired by the work and personality of St. John Koukouzelis, whose 740th birthday anniversary we are celebrating this year.

Programme:
Byzantine music rendered by the outstanding Protopsaltis I. Tsounis and Philokallia Ensemble accompanied by sound installations and electroacoustic music of contemporary Czech composers.

St. John Koukouzelis: Koinonikon – 1st Plagal Mode, kratema – 3rd Mode aj.
byzantine choral music dedicated to St. John Koukouzelis
Slavomír Hořínka: Face, sound installation (Prague premiere)
Mikuláš Mrva: Multi-sonorous feast (world premiere)

Ioannis Tsounis: protopsaltis (chanter), Greece
Philokallia Ensemble, artistic director: Marios Christou

Venue: Church of St. Wenceslas at Zderaz, Resslova 300/6, Prague 2

Admission: 280 CZK, 180 CZK
Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

Byzanc jinak! An unorthodox Orthodox concert

POSTPONED (the date will be announced soon)

16. 10. 2020, 7:30 p.M.

An unorthodox combination of sacred folk music and free improvisation by the Prague trio Fahrza.

Traditionally, one concert of the festival presents the Prague audience with folk music of Orthodox nations. This time it will be performed by the Greek singer Gerasimos Papadopoulos in collaboration with the improvisational Prague Wind Trio Fahrza

Gerasimos Papadopoulos (Greece): vocals, oud

Wind trio Fahrza:

Kristýna Farag: flute, vocals
Zdenek Závodný: saxophone, tárogató, percussion, vocals
Michal Hrubý
: clarinet, saxaphone, flute, percussion, vocals

Guest vocal performance by Elli Aloneftou and Tereza Nikou (Kanonaki)

Venue: Kampus Hybernská, Hybernská 4, Prague 1

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK,

Tickets available online here
Tickets are also available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.

The concert is being organized with the support of the Embassy of Cyprus in Prague and the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus.


Tickets

Tickets are available at the venue one hour before the beginning of each concert.
Advance purchase:

Tickets available online here

Church service (30. 9.), lectures and exhibition: admission free.
Reservations: info@philokallia.com


Related events


Workshop

The art of interpreting the Byzantine chant
Performing St. Kassia

9. 10. 2020, 9:00 A. M. to 5:00 P. M.

A lecture and workshop led by

Dr. Maria Alexandru
 Evanthia Vavoulioti
 Dr. Marios Christou

The workshop includes:

– An introduction to byzantine musicology and paleography focusing on the legacy of St. Kassia
(distance lecture by Dr. Maria Alexandru)
– An introduction to the historically informed performance of Byzantine Chant
– Study of selected compositions of St. Kassia

Schedule and further information are available here


Exhibitions

Exhibition

1.10. – 31.10. 2020

An exhibition of illustrated crosses in the tradition of the ‘Merry Cemetery’ of the town of Săpânţa, Romania.

Venue:Carpathian Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Kinského garden, Prague 5 – Smíchov
Entrance free

Monday: 8:00–10:00 A.M.
Wednesday: 7:00–8:00 P.M.
Friday: 7:00–8:00 P.M
Saturday: 7:00–9:00 P.M
Sunday: 9:00 A.M–1:00 P.M.


Lectures

 1. 10. 2020, 5:30 P.M 

Egon Wellesz: A Western Composer-Musicologist rooted in the East

Priv.Doz. Dr. Nina-Maria Wanek (Austria)

Language: English

Venue: online lecture
For the passcode of the meeting please write to: workshopsacredmusic@gmail.com

Abstract:
The Austrian composer and Byzantinist Egon Wellesz (1885–1974) is regarded as one of the
founders of Byzantine musicology (beside H. J. W. Tillyard and Carsten Høeg). His main
achievement as musicologist was that of deciphering the dynamic meaning of the Byzantine
neumes and describing systematically the history of Byzantine chant with a special focus on
connections between Eastern and Western liturgical music. What is less known though is the
fact that Wellesz also drew inspiration from Byzantine chant as a composer. Thus, two of his
works – “Festliches Präludium” (op. 100) and the cantata “Mirabile Mysterium” (op. 101) from
1966/67 – are based on Byzantine melodies.
On the occasion of his 135th birthday, this talk will offer insights into Wellesz’s work as a
Byzantinist as well as a composer, presenting details from his hitherto mostly unknown personal
letters and writings. Thus, a multifaceted and fascinating portrait of a personality will emerge,
who not only knew the 20th century-musical elite (starting as a pupil of Arnold Schönberg), but
who also founded and distinctly shaped the research field of Byzantine musicology.

Archaion kallos 2019

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ORTHODOX MUSIC

Once again, the Philokallia Association invites you to the Archaion Kallos International Festival of Orthodox Music. Join us for a beautiful spiritual and musical experience. In its literal sense, the Greek expression “archaion kallos” means “ancient beauty,” but in the vocabulary of the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Christian Church, “archaion kallos” speaks of a certain archetype, an “original beauty;” that is to say, the beauty which man beheld in Paradise and which he experienced after Creation.  The Philokallia Association (philokalliaa word of Greek origin meaning “love of the beautiful”) gave this name to the first and only festival of Orthodox music in Prague because we perceive every act in sacred music, whether of composition or interpretation, as a kind of conscious or unconscious search for this pristine beauty, the Archaion Kallos.
As in previous years, the festival will present a wide and varied spectrum of Orthodox music, ranging from the sounds of Byzantine musicZnamenny ChantEarly Russian Polyphony through romanticism (S. Rachmaninoff, P. Chesnokov and others), to works by leading contemporary composers such as Arvo Pärt and Valentin Silvestrov as well as world premieres of both established and emerging Czech composers – this year we have commissioned a piece by Michal Rataj.

The festival is held under the auspices of:
the Minister of Culture, Lubomír Zaorálek
the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, Antonios Theocharous
the Mayor of Prague 2, Jana Černochová
and with the blessings of
His Eminence Michal, Archbishop of Prague and the Czech Lands.

We look forward to seeing you and trust that this year’s festival will take us all a step closer to Archaion Kallos.


PROGRAMME

Byzantium in Café Campus

2. 10. 2019, 7:30 P.M.

Traditional sacred folk music from various areas of the former Eastern Roman Empire (Constantinople, Thrace, Cyprus, and others) rendered by the Cypriot ensemble Santouto.

Charalambos Panteli: Greek lute
Christos Christodoulou: Sound Engineer
George Lambrou: Violin
Konstantina Xenofontos: Vocals

Veronika Aloneftou: Santur

Venue: Café Kampus, Náprstkova 10, 110 00 Praha 1
Admission: 280 CZK, 200 CZK
Tickets available online here

The concert is being organized with the support of the Embassy of Cyprus in Prague and the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus.

Treasures of Russian Sacred Music, part 1.
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom with Early Russian Chant

6. 10. 2019, 9:30 A.M. (!) -ENTRANCE FREE

Znamenny Chant, Early Russian Polyphony

Prague male chamber choir, choir master: Alexej Kleptsin (Russia, Czech Republic)

Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2
ENTRANCE FREE
This event in an integral part of the service.

Treasures of Russian Sacred Music, part 2.
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
by the “Moscow school”

6. 10. 2019, 7:30 P.M.

S. Rachmaninoff, P. Chesnokov, A. Kastalsky and others

Prague Singers, choir master: Stanislav Mistr

Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK
Tickets available online here

Spasi Bože…
A tribute to M. Košler

7. 10. 2019, 7:30 P.M.

It is a little known fact that Miroslav Košler, a prominent Czech chorus master had a strong relationship to Orthodox music. This is evident from his numerous arrangements of Orthodox music (e.g. see his CD Spasi Bože) and also from the fact that he was the first to teach the craft of conducting Orthodox Music to the Greek musicians Marios Christou (director of Archaion Kallos festival) and Solon Kladas. This concert will present works, which M. Košler loved, conducted and arranged, rendered by his students Jiří PetrdlíkOndřej KunovskýPavel Trojan Jr. and Marios Christou as well as the world premiere of the Czech version of Agni parthene, the renowned hymn by Saint Nectarios of Aegina.
ProgrammeD. Bortniansky, P. I. Tchaikovsky, S. Rachmaninoff,  A. Kastalsky, traditional orthodox music arranged by Miroslav Košler and other.

Prague Mixed Choir, choir master: Jiří Petrdlík
Charles University Choir in Prague (VUS UK)
, choir master: Ondřej Kunovský
Philokallia Ensemble & Choir of the Cathedral of Ss. Cyril and Methodius
choir master: Marios Christou, guest conductor: Pavel Trojan Jr.
The children’s choir of Cyril and Method’s school, choir master: Sakvina Larissa

Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK
Tickets online available here

Byzantine Music by Bohuslav Martinů

10. 10. 2019, 7:30 P.M.

After the great success of the concert The Greek Pascha of Bohuslav Martinů (2017) and as a commemoration of sixty years since the composer’s death, the festival once again presents a concert of the Byzantine hymns used in Martinů’s famous opera Greek Passion and in a newly discovered manuscript of the composer on Byzantine Octoechos. Hymns will be sung both in their original form and in Martinů’s arrangements from the opera.

Piccolo corochoir master: Marek Valášek (Czech republic)
solo: Grigorios Anastasiou (Greece)

Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2

Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK
Tickets available online here

Hesychasm – Music from Silence

20. 10. 2019, 7:30 P.M.

A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC AND LIVE ELECTRONICS INSPIRED BY ORTHODOX SPIRITUALITY

Arvo Pärt, Valentin Silvestrov, Michal Rataj, st. John Koukouzelis, byzantine chant and other.

The final concert of the festival is traditionally concerned with hesychasm, quietness and inner silence.

Jan Pudlák: piano
Kyriakos Kyriakou: piano
Philokallia Ensemble, artistic director: Marios Christou
Michal Rataj: live electronics

Venue: Liechtenstein Palace – Galerie, HAMU, Malostranské nám. 13, Praha 1

Admission: 200 CZK, 150 CZK
Tickets online available here


RELATED EVENTS


SCREENINGS

16. 10. 2019, 8:00 P.M.  ENTRANCE FREE

A TRIP TO MOUNT ATHOS

a documentary film

by Yannis Lambrou

Language: Greek, subtitles: English

Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2


EXHIBITIONS

Exhibition

1.10. – 31.10. 2019

An exhibition of Orthodox Icons by Cornel Teofil Pop (Romanian iconographer, www.cornelpop.cz)
At the Carpathian Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Kinského garden, Prague 5 – Smíchov
Entrance free

Monday: 8:00–10:00 A.M.
Wednesday: 7:00–8:00 P.M.
Friday: 7:00–8:00 P.M
Saturday: 7:00–9:00 P.M
Sunday: 9:00 A.M–1:00 P.M.


LECTURES

 14. 10. 2019, 6:00 P.M / ENTRANCE FREE

Prof. Evžen Kindler: teolog a muzikolog

Haig Utidjian, Ph.D., CAS (GSMD), M.Sc. (DIC), B.Sc.

Language:Czech

Cathedral Church of Sts Cyril and Methodius (Katedrální chrám sv. Cyrila a Metoděje)
Resslova 9a; 120 00 Praha 2- Nové Město

Archaion kallos 2018

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ORTHODOX MUSIC

Enlightenment and Illumination in Eastern Chant

The Philokallia Association once again invites you to the Archaion Kallos International Festival of Orthodox Music. Join us for a beautiful spiritual and musical experience. In its literal sense, the Greek expression “archaion kallos” means “ancient beauty,” but in the vocabulary of the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Christian Church, “archaion kallos” speaks of a certain archetype, an “original beauty;” that is to say, the beauty which man beheld in Paradise and which he experienced after Creation. Philokallia (a word of Greek origin meaning “love of the beautiful”) gave this name to the first and only festival of Orthodox music in Prague because we perceive every act in sacred music, whether of composition or interpretation, as a kind of conscious or unconscious search for this pristine beauty, the Archaion Kallos.
As we are this year commemorating the 240th anniversary of the death of one of the greatest post-Byzantine composers of the 18th century, Petros Peloponnesios, the festival is also to be marked by the theme of “Enlightenment and Illumination in Eastern Chant.” The idea of light is at the root of the words “enlightenment” and “illumination,” but their application as manifestations of Western and Eastern thought has been very different. The Age of Enlightenment (Aufklärungle Siècle des Lumières) was centred on human reason as the prime means of the advancement of the human race. Such a notion has generally been seen in opposition to ecclesiastical dogma (notably in 18th century France). In juxtaposition to this, the music of the Eastern Church has, as one of the ecclesiastical arts, been viewed as a means of Illumination (φωτισμός), in which mankind is lit not by human reason, but by the experience of God. Two concerts, a Divine Liturgy, several lectures, and the International Conference Sacred Music East and West will be devoted to this topic (for further information about the conference here).
The festival this October will also be exceptional thanks to its tribute to the sacred musical heritage of the Island of Cyprus with the concert Cyprus – Island of Saints and Crossroad of Musical Cultures. This will be a concert which for the first time in Prague will present hitherto unknown Byzantine compositions from the musical archives of Cyprus (Kykkos Monastery, the Church of Cyprus, and others) along with Ars Nova and Ars subtilior polyphony from the prominent Cypriot codex known as the Turin Manuscript J.II.9, i.e. music that one could hear in the Middle Ages in the temples of Nicosia situated only a few metres away.
As in previous years, the festival will present a wide and varied spectrum of Orthodox music, ranging from the sounds of Byzantine music, through romanticism (S. Rachmaninoff – All-Night Vigil), to works by leading contemporary composers such as Arvo Pärt and Gennadij N. Lapajev as well as world premieres of the works of young Czech composers – this year these will be Jakub Rataje and Jan Dušek.

The festival is held under the auspices of:
the Minister of Culture, Antonín Staněk
the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, Antonios Theocharous
the Mayor of Prague 2 Jana Černochová
and with the blessings of
His Eminence Michal, Archbishop of Prague and the Czech Lands.

We look forward to seeing you and trust that this year’s festival will take us all a step closer to Archaion Kallos.

Cyprus – Island of Saints and Crossroad of Musical Cultures

1. 10. 2018, 7:30 P.M.

A concert which presents for the first time in Prague hitherto unknown Byzantine compositions from the musical archives of Cyprus (Kykkos Monastery, the Church of Cyprus, and others) along with Ars Nova and Ars subtilior polyphony from the prominent Cypriot codex known as the Turin Manuscript J.II.9, i.e. music that one could hear in the Middle Ages in the temples of Nicosia situated only a few metres away.

Schola Gregoriana Pragensis, artistic director: David Eben (Czech Republic)
Philokallia Ensemble & Choir of the Cathedral of Ss. Cyril and Methodius,
artistic director: Marios Christou
Antonios Aetopoulos (Greece) – Protopsaltis
Choir of the Archiepiscopal Grammar School of Prague
conductors: Aikaterini AsfouraIgor Angelov (Cyprus, Czech Republic)

Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2
Admission: 200 CZK, 150 CZK
Tickets online available here 

“Enlightenment and Illumination” or “Mass and Liturgy”
Sacred Music of the 18th century East and West

4. 10. 2018, 7:30 P.M.

An outstanding concert which presents various settings of the “Western mass” by great masters such as W. A. Mozart and others along with noteworthy settings of the “Eastern Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom” by famous Ukrainian composers such as M. Berezovsky and D. Bortniansky.

Piccolo coro & Piccola orchestra, conductor: Marek Valášek (Czech Republic)
Prague male chamber choir, choir master: Alexej Kleptsin (Russia, Czech Republic)

Venue: Church of Saint Wenceslas of Zderaz, Resslova 300/6 120 00, Prague 2
Admission: 200 CZK, 150 CZK
Tickets online available here 

All-Night Vigil 

13. 10. 2018, 7:30 P.M.

Sergei Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil, op. 37
Jan DušekFour Songs of Solomon II – World premiere

Bohemiachor, conductor Kryštof Spirit (Czech Republic)

Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2
Admission: 250 CZK, 150 CZK
Tickets online available here

 

Byzantium in Campus Hybernská 

16. 10. 2018, 7:30 P.M.

Traditional folk sacred music from various areas of the former Eastern Roman Empire (Constantinople, Thrace, Cyprus, and others) rendered by the Greek ensembles Chorodia Agiu GeorgiuQaraba Ensemble, and others.

Venue: Campus Hybernská, Hybernská 4, Prague 1
The concert is being organized in cooperation with the Institute of Greek and Latin Studies at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University.
Admission: 100 CZK, Charles University students: entrance free
Tickets online available here

Phos Hilaron…
with music (from) silence towards Illumination

18. 10. 2018, 7:30 P.M.

A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC AND LIVE ELECTRONICS INSPIRED BY ORTHODOX SPIRITUALITY.

Arvo Pärt, Gennadij N. Lapajev, Jakub Rataj (World premiere), Byzantine Music and other
The final concert of the festival is traditionally concerned with hesychasm, quietness and internal silence, which on this occasion is inspired by the theme of this year festival: illumination (φωτισμός).

Sára Medková: piano
Jakub Rataj: 
sound interventions
Venue: Hamu, Galerie, Malostranské náměstí 13/258, Prague 1

Admission: 150 CZK, 100 CZK, music students: entrance free
Tickets online available here

LITURGY

The “Enlightened” East
or
Music from the Period of Enlightenment in Constantinople
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom with compositions of the greatest composers of 18th century Constantinople.

7. 10. 2018, 9:30 A.M.(!) -ENTRANCE FREE

P. Chalatzoglou, Β. Byzantios, P. Peloponnesios.
Protopsaltis Konstantinos Bousdekis accompanied by ison choir.
Venue: Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Resslova 9a, Prague 2.

Exhibition

1.10. – 31.10. 2018

An exhibition of Orthodox Icons by Cornel Teofil Pop (Romanian iconographer, www.cornelpop.cz)
At the Carpathian Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Kinského garden, Prague 5 – Smichov
Opening hours:
Monday: 8:00 – 10:00 A.M.
Wednesday: 7:00 – 8:00 P.M.
Friday: 7:00 – 8:00 P.M
Saturday: 7:00 – 9:00 P.M
Sunday: 9:00 A.M – 1:00 P.M.
Entrance free

 11. 10. 2018, 14:30 P.M / ENTRANCE FREE

All the lectures will be helded completely in the Czech language

Teologie světla v pravoslavné duchovní tradici

Presbyter Kyrill Sarkissian (Rusko, ČR)

Klasicistické formy z konstantinopolských dílen

PhDr. Marios Christou, Ph.D. (Kypr, Česká republika)
Pedagogická fakulta, UK, 116 39 Praha 1, Magdalény Rettigové 4
Místnost: R107

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