How to live a year to play the angel, and why not each appointed by Herod changed the relationship to the sacred text among modern artists and as show on the big stage the reality of Christmas. Updated version of Christmas mystery composer Pavel Karmanov based on folk drama “Death of king Herod,” dubbed “the Kremlin’s Den”. The only show will be held on January 11 in charge.
A fragment of a Billboard
- Christmas Nativity scene – a Christmas miracle!
- Nativity scene. The history of its appearance in Russia
- Christmas – the holiday’s history, traditions and customs, icons, hymns, sermons
- The priest John Vorobyev: Christmas – Christmas is for kids
17 years ago at the Tchaikovsky Concert hall hosted the first and last showing of “the Nativity scene” by Pavel Karmanov. The composer-minimalist, post-avant-garde, imbued with the Christmas hymns of the ensemble “Sirin”, wrote symphonic music. Showed the score to the ensemble and Opus Posth, Tatiana Grindenko. And she, literally, gave their place in the busy schedule of the hall of Tchaikovsky. Then performed “the Nativity” took part symphonic orchestra, Sirin, rock-group “Polite refusal” and the ensemble of Mark Pekarsky. Guest artist Theodore Tajik, zastelil scene skins and savesel ceiling bagpipes, tried to rethink the academic space. The hall was Packed, the audience was hanging on the chandeliers were a great success.
17 years it took to re-assemble the musicians on stage. This time to fulfill the Christmas mystery in addition to “Sirin” under the leadership of Andrey Kotov and a group of “Polite refusal” to be a musician and folklorist Sergei Starostin, symphonic ensemble “Persimfans”, folk group veretentse, horn player Arkady Shilkloper and percussionist Marian (Mario) Caldararu.
To play the angel, followed by good to live a year
Andrei Kotov – singer of spiritual poems, the founder and artistic Director of the ensemble “Sirin”, the folklorist, for many years engaged in the study of the peculiarities of the authentic singing of Russian medieval music and folk songs.
– Ensemble “Sirin” plays “Den” for many decades. When and how did you meet the national theatre and the Nativity scene?
– General “den” has come to mean different things. Is “den of robbers” sometimes “den of debauchery”, and sometimes the Nativity scene. It is just what modern man is the least understood.
In the popular lexicon this name appeared in the late XVII century, it was the story that played out in the puppet theatre. In the upper floor acted Holy, and lower negative characters. The tradition came to us from Poland, Belarus, Ukraine. There is a Nativity scene called “Batleika”. In Europe the tradition was not disrupted. The custom of the Christmas play drama still exists in many villages. 20 years ago together with the “Syrian” I was at the festival in Budapest. So there was a “Nativity scene” from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland with procession, as expected.
The Nativity scene is one of the few traditions that has preserved the principles of the mysteries. However, even with this word a lot of confusion. Under the mystery people understand anything until mysticism. In fact, the mystery emerged as a popular form of conveying to the people the meaning of the event.
In Western Europe, the mass was served in Latin. Not all understood, because something on the porch of the churches often played sketches devoted to the festive day, that is the function of the mystery – the explanation.
Christmas mystery with the story of the Nativity, massacre of the innocents, flight into Egypt, first in Russia was played by the seminarians. Was even for this reason the decree of Alexei Mikhailovich play Christmas Nativity scene along with the play “Tsar Maksimilian”.
Another thing is that in Soviet times, Church-affiliated topics, especially no one did. Much of the common Nativity scene, we still unknown. I personally for the first time since the Nativity story has met while working in the Pokrovsky ensemble.
– So you saw him in the Dmitri Pokrovsky ensemble?
– As a performance, I have never seen. But in 1980 from one of the friends ensemble, absolutely great drama, Yuri Alexandrovich Zavadsky, heard about the Nativity scene. As a scientist, Zavadsky was engaged in Russian folk theatre, traditional stories: the plays of “King Maximilian”, “Boat” Yule rites. He understood such things, which many do not even know.
He offered to make a den. Pokrovsky was a man of easy going. I agreed. A wonderful artist Victor of Nazarite made an exact copy of the wooden puppet Nativity scene from the Museum is exemplary. Gathered information bit by bit, involving folklorists, ethnographers, and musicians. Literally resurrecting songs. Long studied the language and principles of action. Was finished with the doll needs to move. In 1972, incidentally, was published the four-volume early sacred theatre.
In 1980 at the concert hall of the Znamensky Cathedral (next to the demolished hotel “Russia”), which is one of the best concert halls in the country, the basic ground of the chorus Minin – we finally showed its den, and it was eversmile for that time.
– It was the same Grand action, akin to what is planned in Zaryadye?
– What are you, in the tradition of “Nativity” played by one person – Manager a den. It is late, fair. In 80-m to year we started with a puppet theater. A living Nativity scene I came much later, when he started in the early theater of the XVII century. Found evidence, I realized that it was incredibly interesting. Since then, with the “Sirin” and play it.
– What’s the difference?
In the cast vertepnoy drama was the act of the sacred. Everyone who participated in it had to match the character. To become an angel, a man was followed well in all senses to live a year. Not all were appointed by Herod. But gradually, I don’t know exactly when, maybe in the middle of the XVIII century, wertherwiki began to come to the fair with a performance box. Then came the story with puppets. Interestingly, in the Nativity the theater still remained the mystery of sound aesthetics.
All know the difference between persona and character, and so, in the sacred action, no characters. There is a person. That is, people speak in their own behalf. Throughout the ancient reading, not only among Christians but also Muslims, Buddhists, read resentencing. Not because people have no imagination. This is done to people, their passions didn’t samotna sacred text. It needs to be read in purity and fullness. This principle is transferred to the mystery.
In the mystery each character has hard characteristic. That is why the review of the texts “the Death of king Herod” mentioned that Herod speak in a low rough voice, Death – silent, terrible voice; soldiers heckling, Rachel is crying, and the angels – exalted, heaven. Manager a den enjoys these intonations not to add anything personally, because otherwise the word will be given time. The word is in danger of becoming vain.
On this day Christ came down from heaven
– Karmanovskaya “Nativity” was performed in 2002. Over the years, something changed? Maybe you change your attitude?
– Nativity scene – the thing is completely unchanged. To the sacred text, the attitude does not change. I don’t rethink. How not to rethink the Nativity or the Resurrection of the Savior.
– Yes, but obviously for those forty years that you are engaged in the national theatre, something has changed?
– Of course. We knew much less. In this respect you are right, some things are understood differently today. Another thing that doesn’t change the principle, and language.
– What you show in charge, is a modern work of art. It is unlikely that the mystery that was shown in the villages or at fairs, right?
– It is the combination. On the one hand, we’re going to play in a completely traditional techniques. On the other – absolutely modern music.
– Contemporary music adds to the sense?
– Have you seen the traditional women’s costume of Kursk province, for example? Sundress with pleats, apron, bows. Look seem the same. But take a step and see that all these costumes are completely different. There are traditional signs, which protect and define the status, the age of the woman, but the rest is strictly individual. One flowered, the other thingies.
So is the den. Dolls theatre was on every year is different. And it was an act to do for the holiday. The festival is updated every year. Each birthday you cook new dishes and not expose what was left from last year. The occasion must be created. And he created from those elements that are sacred, important at this particular moment. Done so, and the Nativity scene made so many people’s things. Just in our busy lives, we no longer pay attention to it.
Our ensemble is important to do new, because this new event in our lives. It will be only once.
You know, Christmas and the Christmas mystery a hundred fifty, two hundred years ago people were not a cultural event, as Holy and real. On this day Christ came down from heaven. Christ is the eternal God. All that comes with It, here and now.
– Do not fear that Orthodox believers may not accept a modern interpretation?
Is of little interest to me, to be honest. When many years ago the Pasha of Pockets brought to show his work, we in the ensemble “Sirin” we decided to sing it. Actually, it’s one of the only three of his works, which he wrote specifically for us, and we did it. By and large this is music of our ensemble with the text of the eighteenth century in a modern arrangement. The way we do is described in the article “Den” January 11, in charge, will try to justify why this piece we liked.
We will try to create a sound picture of the radiant joy
Sergey Starostin is a master of Russian folk, ethnographer, folklorist, singer, performer on folk wind instruments.
– Sergey, what you fill the “Nativity” Karmanova?
My part is connected with the whole folk side. Singing spiritual songs, Christmas carols, Christologie without the intervention of electronics.
Winter holidays – two weeks from Christmas to Epiphany was probably the longest time when during the year the peasants could not afford to do nothing. This period was filled with events, gatherings, games, quadrilles, Christmas dances. I and my musicians who play the bagpipes and festive drum ensemble veretentse will try to create a picture of the holiday.
Spiritual poems associated with the post, and then the feast.
– The picture of spiritual poems colorful. Many of them dedicated to the Birth of Christ. And carols is traditionally filled festive life. In the morning the children went for a walk through the village with carols to collect “nectar”, donations from owners. Then it was the turn of the lads, that is teenagers. Then walked adult and children again.
It was a continual during daylight time joy. As the evening played out the Nativity scene.
We will try to restore this environment and to create a sound picture of radiant joy.
– How all this fits into the context of the modern city?
Time will tell and January 11. Moscow – a huge city, and the most surprising it that at Christmas you can meet on the street carolers, the goat (one of the Christmas characters) and people who will scream “Oseni” (new year greeting song of the Ryazan region).
We live in a time when more and more young people don’t want to spend the holiday with salad under the Christmas champagne. People want real joy that was inherent in our ancestors and where they lived. The return of this tradition is normal. Of course, to cover the metropolis, teams of carolers impossible. But to remind people that brought the great event – the Birth of Christ – is worth it.
This is an experiment and the box in the box
Olga Popova – producer of the project.
– Olga, why did you decide to revive the project and become a producer?
– August afternoon, I remembered the concert in 2002. Thought it would be great to once again to gather musicians. What you are doing Sirin, Sergei Starostin, veretentse, Pavel Karmanov – valuable to our culture. Pockets is clothed in a traditional action in academic music.
“Nativity” – an example of contemporary art and a very good Christmas story. And good want to share. To bring back the tradition of Christmas Nativity scenes, interrupted for almost a century, not quickly. But this does not mean that trying is not worth it.
– Agree, Pavel Karmanov – still not talking about folk theatre and is not about folklore. His music is sophisticated.
– A song that sings Sirin, always up to date. It’s like Baroque music, which now sounds often more relevant than many written in the last 100 years. Therefore, such contemporaries as Cats and Pockets find many ideas for collaborative music making.
Live and not open-minded musicians always ready to ignore genre limitations. From Kotov and Starostin, for example, there are joint projects with double bass player Vladimir Volkov, horn player Arkady Shilkloper and Leonid Fedorov of the “Auktyon”.
Again, what makes the Pockets in his “Den” – a fusion of folk songs, jazz, rock, theatre, video art and contemporary classical music. This is an experiment.
And like any experiment, it may not be uninteresting, especially when it involves singers and musicians of this level. The sophisticated viewer knows about it. But I want to go beyond the specialists. When broadening the scope, they expand.
Traditional Christmas Nativity scene designed for chamber show and a small audience.
– And we have a huge orchestra in the new hall, which in Russia has no analogues.
Our “Den” is a large action inside of Karmanovskaya music. Visuals will immerse the audience in the events thousands of years ago – the Birth of Christ, the massacre of the innocents, cast into hell Herod – will not retreat one iota from the people’s text. This is a box in the box. Christmas mystery, which we will show at Christmas is sure to be interesting not only for the Orthodox audience, because it is a Grand, lively cultural event and a bold artistic statement.
