Vatican to hold concert of Russian Orthodox music

On May 20, Vatican will hold a concert of Russian Orthodox music in the Paul VI Audience Hall. The guests will listen to the music of Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Musorgsky and other Russian composers performed by the Russian National Orchestra, the Moscow Synodal Choir and the Horn Chapel of St. Petersburg. The concert will be concluded with the symphony by Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) for chorus and orchestra The Song of Revival, the concert organizers reported to Interfax-Religion.

The Paul VI Audience Hall holds seven thousand people. The guests will include hierarchs of the Catholic Church and members of Christian communities from different countries. The public is expecting the visit of Pope Benedict XVI.

This cultural event was initiated by the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches.

The project idea came up in autumn last year. On September 18, Metropolitan Hillarion met with Pope after the blessing given by Patriarch Kirill. During the meeting, the parties noted a special importance of cultural links between Catholic and Orthodox believers for preserving traditional Christian values.

The decision to hold the "Days of Russian Culture" in Rome in spring 2010 was taken at the meeting. The concert of Russian music will be the central event of the "days".

The concert is organized by the Gregory the Theologian Foundation.

Source: Interfax religion