Московский синодальный хор

The Moscow Synodal Choir was on tour to Moravia in the end of November. The tour was organized by the Elizabeth and Sergius Educational Society, the Foundation for the Revival of the Moscow Synodal Choir and the Czech advertising agency SNIP&CO with the support of the South Moravia and Zlin administrations, the Russian general consulate in Brno and the Znojmo City Council. This event became part of the Russian Culture festival in the Czech Republic and was dated to the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’ and the 1150th anniversary of the coming of Ss Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia.

“Beauty will save the world”. Pope Francis quoted this famous line from one of the most celebrated thinkers of the 1800s in Russia, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, to emphasize to the Moscow Synodal Choir of the Orthodox Patriarchate that “music, painting, sculpture, architecture is simply the beauty that unites us to grow in the faith which is celebrated, in prophetic hope and in witnessed charity”. These words came from a message written by the Pontiff for the concert given by the Moscow Synodal Choir, conducted by Aleksej Puzakov in the Papal Basilica of St Mary Major on Sunday evening, 3 November. The Synodal Choir was accompanied by the Sistine Chapel Choir conducted by Msgr Massimo Palombella.

The Moscow Synodal Choir gave a concert on November 23 2011 at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The choir is conducted by Russia’s Honoured Artist A. Puzakov. The theme of the concert was “Russian church music through five centuries”. They sang both hymns of the Byzantine plain chant and modern choral music, including works composed by Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev).