One of the things we discussed at last evening's meeting was the recording project scheduled for sometime next year. The big question that I'd like your feedback on is repertoire. I really want to hear your suggestions and ideas about this. Three recording ideas were suggested for your consideration:
- Parastas Service; maybe combined with selections from the wedding service and other services too to fill an entire CD.
- Vigil and liturgy selections from our feast on October 1. There's potentially quite a bit of material we can choose from; a few different special melodies for stichera at "Lord, I Call"; many, many different possibilities for the non-movable texts/hymns in vespers, matins, and liturgy.
- An English recording (the first ever as far as I know) of Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev's Divine Liturgy. We already sing a few different selections of his at liturgy, so we already have a start on this.
Last evening someone asked whether we have a goal for this recording. Why are we doing it? What will be do with any money we make? These were good questions and I don't remember giving an answer.
I think for any choir - whether it's an Orthodox church choir or a community choir, or even a professional choir like Cantus - it's important from time to time that it is challenged in a way that forces the singers to step up to the plate so-to-speak. Concerts do this and so do recordings. Our task as St. Mary's choir is multifaceted. On the one hand the choir initiates a connection between the earthly and heavenly; our voices give life to the church's sacred texts - texts which then become the prayer of the faithful, leading them to the kingdom of God. This is a theological aspect of our singing, but there's also a practical one too. If what we're doing at liturgy is actually important, then we should not just be concerned with the theological aspect(s) of liturgical singing, but we should be interested and eager to become better litugical singers in a technical way. Rehearsals are obviously the most important part of this technical training, but concerts and recordings force us pay closer attention, listen, watch, learn, and think more closely and critically about ourselves. When a choir has a goal such as a recording, it is forced to grow and self-reflect in ways that normal rehearsals and liturgical services don't force it to. I mean, there are many different analogies you could make about a recording for a choir. In a way it's like continuing education for a professional. It's part of the job and it keeps your skills sharp; it gives you new ideas, new purpose and reinvigorates you.
And, of course, there are many other reasons to record as well. It's fun. As for the proceeds, we'll can decide what to do with it (if anything at all) at a later date.
Deacon Gregory
