Vedel: Choir Concertos Nos. 1-12 & Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Featuring

Timothy Shantz
Luminous Voices
Spiritus Chamber Choir
Artemi Vedel

Did you know?

1/7

Composer's Artistic Vision

Vedel's compositions are distinguished by their lyrical and dramatic development of musical imagery, interpreting canonical subjects through a poetization of subjective experiences, especially in slow movements.

Composer Biography

Artem Vedel, a Ukrainian composer, singer, conductor, and teacher, was born in Kyiv in 1767 and studied at the Kyiv Academy until 1787.

Compositional Technique

Vedel's sacred concerti combine hallmarks of Italian Classical music with choral singing typical of the Ukrainian tradition, incorporating elements of sacred chants, ancient Ukrainian liturgical monody, and folk songs.

Recording & Production

This album features 12 of Vedel's choral concerti, which have survived in his own autograph score and are part of the first complete published edition of his works.

Composition History

Artem Vedel was imprisoned in an insane asylum for the last nine years of his life by personal order of the Russian tsar, Paul I, without investigation or trial.

Historical Context

Vedel lived during a period of systematic destruction of Ukrainian culture, including the dismantling of Cossack institutions and a total prohibition on national self-expression.