musicAeterna byzantina by Teodor Currentzis at viennacontemporary2019
Aksenov Family Foundation proudly presented European premier of the new project “musicAeterna byzantina” by Teodor Currentzis as part of viennacontemporary2019 in Austria.
On Saturday, the 28th of September of 2019, exactly at 11:59 pm viennacontemporary2019 guests came to Minoritenkirche to experience “Agrypnia”, originally an all-night vigil in Byzantine tradition, performed on the night by musicAeterna byzantina and musicAeterna choirs directed by renowned Teodor Currentzis.
Romeo Castellucci, Markus Hinterhauser, Ilya Khrzhanovsky, Matthias Naske and other prominent artists, arts professionals, politicians, and patrons of the arts were noticed among the guests.
“It is a great privilege to be a part of this event, and it is very important that institutions like Aksenov Family Foundation support contemporary culture initiatives. It requires courage and a high level of expertise to bring such projects to life”, noted Harald Mahrer, President of Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.
This late night act was a combination of a capella singing, organ music, harp, bells, vibraphones, timpani, and viola da gamba sounds. The repertoire for the night included Byzantine rhythms and works by contemporary composers. Soloists of the night were Adrian Sîrbu and Nicolas Malek. musicAeterna byzantina choir performance was organised by Aksenov Family Foundation, who have already established themselves as a key player on Vienna art scene, and are a major partner of viennacontemporary2019. Aksenov Family Foundation is a dynamic international platform that fosters cultural and social innovation.
“musicAeterna byzantina is one of the Foundation’s public-facing initiatives which seek to bring the best of contemporary art to wider audiences across the world”, says Dmitry Aksenov, Founder of Aksenov Family Foundation.
Founded by Teodor Currentzis musicAeterna byzantina rediscovers the treasures of Byzantine musical culture, and specifically ancient Greek church singing. The choir consists of 16 best graduates of Byzantine music schools and is led by choirmaster Antonios Koutroupis.
Presenting musicAeterna byzantina performance in Vienna, a city with the highest concentration of creative and intellectual capital in Europe, and as part of viennacontemporary2019, a major cultural event of the year, was a way to showcase choir’s talent to an international audience laying foundation for future collaboration and performing opportunities across the world.
Following a series of well received performances in Russia, and the European premier in Vienna, the choir continued its tour appearing on the stage of Chatelet theatre in Paris, taking part in Baden-Baden arts festival, and coming back to Russia to perform in Moscow.
