ANONYMOUS FOLK SONGS [all files] Shenandoah [3:44 · 5.1M] Small Duck on a River (wedding song) [2:36 · 3.6M] Tshastushki [3:59 · 5.5M] DEAK-BARDOS, György (1905-91); HUN [all files] Eli, Eli [3:45 · 5.2M] IPPOLITOV-IVANOV, Mikhail Mikhailovich (1859-1935); RUS [all files] My Soul, Thank God [2:06 · 2.9M]

Petersburg Serenades Choral Theatre

The Petersburg Serenades is a choral group founded in 1991 by conductor Olga Zakharova, a graduate of the Leningrad Conservatory, where she studied under Professor Elezaveta Kudryavteseva - followed by private study under Vladimir Minin (Moscow) and Eric Ericsson (Paris). The ensemble includes in its repertoire traditional European choral works (ranging from the Baroque masterworks such as Bach's Christmas Oratorio to more contemporary works such as Alexander Grechaninov's Sancti Spiritu Mass for choir and organ) as well as Russian folksongs and popular American songs of the 1930s-1950s.

As their name "Choral Theater" suggests, the Petersburg Serenades adopts a strategy of introducing elements of dramatization into its performance, deviating from the formal concert orientation of most choral groups. The members of the ensemble thus take on acting roles, both as soloists and choral members. Among the original performances staged by the group include "Joy - Rhythm", an interpreted cycle of Negro spirituals and American folksongs, as well as songs by Ellington and Gershwin; "Klatch", a staged performance based on Russian folksongs; and "St. Luke's Passion", a miracle-play following scripture and utilizing music by Heinrich Schütz.

In 1996, the Petersburg Serenades received the title of "State Chamber Choir of Tsarkoye Selo" (an Imperial estate outside St. Petersburg). It has since taken part in several music festivals in Russia, and has given numerous concerts in Italy, Germany, Austria, Finland, and Switzerland.

Reviews

      "The sounds produced by the singers of "Petersburg Serenades" enchanted the space and outshined everything one had heard before... One could see here Olga Zakharova's guiding hand, the miraculous, unexplainable, spherical sound of this choir, the virtuosity and vigor of its particular voices. Everyone here can claim to be a soloist."

Rhein-Neckar-Zietung (Germany)

Petersburg Serenades Choral Theatre Russia, 193036, St. Petersburg 6 Sovetskaya Str. 7-24 email: olga.zaharova@mail.admiral.ru tel: (+7-812) 274-7975