director
Vladislav Chemushenko direct from Leningrad
The British broadcasting debut of Russia's oldest choir. Parti
The Historical Perspective Music by former directors of the Kapella Dmitriy Bortnyansky and Mikhail Glinka ; part of Tchaikovsky's and Rachmaninov's Vigils; and some of the earliest sacred chants, recently deciphered by musicologists at the Leningrad Conservatoire.
3.55* Interval Talk:
'The First Russian Choir'
A look at the history of the choir from its foundation in 1479 to today, when it is, in the Director's words, a 'bouquet of voices'.
4.15* Part 2
The Living Tradition
Works by Soviet composers, especially those connected with Leningrad: Solvyov-Sedoy, Sviridov and Yelcheva
Songs from the War years, settings of Pushkin, and a suite celebrating the rich tradition of a Russian wedding, build up to a finale of folk songs specially arranged for the Kapella.