For Maundy Thursday and Good Friday
Schola Melurgica della Badia Greca di Grottaferrata
Niptir (words and music by the hymnographer St. Germanos, eighth-century Patriarch of Constantinople)
Grande e santa parasceve (words and music by the eighth- and ninth-century hymnographers Sophonios Theophanis and Theodoros Stouditis)
(Recording made available by courtesy of Radiotelevisione Italiana )
The Abbey of Grottaferrata, near Rome, has preserved unbroken the tradition of Byzantine church music since its foundation in the tenth century. In the first drama, two speakers enact the story of Christ washing the feet of Peter; a deacon, choir, and soloists comment on the action. In the second drama, chorus and soloists describe and comment on the Crucifixion and Burial, and look forward to the Resurrection.