“The Spirit of the Pre-Renaissance Bulgarian Orthodox Chants” Course & Workshop

“The Spirit of the Pre-Renaissance Bulgarian Orthodox Chants” Course & Workshop

Experience and fill your heart with the spirit of an absolutely unique, exceptionally beautiful and rich musical genre that calms the mind and elevates the soul!

Having built the foundation of the cultural development of the countries of Southeastern and Eastern Europe, as well as the European Renaissance music and arts, the Bulgarian melodic system, as part of the Byzantine Orthodox music, born at the dawn of Christianity, is a cultural phenomenon, which the Western world is not yet widely familiar with.

The Bulgarian culture institute in London is presenting a 10-week course and workshop, developed and lead by the Bulgarian composer Zory Burner (www.zoryburner.com). It aims to spread the word among Londoners about the extraordinary phenomenon that is the Bulgarian Orthodox music; not through singular events, but as a process of acquaintance and Your participation.

You will learn about the Byzantine style and the Bulgarian melody system within the Orthodox music, reformed and refined by the creator of the church music bel canto, St John Kukuzelis (1280 -1360); the organic relation to the Bulgarian folklore; the Bulgarian input within the European Pre-Renaissance arts in 12-14th c. and its influence on the Russian classical music; the Old Bulgarian as the third liturgical language in Europe, and much more.

In practical terms, the course will introduce you to the musical characteristics of the genre, including: listening to authentic samples, as well as contemporary interpretations; learning to sing a number of suitably adapted pieces; you will see and hear the stories of a wide range of Bulgarian works of fine art: icons, frescoes, mosaics, architectural models, etc; you will learn of folklore, classics and modern music elements, which will take you deeply into the spirit of Bulgarian culture.

The course will take place at the BCI, every Sunday. The first class is aimed to start on 16th Feb 2014.

For more info and to book your place, drop a line to Zory at zoryburner@gmail.com or to office@bcilondon.co.uk