Angela Gheorghiu / Sacred Romanian Orthodox Church Song

When I publish this video it's Good Friday 2008, I guess that's why I turned my attention to this peaceful music, full of mysterious beauty. Listen in stereo (!) via this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfwQVXEA3Ec&fmt=18

Famous Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu, the Romanian National Chamber Choir "Madrigal" and the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ion Marin, perform the sacred prayer song 'Priveghiati si va rugati' ('Watch and pray'), a gem from the Romanian Orthodox Church music repertory. The composer is Gheorge Popescu-Branesti.

here are the lines:
priveghiati si va rugati (watch and pray)
ca sa nu cadeti in ispita (that ye enter not into temptation)
sufletul este zelos (the spirit indeed is willing)
iara trupul neputincios (but the flesh is weak)

The recording is from Angela Gheorghiu's album 'Mysterium - Sacred Arias' (2001), that I highly recommend. Buy it and hear more of this great music!

from the liner notes (by Alexander Gerdanovits):
"This music (..) has over the years taken on a deeply spiritual quality for Angela Gheorghiu. Its profound significance had already revealed itself to her in her Romanian childhood home of Adjud, where she and her sister Nina would sing it together. (..) these songs possess great emotional, almost ineffable power for the singer. They evoke for her the mystical aura of Orthodox churches, dominated by incense and candlelight, and the spiritual intimacy of Moldavian monasteries in Northern Romania. They express a reverent awe in the presence of the mysterium fascinans, in which the full plenitude of existence is made manifest, as is the yearning for God. Traditionally they have always been sung by a choir. On this cd they are heard for the first time with orchestral accompaniment, specially created for the recording."

The pictures in my video are mostly beautiful icons and fresco's from orthodox churches and monasteries in Eastern Europe.

Peace for Everyone...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Pieter
• de
• Rooij
• Romania
• Christianity
• Orthodox
• Church
• prayer
• church
• songs
• Easter
• Gheorghiu
• priveghiati
• si
• va
• rugati

[jackdaniels3131]

I am a muslim boy too and I like very much church songs, you should our ilahies

[PieterdeRooijHolland]

@jackdaniels3131 : hi... well, as far as the last category of singing you mention is concerned, I was kind of occupied with that kind of singing pretty much in the mid-eighties ;), see on my website Tonal Ties the article 'Artikel uit 1986 bepleit neuroantropologische kijk op ritueel gedrag'. Unfortunately though for you, it's in dutch.

[staelensjozef]

do anyone know this text in english? i'm a belgium man , but whit english i can trannstate it to my own language

[PieterdeRooijHolland]

@staelensjozef : Just pay attention! Right from the start I've presented the original words and an english translation in the 'more info'-section.

[ProjEnggMSPL10]

Goosebumps at 2:42 

[MelikePB]

Im muslim.. and I love these songs two... :-P

[SWYTHAMLEY44]

WHY CANT I FIND MORE RECORDINGS BY MADRIGAL? THE ONLY ONE I CAN FIND IS MYSTERIUM, SACRED ARIAS. IT IS BY THE MOST MOVING CHURCH MUSIC I'VE EVER HEARD.

[teo208]

@alexeykh

Yes, you are right. We call these extra-liturgical songs "pricesne".

[DJKaleidoscoop]

I am Muslim, and I love Christians ! I respect them a lot =)

[mrmanofof]

@d3lo0o0o3a same thing here,am in love with this kind of songs it really makes me calm

[mccman101]

im not even religous and this music is one of my favorite types.

[MyFullySmile]

Love this songs ,, I am a Muslim but when I hear this songs and go to church ,, I feel all peace and warm !

[Guanyinful]

i'm buddhist... i hope ... that religious people love each other....

[SoLovely31]

@d3lo0o0o3a I'm a Romanian Orthodox girl and I'm happy that you like our songs!! I hope too that one day you will hear those songs live in church because it's amazing!! Greetings from Romania!!