On February 22-23, 2020, Mikael Agricola Choir from Sts. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church in Vyborg visited the Lutheran Congregation in Rzhev. News story by Iraida Mikhailova:
“By God’s grace and mercy, our congregation is rich in joyful events, one of which took place last weekend: we received 14 guests from Vyborg, namely, Mikael Agricola Choir from Sts. Peter and Paul Church.
On Saturday, we went on a tour of Rzhev visiting the war memorial under construction in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory and laying flowers at the eternal flame by the obelisk and at the cemetery of Soviet soldiers.
On Sunday, the divine service was followed by an unforgettable and extraordinary recital as the happy listeners (church members and guests) truly enjoyed the singing of the choir and the beautiful music performed on different musical instruments. The unobtrusively confident sound of the organ underlay the soulful and tender sounds of a viola da gamba, the excellent combination of a viola da gamba and a guitar could not but be a great delight, the melodious sound of a flute and the choir singing was a thorough enjoyment, and the solo singing by Yelena Baranova touched everyone’s feelings. The whole performance was conducted and directed by Darya Shkurlyatyeva.
Performers: Yelena Baranova (organ, guitar), Darya Shkurlyatyeva (viola da gamba, organ), St. Luke’s Congregation Choir (Rzhev), Mikael Agricola Choir of Sts. Peter and Paul Congregation (Vyborg), emcee Olga Nabatova. The biblical texts were read by Rev. Valeri Antipov. The program included songs from “The Taiga Mass” by Arvo Survo, compositions by J.-B. Lully, J. S. Bach, G. Ph. Telemann, C. F. Abel, Ch. Gounod, and Taizé songs.
The thoughts and feelings, the joy of the communion of people united in the Holy Spirit are beyond words! We hope we meet again!”
Photo credits: Natalia Kohn