On June 2 and 3, 2012, the Capitol Hill Chorale performed the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by Serbian composer Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac (1856–1914) at Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, sung a cappella in Church Slavonic in keeping with Orthodox practice. Frederick Binkholder, the Chorale’s Artistic Director, led the performance, with Rev. Miroslav Lazarevich — a Serbian Orthodox priest ordained in England and then serving parishes in Germany and Washington, D.C. — singing the parts of priest and deacon.
The concert was the fourth setting of the Divine Liturgy the Chorale had taken on in a decade, following Rachmaninoff’s 1910 setting in June 2003, Tchaikovsky’s 1880 setting in June 2006, and a Georgian setting by Zakaria Paliashvili in June 2010. Mokranjac composed his setting in 1895; it was suggested to the Chorale by Helena Kosanovic, a Serbian Orthodox member of the ensemble. Program notes by Parker Jayne.
Program
- Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom — Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac
