It all started when...

My dear college friend Svetlana Stolyar asked me to compose something for the choir of enthusiastic singers she was running for some years. I couldn't think of a better text than this ancient prayer "Svete Tihiy" (The Gladsome Light). Traditionally it is a part of an all-night service. It was a little intimidating since composers like A.Grechaninov and S.Rachmaninoff have both written most beautiful choir pieces for this prayer. 

My piece is not written in strict orthodox tradition as piano has a very important part in the composition. Traditionally orthodox church music is performed a cappella. I would like to think of it more as a circular piece inspired by the beauty of an ancient prayer.

The gladsome light is a very rough translation of a beautiful and quite rare combination of words in Russian meaning "quiet", "gentle". It is only use in this prayer, I never heard it being used anywhere else. It refers to the evening light - the kind of light photographs would call The Magic Hour when everything looks like it has been lit up from within with a magical golden glow.

After this piece was performed it was suggested by many people that it would be nice to have a whole choir album of prayers for piano and ladies choir and now I am busy composing choir music using the ancient prayers from different religions around the world - most interesting and exiting work!