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Works

Orient & Occident

1999 / 2000

Scored for

string orchestra

Duration

7 min

Short description

Orient & Occident was composed in 2000 on the commission of the Berliner Festspiele. It was premiered in Berlin by the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra on 30 September 2000 conducted by Saulius Sondeckis. The piece is dedicated to its first performers, with whom the composer has had a long-standing creative collaboration. The Estonian premiere took place on 21 January 2001 at Estonia Concert Hall, performed by Kremerata Baltica.

The instrumental piece Orient & Occident is based on the text of Credo – the Nicene Creed in the Church Slavonic language. It is also among the few religious texts that are the same in the Western and Eastern Church. The main musical idea – single melodic line – which is sometimes performed by the orchestra in unison, sometimes h…

Orient & Occident was composed in 2000 on the commission of the Berliner Festspiele. It was premiered in Berlin by the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra on 30 September 2000 conducted by Saulius Sondeckis. The piece is dedicated to its first performers, with whom the composer has had a long-standing creative collaboration. The Estonian premiere took place on 21 January 2001 at Estonia Concert Hall, performed by Kremerata Baltica.

The instrumental piece Orient & Occident is based on the text of Credo – the Nicene Creed in the Church Slavonic language. It is also among the few religious texts that are the same in the Western and Eastern Church. The main musical idea – single melodic line – which is sometimes performed by the orchestra in unison, sometimes hidden in the chord structure, sounds Eastern in style, although written in a harmonic minor, which belongs to Western musical tradition. The two worlds – East and West – intertwine in the composition.

Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tõnu Kaljuste (conductor). CD Orient Occident. ECM New Series 1795

© ECM Records

World premiere

30.09.2000
Philharmonie Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Composer's recital: Litauisches Kammerorchester und Kammerchor Vilnius. Elisabeth Glass, Rachel Schettmann, Saulius Sondeckis

Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra , Saulius Sondeckis (conductor)

Completion year

1999

Revision year

2000

Dedication

to Saulius Sondeckis and Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra

Commissioned by

Berliner Festspiele 2000

Scored for

string orchestra

Duration

7 min

Publishers

Universal Edition

Source text

The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed

Ве́рую во еди́наго Бо́га Отца́, Вседержи́теля, Творца́ не́бу и земли́, ви́димым же всем и неви́димым.
И во еди́наго Го́спода Иису́са Христа́, Сы́на Бо́жия, Единоро́днаго, И́же от Отца́ рожде́ннаго пре́жде всех век; Све́та от Све́та, Бо́га и́стинна от Бога и́стинна, рожде́на, несотворе́на, единосу́щна Отцу́, И́мже вся бы́ша.
Нас ра́ди челове́к и на́шего ра́ди спасе́ния сше́дшаго с небе́с и воплоти́вшагося от Ду́ха Свя́та и Мари́и Де́вы, и вочелове́чшася.
Распя́таго же за ны при Понти́йстем Пила́те, и страда́вша и погребе́на.
И воскре́сшаго в тре́тий день по Писа́нием.
И возше́дшаго на небеса́, и седя́ща одесну́ю Отца́.
И па́ки гряду́щаго со сла́вою суди́ти живы́м и ме́ртвым, Его́же Ца́рствию не бу́дет конца́.
И в Ду́ха Свята́го, Го́спода, животворя́щаго, И́же от Отца́ исходя́щаго, И́же со Отце́м и Сы́ном спокланя́ема и ссла́вима, глаго́лавшаго проро́ки.
Во еди́ну Святу́ю, Собо́рную…
The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed

Ве́рую во еди́наго Бо́га Отца́, Вседержи́теля, Творца́ не́бу и земли́, ви́димым же всем и неви́димым.
И во еди́наго Го́спода Иису́са Христа́, Сы́на Бо́жия, Единоро́днаго, И́же от Отца́ рожде́ннаго пре́жде всех век; Све́та от Све́та, Бо́га и́стинна от Бога и́стинна, рожде́на, несотворе́на, единосу́щна Отцу́, И́мже вся бы́ша.
Нас ра́ди челове́к и на́шего ра́ди спасе́ния сше́дшаго с небе́с и воплоти́вшагося от Ду́ха Свя́та и Мари́и Де́вы, и вочелове́чшася.
Распя́таго же за ны при Понти́йстем Пила́те, и страда́вша и погребе́на.
И воскре́сшаго в тре́тий день по Писа́нием.
И возше́дшаго на небеса́, и седя́ща одесну́ю Отца́.
И па́ки гряду́щаго со сла́вою суди́ти живы́м и ме́ртвым, Его́же Ца́рствию не бу́дет конца́.
И в Ду́ха Свята́го, Го́спода, животворя́щаго, И́же от Отца́ исходя́щаго, И́же со Отце́м и Сы́ном спокланя́ема и ссла́вима, глаго́лавшаго проро́ки.
Во еди́ну Святу́ю, Собо́рную и Апо́стольскую Це́рковь.
Испове́дую еди́но креще́ние во оставле́ние грехо́в.
Ча́ю воскресе́ния ме́ртвых.
И жи́зни бу́дущаго ве́ка. Ами́нь.


I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
Maker of Heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God,
the Only-begotten,
begotten of the Father before all ages;
Light of Light,
true God of true God;
begotten, not made;
of one essence with the Father,
by Whom all things were made;
Who for us men,
and for our salvation,
came down from Heaven,
and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit
and the Virgin Mary,
and became man;
And was crucified for us
under Pontius Pilate,
and suffered, and was buried;
and arose again on the third day
according to the Scriptures;
And ascended into Heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of the Father;
And shall come again, with glory,
to judge both the living and the dead
Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the Giver of Life;
Who proceeds from the Father;
Who with the Father and the Son together
is worshipped and glorified;
Who spake by the prophets.
In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead,
And the life of the age to come.
Amen.

Translation from the Orthodox Prayer Book
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