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Remarks by
H.E. Mr Alexander M. Kadakin,
Ambassador of Russia to Sweden,
at the performance of “The Optina Pustyn” choir
February 1, 2008, Russian Embassy
It is for the third consecutive year during my Ambassadorship, that we have the pleasure and honour to welcome in the Russian Embassy’s Birchtree Hall the world-famous church choir from St. Petersburg, “The Optina Pustyn” monastery choir. Taking this opportunity I wish to thank most sincerely our generous sponsors “The East Capital” and its CEO, my dear friend Peter Elam Hakansson, for his continuous patronage of the choir and of the noble cause of familiarizing the Swedish public with the ancient and modern masterpieces of Russian Orthodox chants and classical songs.
On February 12 Russia celebrates the special Day of the Russian Diplomatist – a rare professional distinction bestowed on us, poor diplomats, by our own country. I have not heard of any other diplomatic service in the world having such a special day in the calendar. Therefore, with your kind consent, we dedicate tonight’s concert to this auspicious occasion.
If it were possible to describe musical sounds in colours, then the choir’s singing of Orthodox chants is like golden light streaming from heaven, the voices become airy and vibrate in synchrony with the subtlest energies of the universe. St. Augustin once said, “Qui cantat, bis orat” (to sing once is to pray twice). Let us unite our hearts and souls with the magnificent voices of the “Optina Pustyn” choir, and the force of our prayers for peace, prosperity and happiness on earth will become three times more efficient.
Please enjoy the exclusive concert and the buffet afterwards.
God bless all of us!
Press release published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (in Russian language)
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