By Kathy Lally
WASHONGTON, DC — The Sretensky Monastery was founded more than 600 years ago in honor of Moscow’s miraculous deliverance from invasion by Tamerlane. The Bolsheviks closed it in 1925, and the secret police used its grounds as an execution yard during the years of Stalinist terror.
Little wonder that its choir sings with such power and expression, standing shoulder to shoulder in a narrow loft with golden-winged angels looking down from the ceiling above.
While the choir’s repertoire is rich with church music, said director Nikon Zhila, the American audience also will hear a selection of Russian folk songs, robust pieces from the beginning of the 20th century and even some from the Soviet period.
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