Dmitri S. Bortniansky

Composer Alpha

Bortniansky, Dmitri

That old chestnut, the Bortniansky № 5

Composer

Bortniansky is famous for two Cherubic Hymns. No. 7 is rightly famous for its ethereal qualities; there exist many professional recordings. The No. 5, on the other hand, is rarely recorded, but is widely used by small church choirs due to its ease of performance. Unfortunately, unless very sensitively handled, the Bortniansky No. 5 can come across as a choral waltz.

Bortniansky’s “It Is Truly Meet”

Composer

Dmitri S. Bortniansky

Dmitri Bortniansky’s setting of “It Is Truly Meet” has been a perennial favorite, but setting it in any language other than the original Slavonic has been troublesome, because the music is so closely married to the textual structure. I’ve sung English-language versions of this that made, shall we say, creative translations to work with the music, and I've sung versions that hacked the music to death to wedge an ill-fitting existing translation in. Here, I’ve tried to strike a balance, using the standard OCA translation and trying to keep phraseological repetitions to a minimum.

Dmitri S. Bortniansky