The Georgian hymn "Shen Khar Venakhi" (Thou Art a Vineyard) is performed by the Yale Russian Chorus and Alumni at the 70th Anniversary Concert.
00:00 Intro (subtitles available)
00:30 Georgian hymn "Shen Khar Venakhi" (Thou Art a Vineyard)
Conductor: Steven Lipsitt.
Filming & editing: Emma Kazaryan.
September 9, 2023, Woolsey Hall, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
❗ Interesting fact: the Yale Russian Chorus first heard and learned this Kartli-Kakhetian (East Georgian) setting from the Georgian State Performing Ensemble in 1968, when the two groups met by chance while touring in Budapest.
🌿 We often sing this hymn at weddings of Chorus members, in honor of the bride! For example: • Поем для невесты всем ...
🎶 This song and the entire album "Mnogaya L'eta: 65 Years of the Yale Russian Chorus" are available for listening on any streaming platforms: band.link/Gtnqu
🎼 Download the score of the Georgian hymn Shen Khar Venakhi on our VKontakte page or in our Telegram channel.
📷 Yale Russian Chorus Alumni Association on social media:
Facebook: / 129422890362
VKontakte: yrcaa
Telegram: t.me/YRCAlumniAssociation
#ShenKharVenakhi
Shen Khar Venakhi (შენ ხარ ვენახი) is a medieval Georgian hymn. The text is attributed to King Demetrius I of Georgia (1093-1156). The composer of the music is unknown. Supposedly Demetrius I wrote it during his confinement as a monk in the David Gareja Monastery. The hymn is dedicated to Georgia and the patronage of the Virgin Mary; it is also a prayer of praise to Mary in the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Shen Khar Venakhi is usually sung by a choir without instrumental accompaniment and is a classic example of Georgian choral music. The hymn is representative of the late Medieval traditions of the Georgian Renaissance.
As the lyrics did not mention any saints or gods, this was the only church-song that was permitted to be performed in the anti-religious Soviet Union. The hymn could be interpreted as praising the vine, the basics of winemaking, as well as simply as a wedding song.
📌 Lyrics:
Shen khar venakhi, akhlad aq'vavebuli.
Norchi k'etili, edems shina nerguli.
(Alva suneli, samotkhes amosuli)
(Ghmertman shegamk'o vervina gjobs kebuli)
Da tavit tvisit mze khar da gabrts'q'invebuli.
You are a vineyard, newly blossomed.
Young, beautiful, growing in Eden,
(A fragrant poplar sapling in Paradise)
(May God adorn you. No one is more worthy of praise)
You yourself are the sun, shining brilliantly.
#YaleRussianChorus #РусскийХорЙельскогоУниверситета
Friends, welcome to our channel!
The Yale Russian Chorus is the oldest singing group in the New World dedicated to the music of Russia and nearby countries. The YRC was founded 1953 at the height of the Cold War. Founders: Denis Mickiewicz and George Litton.
Singers join while students at Yale, and many stay active throughout their lives. Every year or so we hold a major concert in which students and alumni sing together. Many alumni also join the students on tours to Russia.
Without a doubt, each of us had our own motivation to join the Russian choir. But we offer you a quote from one of the members of our choir, which unites us to some extent and explains a little the meaning of the choir in our lives: "Singing the music of the YRC in the style we sang it, was an antidote to the intellectualism that got many of us into Yale in the first place, but that could be so restrictive to the heart and spirit".
The singers are not Russians, or emigrants from Russia, but are students and former students who share a passion for the music and a belief in the power of music to build connections between people of different countries.
Thanks to KZread, we are pleased to share these recordings with online audiences around the world who share our passion for this music.
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We have toured Russia and Eastern Europe many times, and we really hope that we will be able to hit the road again when the time comes 🌿
➞ To support our mission of choral excellence and cultural engagement, visit yrcalums.org/donate
#YRC #YaleRussianChorusAlumniAssociation #йельскийхор #американцыпоютрусскиепесни #русскаямузыка #russianmusic #хор #choir #музыка #music #грузинскаямузыка #georgianmusic #ШенХарВенахи