Vancouver audio archives updated to Jan. 18, 2009

Well, Christmas has come and gone on both calendars and the New Year is officially underway now! :-)

Here in Lotusland the snow is slowly disappearing under sunny skies ... a rare sight (albeit a regular and most welcome one) in January. It was a record snowfall over the holidays, and it took us quite by surprise. There were instances where it brought people together ... a "we're in this together" outlook that breached the usual urban distance of strangers on the street, as we passed each other, trudging over treacherous terrain. (We don't have a lot of snowplows out here!) Now that it's disappearing, there's a shared joy that life is finally returning to normal!

On Nash Holos, we wrapped up our Christmas programming for this season last Sunday. All the archives, including Chetverta Khvylia, are updated and available for download.

In addition to the usual program downloads, the CD of the Week features are now available as stand-alone downloads on the music page. I'll upload past features as time permits, so do check back often.

For our Christmas season finale, lots of New Years and Epiphany carols that are not often heard, as well as Christmas classics. CD of the Week: The Spirit of Ukrainian Christmas with the Todaschuk Sisters.

Enjoy!

A Soviet Story - Update

The documentary film The Soviet Story has won the Mass Impact Award at the Boston Film Festival which took place last September.

The film is a brilliant exposé of the Soviet Union's breathtaking brutality and inhumanity. It has been updated with English subtitles in place of the (presumably) Latvian ones in the version I blogged about earlier (here). It also includes special bonus interviews and an interview with the film’s director.

The DVD is now available for purchase at the film's website. There is a press kit there with great info about the launch (and Russian protests against it), as well as a trailer and media clips from European TV broadcasts and articles.

Unfortunately, the North American media has not seen fit to share the news about this film (let alone the film itself) with Canadian and American audiences.

Thank goodness for YouTube. Someone has posted it there in 13 parts. Here's the first:




Here are all the links:

Part one

Part two

Part three

Part four

Part five

Part six (about the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact)

Part seven

Part eight (collaboration of SS and NKVD -- written agreement shown)

Part nine

Part ten (NKVD mass graves)

Part eleven

Part twelve (Interview with a KGB torturer in Latvia was still alive and living in Moscow in 2005. Many are still alive and they're proud of what they've done.)

Part thirteen (talks about Russian attitude to Holodomor and Holocaust and how ridiculing mass murder is the norm)

Although you can view the film in sections on YouTube, please support the film-maker and buy a copy (or two) of the DVD if you can afford it. Also, please encourage your local community organizations to buy a copy (or two) for their archives, as well as to donate to schools and public libraries. These will no doubt be receptive to a donation of this quality. This film is a "keeper" for home as well as school and public libraries ... well worth watching more than once.

Get it at the film's website here.

Vancouver audio archives updated to January 4, 2009

Well, it's a New Year (according to the Gregorian calendar) and I'd like to extend my best wishes to you for a fabulous 2009! Many thanks for being loyal listeners of Nash Holos and/or visitors to this blog, and I'm looking forward to another fun-filled year producing programs and chatting with you here on the blog.

In the meantime, we're off to a good start ... the Nash Holos website audio archives are updated to January 4, 2009, and Chetverta Khvylia is updated to Dec. 28.

We still have two more programs of Christmas and New Year's carols, and then back to regular programming on January 15.

Enjoy!

Korinnya Ukrainian Folk Ensemble - Calgary, Alberta

Calgary's Korinnya Ukrainian Folk Ensemble has been performing its unique brand of choral music since 1993.

Their Christmas CD Radist! is a collection of 17 traditional songs performed in the Ukrainian language both a capella and with the accompaniment of Korinnya's orchestra. It was recorded in 2001 and 2002, and produced by the group's musical director, Cathy Lebedowich.

The selections cover the two styles of songs common to the Ukrainian Christmas tradition. These are kolyady, carols relating to the story of Christ's birth, and schedrivky, songs that relate to the joyous spirit of the winter season and the upcoming New Year. Additionally, Korinnya sings arrangements of two English holiday classics that have been adapted into Ukrainian.

The CD is delightful, and enjoys considerable airplay on Nash Holos. If you'd like more information about Korinnya, and/or a copy of their CD, check out their website.

Roman Hurko - New Year, New Recordings

If you're a fan of Byzantine liturgical music, make sure to keep an eye (and ear!) on Canadian composer Roman Hurko. He's worked with a number of different choirs and ensembles, and has released several CDs. The most recent are with the Borysthene choir of Paris, France; the Pokrov choir from Kyiv, Ukraine; and the Archangel Voices choir in Connecticut, USA.

Words of encouragement recently came his way from Clarence House, London, the official residence of HRH Prince Charles.

His Royal Highness was deeply touched that you should have taken the trouble to send the CD of Roman Hurko's sacred music, and, as a great admirerer of Sir John Taverner's compositions, he was very interested to learn about this young and talented composer and to listen to his music - he very much hopes that Mr. Hurko's career as a composer continues to go from strength to strength.

More, including music samples and downloadable sheet music, can be found at Roman's website here.