Religion

[Film] The Silent Angel (Teaser)

/ Rudy Carrera / 2 Comments

Dobri Dobrev is perhaps one of the most beautiful human beings on the planet. A Bulgarian Orthodox Christian, deaf from a bombing attack during World War II, he has become a living saint, showing the sort of humility that has gained him admirers even from the atheist world.

Grandpa Dobri, as he is known to those whom he sees in his trips to the city daily, is the subject of the documentary, The Silent Angel. Consider watching it when it comes to your area.

The good will is just and true. Everything in it is good. We must not lie, nor steal, nor commit adultery. We must love each other as God loves us.

—Dobri Dobrev

[Sample] Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble – Wintersongs

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https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1987512766/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/

Kitka come as an absolute surprise to my ears. A group of American women who do justice to the Eastern Orthodox choral music of Russia, Bulgaria, Romania and other locales, they treat the material with reverence and sing in a nearly angelic manner. One of the best choral collections I’ve heard in some time.

[Video] Arvo Pärt – Kanon Pokajanen

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Today is Christmas Eve on the Julian Calendar, and one of the holiest days of the Eastern Orthodox calendar. The Nativity of Jesus (Christmas) is celebrated tomorrow, and though tonight is spent preparation for the great feast, I had enough time to drop two small gifts under this digital Christmas tree.

The first is the music of Arvo Pärt, a world-famous Estonian composer who is surely well-known to regular readers of this page. He is also a devout member of the Estonian Orthodox Church, and you can hear this influence in his compositions.

Gift two is the article attached to it. The author, Fr. Ivan Moody, happens to be a fine composer in his own right, and his works will soon me gracing these pages. He also happens to be an Orthodox priest, and the article is hosted by the Orthodox Christian Network, which can be read here.

For me, personally, it is the most wonderful thing in the world to wed two subjects I have a great passion for: Orthodoxy and the avant-garde. May you who partake have a wonderful Nativity.

Hristos se Rodi!

10 Art House Films About Religion

/ Rudy Carrera

Flavorwire is NOT anyone whose advice I’d recommend on any matters religious, as they’ve shown to be absolutely hostile to the subject in the past. True to form, this list presents films who show those of faith at their most fallen. Some of these films are quite good as works of art in and of themselves, but it takes a tremendous amount of cheek to deem these ‘religious’.

[Article] Neal Morse, A One Man Arian Rock Band

/ Rudy Carrera

I’ll be the first to say that I happen to like Progressive Rock in all its many forms, from avant-prog to Christian symphonic, and everything in-between. I am also a fan of Neil Morse, who is the subject in question in this article written by Brendan P. Foht over at First Things.

What I don’t care for much is Morse’s Catholic bashing. The ground he attacks from is shaky at best, heretical at worst. Though I’m not Roman Catholic (I’m Eastern Orthodox), some of the lyrical content is amusingly bad when Morse strays into overly deep theological matters, and it never dawns on him that Sola Scriptura is itself unbiblical, rendering the whole of Protestant criticism moot.

Still, he is a fine musician, and it seems that First Things, a Christian-based magazine more focused on the arts, philosophy, culture and politics, seems to have a a thing for Mr. Morse and one of his side bands, Transatlantic. It’s nice to see prog make its way up to academia, and I’m thrilled to see it written about rather well, though I think that Foht’s tagging prog rock a ‘disreputable’ genre to be a bit of overkill. Glam, however…