Spiritual Concert at the Turn of the 20th–21st Centuries: Genre Specifics and Stylistics of the Choral Cycle

This article investigates the genre of the spiritual concert in the works of Russian composers at the turn of the XX–XXI centuries. It examines the transformation of the traditional genre in the context of contemporary musical culture. Particular attention is placed on the principle of cyclicity as a qualitatively new phenomenon in the structure of spiritual-concert works, synthesizing Orthodox liturgical sequences with principles of Western European symphonism. The expansion of the textual basis of contemporary sacred cycles is analyzed, due to the inclusion of spiritually themed poetry alongside canonical liturgical texts. The stylistic diversity of modern sacred concerts is noted – from neoclassical models to avant-garde compositional techniques. The research draws upon the fundamental works of I.A. Gardner, E.M. Levashev, L.N. Raaben, O.A. Urvantseva, and other scholars of Russian sacred music. The article contributes to the study of a little-researched area of contemporary Orthodox vocal art and outlines prospects for further scholarly research in this area.