Categories: lord-have-mercy, parish-life, cinema, other-churches
Date: 01 July 2007 10:15:44
Though first, my prayers for all in Britain, and for all people facing attack, persecution or any form of terror in any form all around the world.
On a lighter note, I watched House of Flying Daggers, which I last saw in 2005 I think, last night: and it reminded me of how good Chinese movies are. I've raved on about Hero previously, which I think is my favourite modern Chinese film; House of Flying Daggers is pretty darn good though. I love the colour, the sound, the storylines, the acting...so very different from the usual Western fare. I'm looking forward to watching Amadeus, which I bought yesterday, this week: I only saw it last year at a friend's place when I was on holidays up in Brisbane, but it became a movie I wanted to see again.
Unordered asked some questions after this post which I hadn't got around to answering. Here are my answers:
What kind of chant do you like?
Growing up in a Western settings, Western styles of plainchant, such as Gregorian; also, of course, the various metrical hymns of the Western Church, are still my favourites: familiarity has a strong pull.
Coming to Orthodoxy has been a struggle in music terms [among other struggles: though it has been worth them all, and worth the continuing struggles], for what is commonly-called Byzantine Chant is very, very foreign to Western ears. The Znamenny (Russian) Chant style is, if I may speak as a layman and someone with no musical talent, at least to my ears, far more pleasant to Western ears. I have not heard much Slavonic chant, so I am unsure how different it is to Russian Chant, but I imagine it would be more palatable to us of Western lands.
That is not to say Byzantine, Arabic Byzantine in my limited experience, is not beautiful: for it is. It can be very deep, and quite loud, and there are beautiful chants. However, it is rather slow: very slow. And this to me has the connotation of mourning. For Lent, a season of repentance, I find this very helpful; week in, week out, however, it can be a struggle. As I've said, these are only my thoughts, and the thoughts of a musically-ignorant, Western-loving, short-term Orthodox person: I am in no way advocating its removal, for that would be a great loss, but sometimes I do wonder if in Western contexts, some slight changes, or a move to Russian style, would be helpful.
And how did you go going back to your old church. It's always a shock when I go back to an old church. I think because I seem to have changed so much.
I felt the same: I don't doubt others have changed, for it has been a while [5+ years], but going back felt like stepping back in time. I was not an evening service attendee [from my recollection it started either just as I left or just before], though I had been a few times when friends invited me, but I did not feel anything had changed: and even some of the conversations we had were reflective of past conversations.
That is not to say I did not enjoy myself, or discover new things: I did. But, whether it be church, or old colleagues / friends you haven't seen for many years [for whatever reason: distance / time / forgetfulness], there are those, few perhaps, you instantly get-up-to-speed-with and continue in the present, and there are those with whom all you have is the past. I feel Cabramatta Anglican, at least most people there [as there are several I still talk to semi-regularly] is in the latter situation for me: I will always be thankful to God for my time there, and I do love the people there: but, as often happens, time has taken us in very different directions.