Dmitri Stepanowitsch Bortniansky

Prayer to the Power of Love

The Ukrainian Dmitri Bortniansky (1751-1825) received lessons at the local singing school in his hometown of Hlukhiv, and soon his extraordinary talent was recognised. He was somewhat of a child prodigy, writing his first opera at a young age. Following his studies Bortniansky was appointed court composer and Kapellmeister of the Imperial Chapel Choir. In the period that followed, he wrote - in addition to a number of operas, instrumental works, and a cycle of songs - more than a hundred religious works for a cappella choir, in which he combined Russian-orthodox and Ukrainian traditions with late 18th century European music. The appealing melody of Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe (Prayer to the Power of Love) became well-known, especially in Germany, in combination with German text by Gerhard Tersteegen. This arrangement by Michael Bilkes reflects the atmosphere of the original work very well.