Procol Harum in Russia • October 2009

Translated into English for BtP by Jonas Söderström

Москва, 13 октября, Благовест-инфо. Британская рок-группа Procol Harum во главе с легендарным пианистом и вокалистом Гари Брукером посетила 12 октября московский храм Сошествия Св. Духа на Лазаревском кладбище. Музыканты - представители классического арт-рока накануне своих двух концертов в Москве и Петербурге побывали в гостях у прихожан по приглашению настоятеля игумена Сергия (Рыбко), известного своей миссией в среде рокеров, а также при содействии продюсера Дмитрия Верховского, гендиректора компании «Синтез-концерт».

Игумен Сергий провел для гостей экскурсию по храму и рассказал о его истории, о том, как в годы богоборчества Лазаревское кладбище сравняли с землей и превратили в детский парк, а в здании церкви устроили сначала общежитие, а затем мастерские. Гости внимательно выслушали рассказ об одной из святынь храма – иконе Спасителя, найденной в 1967 году геологами в Якутии, в местности, по которой во времена ГУЛАГа гнали заключенных пешком до места назначения. Икона, судя по сохранившейся под ней надписи – «Гнали нас больных. Думали здесь отдохнуть, но наши начальники решили иначе» – принадлежала одному из этапированных страдальцев. Старейший участник группы пианист Гари Брукер в ответ заключил: «Что мы уяснили: из веры происходит жизнь».

Справка. «Прокул Харум» (Procol Harum) – английская арт-рок-группа. Образована в 1967 г. Ее первый хит «A Whiter Shade of Pale» занял первое место в рейтинге музыкальных композиций, чаще всего звучавших в Британии в общественных местах за последние 70 лет (по версии радиостанции Би-би-си). Гари Брукер (род. в 1943) – пианист, вокалист и композитор, удостоен Ордена Британской империи в день рождения королевы 14 июня 2003 года в знак признания его заслуг в благотворительности. Так, в 1996 г. организовывал концерты для сбора средств на церковь св. Марии в своем родном городе Суррей, в апреле 2005-го выступил с концертом для поддержки пострадавших от цунами.

Ирина Стовбыра

Moscow, 13 October, Blagovest-Info

[A religious news service, Blagovest meaning approximately “Ringing of church bells"]

The British rock group Procol Harum, lead by the legendary pianist and singer Gary Brooker, visited the Moscow church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit at the Lazerevsky cemetery on 12 October.

The classic art-rock musicians were invited as guests to the parish the day before their two concerts in Moscow and Petersburg by the Abbot, Sergij (Rybko), known for his mission among rockers. The producer Dimitry Verchovsky, director of the company Sintez-konsert, also helped to arrange the visit.

"If our politicians are separating people, then here we are dealing with the people’s diplomacy." Thus did Yuri Ageshchev, the coordinator of the group’s visit to the temple, characterise the initiative of the abbot. He also called it "an important event for the church and for society." Earlier, in June 2009, Ken Hensley of Uriah Heep visited the temple. "We have international experience, and we’re happy to have contacts on such a high level," Yuri Ageshchev noted.

Speaking to the correspondent of Blagovest-Info, Father Sergij said: "This is one of the most well-known groups, and they are also very intellectual. The meeting was not planned in advance; they just came to Russia to play. I hope, that something good will come out of our meeting."

Father Sergij led the guest on a tour of the temple and told them of its history; about how, during the years of godlessness, the Lazarevsky cemetery was levelled to the ground and converted to a playground for children, and how the church was first converted to communal flats and then to workshops. The guests listened attentively to the story about one of the church’s relics: the Icon of The Saviour, found in 1967 by geologists in Yakutia [in eastern Siberia], in the area where, at the time of the GULAG [labour camps], the prisoners were forced to walk to their final destinations. Judging from the text on the icon – "They drove us sick. We thought we could rest here, but our bosses decided otherwise." – the icon had belonged to one of the suffering deportees. The oldest member of the group, the pianist Gary Brooker, answered in conclusion: "So it is clear: from faith comes life."

After the tour of the church, the musicians were invited to supper, prepared by the Sisters of the Church.

For the informal meeting with Procol Harum came clergymen – introduced by Father Sergij as "ex-rockers and hippies" – and laymen and rock musicians. The gathered talked about rock as ""the music of people that are searching", in contrast to pop, and they thanked the oldest member of Procol Harum for the "drop of fresh air" that the group’s songs were to them during the "stuffy" Soviet times. Gary Brooker replied that he was pleasantly surprised to meet people in Russia, who had listened to the songs of Procol Harum 30–40 years ago. "That is an inspiration to us: we put in so much effort, for our music to really mean something. To perform in Russia is not like performing in America, where the old guard will just sit and say: Hope they’ll play A Whiter Shade of Pale. Here, we feel that our music has had an influence on people of many generations. We hope, that it has gone to the hearts of people. The feeling that we did accomplished that, make us rejoice and praise the Lord."

The stars were given tee-shirts with the coat of arms of The House of Romanov, religious calendars and records of Orthodox Church singing.

Facts: Procol Harum – British art-rock group, created in 1967. Their first hit, A Whiter Shade of Pale, is the musical composition most often played in public in Britain during the last 70 years (according to the BBC). Gary Brooker (b 1943) [sic]; is a pianist, singer and songwriter. He was awarded with an OBE [sic] on the Queen’s birthday, 14 June 2003, in honour of his charitable work. For example, in 1996 he organised concerts to raise money for the church of St Mary in his native town Surrey [sic]; in April 2005 he performed to support the victims of the tsunami.

Irina Stovbyra

[Thanks to Jonas, who adds: this church is not one of the famous or well-known churches in Moscow; I had never heard of it, and there is nothing on it even on the Russian Wikipedia]