After you have read the text

1. Answer the following questions about the text.

1. How is the phenomenon of S. Rachmaninov characterised from the very beginning?

2. Why does the author of the article stress that Rachmaninov is part and parcel of Russian culture?

3. Is Rachmaninov known the world over?

4. What did Rachmaninov's "Liturgy" have to wait for?

5. Will this work grow old?

6. When was the "Liturgy" created?

7. How did the author work on the “Liturgy”?

8. Which tasks did Rachmaninov set for himself while working on the “Liturgy”?

9. How is the “Liturgy” connected with folk music?

10. How many parts does the “Liturgy” consist of ?

11. Is it an Orthodox Liturgy created in an official and dogmatic form?

12. When was the “Liturgy” performed for the first time?

13. Who was standing on the conductor's dais while the “Liturgy” was rendered in St. Petersburg?

14. Where was the “Liturgy” performed on the 4th of February 1987?

15. What does the modern interpretation of the “Liturgy” reflect?

2. Choose the correct word.

1. This choir is a fine interpreter of both (ancient, sacred, operatic) and contemporary music. 2. Folk melodies show up brightly in the (lightning, canvas, contents) of the “Liturgy”. 3. The native soil (embodies, imbibes, invigorates) the creators. 4. The “Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom” is (conceived, maintained, inspired) as a musical history of Russia. 5. Tchaikovsky was (corresponded, influenced, enthralled) by Pushkin's poem “Eugene Onegin”. 6. There are many (chants, arias, romances) in the “Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom”. 7. Parents should develop a (deep, spiritual, nascent) interest in music in every child. 8. The renowned contemporary (composer, musician, choir master) led the Chamber Choir which performed the “Liturgy” in February 1967. 9. In this “Liturgy” Rachmaninov (opposed, corresponded, appealed) sacred music to the unspirituality of modernism. 10. There were many (witnesses, listeners, people) of his great success. 11. To quote the Academician D. Likhachyov, “culture never (disappears, grows old, looses) its human character”. 12. Her aria sounds like a prayer of (Liturgy, lullaby, salvation). 13. The author himself was standing on the (stage, conductor's dais, way). 14. The heirs have to discover the (ancient, vast, lofty) meaning of old works.

3. Select the correct meaning of the words.

1) aspire a) представлять себе

2) Chrysostom b) страстный, пылкий

3) imbibe c) воплощать, осуществлять

4) might d) очаровывать, увлекать

5) passionate e) давать силы, воодушевлять

6) self-consciousness f) песнь, песнопение

7) vital g) рождающийся, возникающий

8) conceive h) холст, картина, полотно

9) embody i) хвала, восхваление

10) invigorate j) самосознание

11) nascent k) стремиться, подниматься

12) praise l) свидетель

m) Златоуст

n) обширный, безбрежный

o) впитывать

p) соответствовать

q) могущество, мощь

r) жизненный, насущный

4. Give your impressions about the biography of S. Rachmaninov.

5. Describe a work of S. Rachmaninov you know best of all.

6. Read and retell text B.