The premiere of the digital musical edition “Rejoice, St. Simeon”

The album of the Serbian Byzantine Choir “Rejoice, St. Simeon”, was released in 2015 to mark the 900th anniversary of the birth of St. Simeon the Myrrh-streaming.

The author and conductor Igor Zirojević and the Serbian Byzantine Choir, on one side, and the publisher, the Hilandar Monastery, on the other, wished to participate in the collective celebration of the jubilee and contribute to its commemoration. Additionally, the album aims to contribute to the knowledge and the study of orthodox liturgical and chanting traditions.

Today, ten years later, the album is available on digital platforms through “Unison” music production, established with the blessing of the Hilandar Monastery:

The album results from years of collaboration between the author and performers with the Holy Imperial Lavra of Hilandar. The melodies from this album have been incorporated into Hilandar’s liturgical practice.

It consists of 19 songs from Vesper, Morning service, and Divine Liturgy, as well as parts of the new service to St. Simeon the Myrrh-streaming by Igor Zirojević, written according to the rules of orthodox hymnography.

The PDF booklet (link), originally published with the CD in 2015, includes the author’s introduction, Foreword, Greeting Letter, and Word written by three Athonite abbots from the monasteries of Simonopetra, Vatopedi, and Hilandar. It also features poetic texts of the songs, musicological-liturgical commentaries, and numerous illustrations.

An electronic edition of the neumatic and accompanying texts of the album “Rejoice, St. Simeon” (link) is also available.