I first encountered the Greek Orthodox hymn “Potirion Sotiriu” as the chanter of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Lincoln, Nebraska.  It’s simplicity of line and mystical drone or “ison” made a most powerful impression on me as a recent newcomer to the spiritual vision of  Byzantine chant.  The text is taken from Psalm 115 of the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint which was done in Alexandria at the request of a third-century BCE Egyptian Pharaoh desiring to have all of the world’s greatest spiritual treasures available to him in his library.  During a recording session in Budapest with composer Victoria Bond, I happened to sing this chant as she and I were in the glorious St. Matthias Church.   At that moment, she said she would composer a piano piece for me based on that chant.   Ms. Bond had the formidable challenge of writing a large scale work for piano that on one hand effectively utilized the resources of the piano but at the same time preserved the unique mystical aura generated by the chant itself.   After the piece was composed last year, we decided that the most appropriate format for the performance would be to sing the chant both before and after the work so that the spiritual world from which the piece emerged was clear.   It also communicates to the audience what I have come to embrace as a champion of new music:  namely that one of the most profound uses of music is to give the listener the ability to leap artificial temporal boundaries and embrace the totality of human expression in both the present and in past ages.   Making the past a present reality is also paramount in the liturgical theology of the Orthodox church where through ancient ritual, twentieth century believers are mystically united to the past in ways that illumine the eternal significance of our spiritual ancestors.