Sergei Rachmaninoff All–Night Vigil for mixed chorus, Op. 37 (1915)

DUX 1404
• All–Night Vigil for mixed chorus, Op. 37 (1915)

Vespers – a cycle of religious services celebrated by the followers of the Orthodox Church on the eve of all feasts and each Little Pascha - i.e. Sunday. Vechernya, povecherye and utrenya are celebrated from evening to dawn. Among numerous composers who have developed the text of Vespers, it is Sergey Rachmaninoff that stands out due to the mastery of form. Carefully selected sounds of discreetly modern harmony render the acoustics of an Eastern Orthodox temple. Changes of cast (from three to eleven voices) and polychorality depict a sui generis theatrical nature of Orthodox church ceremonies whose action evolves on a few levels, in different space points of the temple. It is particularly the sonorous, crystalline registers of female voices that contrast and perfectly combine with the male voices, among which the basso profondo basses, rarely found in the Western culture, have a profound meaning. The Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Choir, also due to its artistic level, guarantees the highest performance level of this kind of music in Poland.

CD DUX 1404Total time: [55:13]

Sergiusz Rachmaninow

All–Night Vigil for mixed chorus, Op. 37 (1915)

1. Come, Let Us Worship

[2:25]

2. Bless the Lord, My Soul

[6:25]

3. Blessed Is the Man

[4:27]

4. Gentle Light

[2:50]

5. Now Let Your Servant Depart in Peace

[3:21]

6. Rejoice, Virgin Mother of God

[2:45]

7. Shestopsalmiye (the Six Psalms)

[2:45]

8. Praise the Name of the Lord

[2:00]

9. Blessed Are You, Lord

[6:01]

10. Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ

[3:18]

11. My Soul Exalts the Lord

[6:13]

12. The Great Doxology

[6:19]

13. Today Salvation Is in the World

[1:53]

14. Troparion: You Did Rise from the Tomb

[3:06]

15. You Are the Victorious

[1:23]

Performers:
Rafał Bartmiński /tenore/
Violetta Bielecka /conductor/
Chór Opery i Filharmonii Podlaskiej w Białymstoku
Krzysztof Drugow /bass/
Agnieszka Rehlis /mezzosoprano /

composers	Rachmaninow, Sergiusz ∎
performers	Bartmiński, Rafał ∎ , Bielecka, Violetta ∎ , Chór Opery i Filharmonii Podlaskiej w Białymstoku ∎ , Drugow, Krzysztof ∎ , Rehlis, Agnieszka ∎
Releases Year	2017