Choral Arts Northwest: Rachmaninoff’s Vespers ('All-Night Vigil')

Rachmaninoff – All-Night Vigil (Vespers)

Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, or Vespers as the work is commonly called, was composed during a two-week period in January and February 1915. The Vigil is a traditional Russian Orthodox service and therefore performed a cappella and is largely based on unison chant melodies drawn from the service as it would have been sung in medieval Russia.

Using these simple elements, Rachmaninoff created a monumentally expressive work of sheer beauty using a living, breathing instrument—the human chorus—in a way that few composers have before. The writing makes full use of the rich sonority and timbral colors of the Russian choral school of the late nineteenth – early twentieth centuries, with voices combining and dividing in a seemingly endless variety of ways.

In what is sure to be a particularly special event, CANW will perform the work in the majestic space of the Washington State Capitol Rotunda in Olympia.

About Choral Arts Northwest

http://www.choralartsnw.org