All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff)

: "For the liturgical service, see All-night vigil"The All-Night Vigil ( _ru. Всенощное бдение, "Vsenoshchnoe bdenie"), Opus 37, is an a cappella choral composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff, written and premiered in 1915. It consists of settings of texts taken from the Russian Orthodox "All-night vigil" ceremony. It has been praised as Rachmaninoff's finest achievement [Francis Maes, tr. Arnold J. Pomerans, Erica Pomerans, "A History of Russian Music: From Kamarinskaya to Babi Yar", University of California Press, 2002, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0520218159&id=WFZSm2-hF-0C&pg=PA206&lpg=PA206&ots=cgsLu6Kx1i&dq=%22all-night+vigil%22+rachmaninoff&sig=uncZSIaI6nP4PUdKEuoGcqbb2v0#PRA13-PA206,M1 p. 206] ] and "the greatest musical achievement of the Russian Orthodox Church". [ [http://www.seattlepromusica.org/Rachmaninovs_Vespers.htm Rachmaninov's All Night Vigil: Vespers ] ] It was one of Rachmaninoff's two favorite compositions along with "The Bells", and the composer requested that one of its movements (the fifth) be sung at his funeralSergei Bertensson, Jay Leyda, Sophia Satina, "Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music", Indiana University Press, 2001, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0253214211&id=KM-dgfOaIIkC&pg=PA191&lpg=PA191&vq=funeral&dq=rachmaninoff+vespers&sig=p4A7C7NE8VuE8umnJ928sM2yL8I#PPA191,M1 p. 191] ] . The title of the work is often translated as simply Vespers, which is both literally and conceptually incorrect as applied to the entire work: only the first six of its fifteen movements set texts from the Russian Orthodox canonical hour of "Vespers".

Composition and Performance History

The "All-Night Vigil" was written in less than two weeks in January and February 1915 [Sergei Bertensson, Jay Leyda, Sophia Satina, "Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music", Indiana University Press, 2001, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0253214211&id=KM-dgfOaIIkC&pg=PR32&lpg=PR32&ots=ASG6cBeUTl&dq=rachmaninoff+vespers&sig=7Pp3WwwK9yUHMl07zqipYJ4uhJs#PPA190,M1 p. 190] ] , and was first performed in Moscow in the March of that year, partly to benefit the Russian war effort. Nikolai Danilin conducted the all-male Moscow Synodal Choir at the premiere. It was received warmly by critics and audiences alike, and was so successful that it was performed five more times within a month [Sergei Bertensson, Jay Leyda, Sophia Satina, "Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music", Indiana University Press, 2001, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0253214211&id=KM-dgfOaIIkC&pg=PR32&lpg=PR32&ots=ASG6cBeUTl&dq=rachmaninoff+vespers&sig=7Pp3WwwK9yUHMl07zqipYJ4uhJs#PPA192,M1 p. 192] ] . However the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the rise of the Soviet Union led to a ban on performances of all religious music, and on 22 July 1918 the Synodal Choir was replaced by a nonreligious "People's Choir Academy". [Svetlana Zvereva, tr. Stuart Campbell, "Alexander Kastalsky: His Life and Music", Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2003, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0754609758&id=6J7HvfHrRp0C&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&ots=grXbRPPM02&dq=rachmaninoff+night+vigil+greatest+orthodox&sig=PWJZKdR6UmLWL438fxGyafhefc4&hl=en#PPA204,M1 p. 204] ] It has been written that "no composition represents the end of an era so clearly as this liturgical work" [Francis Maes, tr. Arnold J.Pomerans, Erica Pomerans, "A History of Russian Music: From Kamarinskaya to Babi Yar", University of California Press, 2002, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0520218159&id=WFZSm2-hF-0C&pg=PA206&lpg=PA206&ots=cgsLu6Kx1i&dq=%22all-night+vigil%22+rachmaninoff&sig=uncZSIaI6nP4PUdKEuoGcqbb2v0#PRA13-PA206,M1 p. 206] ] .

Description

The "All-Night Vigil" is perhaps notable as one of two liturgical settings (the other being the "Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom") by a composer who had stopped attending church services. As required by the Russian Orthodox Church, Rachmaninoff based ten of the fifteen sections on chant. However, the five original sections (numbers 1, 3, 6, 10, & 11) were so heavily influenced by chant that the composer called them "conscious counterfeits".

The "Vigil" includes three styles of chant: "znamenny" (in numbers 8, 9, 12, 13 & 14), a more recitational 'Greek' style (numbers 2 & 15), and 'Kiev' chant - the Ukrainian adaptation of "znamenny" style (numbers 4 & 5). Before writing, Rachmaninoff had studied ancient chant under Stepan Smolensky, to whom he dedicated the piece. It is written for a four-part choir, complete with basso profondo. However, in many parts there is three, five, six, or eight-part harmony; at one point in the seventh movement, the choir is divided into eleven parts. Movements 4 and 9 each contain a brief tenor solo, while movements 2 and 5 feature lengthy solos for alto and tenor, respectively. The fifth movement "Nunc dimittis" (Nyne otpushchayeshi) has gained notoriety for its ending, in which the low basses must negotiate a descending scale that ends with a low B flat (the third B flat below middle C). When Rachmaninoff initially played this passage through to Kastalsky and Danilin in preparation for the first performance, Rachmaninoff recalled that:

Danilin shook his head, saying, "Now where on earth are we to find such basses? They are as rare as asparagus at Christmas!" Nevertheless, he did find them. I knew the voices of my countrymen... [Sergei Bertensson, Jay Leyda, Sophia Satina, "Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music", Indiana University Press, 2001, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0253214211&id=KM-dgfOaIIkC&pg=PA191&lpg=PA191&vq=funeral&dq=rachmaninoff+vespers&sig=p4A7C7NE8VuE8umnJ928sM2yL8I#PPA191,M1 p. 191] ]

Movements

Discography

The first recording of the "Vigil" was made by Alexander Sveshnikov with the State Russian Choir (at the time known as the USSR Academic Russian Choir) for the Soviet Melodiya label in 1965. Because of Soviet anti-religious policies, this record was never available for sale within the USSR, but was only made for the export market and private study [ [http://www.serge-rachmaninoff.com/main/presse/20010902_nyt.htm dannii minogue wick christina elo at serge-rachmaninoff.com ] ] . This recording still has a legendary reputation, in part because of its extremely strong low basses, but also because of the incredible solos by Klara Korkan and Konstantin Ognevoi. [ [http://classicalcdreview.com/MC60.html Rachmaninoff Vespers/Concerto/Rhapsody ] ]

*Aleksandr Sveshnikov, State Russian Choir/USSR Academic Russian Choir, Klara Korkan (mezzo-soprano), Konstantin Ognevoi (tenor), 1965, Melodiya/Yedang
* Karl Linke, C. Ludwig Pichler, Johannes-Damascenus Choir, Essen joined by the Choir of the Papal Russian College, Rome, 1967, Christophorus
*Vladislav Chernushenko, Leningrad Glinka Choir/St. Petersburg Cappella, 1978, Chant du Monde
* Georgi Robev, Bulgarian Choir "Svetoslav Obretenov", Natalia Peneva (alto), Todor Grigorov-Tres (tenor), 1978, Vanguard
*Evgeni Svetlanov, Bulgarian Choir "Svetoslav Obretenov", 1983, Russian Disc
*Valery Polyansky, Chamber Choir of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR, Irina Arkhipova (Mezzo Soprano), Victor Rumantsev (Tenor), 1986, Melodiya/Moscow Studio Archives
* Vladislav Chernushenko, St. Petersburg Cappella, Zhanna Polevtsova (mezzo-soprano), Sergei Rokozitsa (tenor), 1986, Chant du Monde/IML
*Mstislav Rostropovich, Choral Arts Society of Washington, Maureen Forrester (mezzo-soprano), Gene Tucker (tenor), 1987, Erato,
*Robert Shaw, The Robert Shaw Festival Singers, Karl Dent (tenor), 1989, Telarc
*Matthew Best, Corydon Singers, Joya Logan (alto), John Bowen (tenor), 1990, Hyperion
* Oleg Shepel, Voronezh State Institute of Arts Chamber Choir, Yelena Necheporenko (Mezzo Soprano), Alexander Zlobin (Tenor), Ruben Sevostyanov (Tenor), Alexander Nazarov (Bass), September 1991, Globe
*David Hill, The Philharmonia Chorus, Sarah Fryer (Mezzo Soprano), Peter Butterfield (Tenor), 1993, Nimbus
*Nikolai Korniev, St. Petersburg Chamber Choir, Vladimir Mostowoy (tenor), Olga Borodina (alto), 1993, Philips
* Robin Gritton, Berlin Radio Chorus, Tatjana Sotin (alto), Thomas Kober (tenor), 1994, CPO
* Tõnu Kaljuste, Swedish Radio Choir, Malena Emma (alto), Per Björslund (tenor), Nils Högman (tenor), January 1994, Virgin
* William Hall, William Hall Master Chorale, Jonathan Mack (tenor), 1995, Klavier
* Alexei Pouzakov, Choir of St Nicholas Church Tolmachi, Tatiana Gerange (alto), Dmitri Borisov (tenor), Nikolai Sokolov (archpriest), 1997, Boheme
*Stephen Cleobury, Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Jan Lochmann (Bass), Richard Eteson (Tenor), Margaret Cameron (Alto), James Gilchrist (Tenor), 1998, EMI
*Karen P. Thomas, Seattle Pro Musica, Yelena Posrednikov (Alto), Stuart Lutzenhiser (Tenor), Misha Myznikov (Baritone), 1998
* Yevhen Savchuk, Ukrainian National Capella "Dumka", Mykhaylo Tyshchenko (Tenor), Olga Borusene (Soprano), Yuri Korinnyk (Tenor), 2000, Regis/Brilliant Classics
* Howard Arman, Leipzig Radio Chorus, Klaudia Zeiner (Alto), Mikhail Agafonov (Tenor), Lew Maidarschewski (Bass), 2000, Berlin Classics
* Jaroslav Brych, Prague Philharmonic Chorus, 2001, Praga
*Nikolai Korniev, St. Petersburg Chamber Choir, 2002, Pentatone
* Dale Warland, Dale Warland Singers, 2003, Rezound
* Eric-Olof Söderström, Finnish National Opera Chorus, Raissa Palmu (soprano), Erja Wimeri (contralto), Eugen Antoni (tenor), c. 2004, Naxos
*Paul Hillier, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Vladimir Miller (Bass), Iris Oja (Alto), Mati Turi and Tiit Kogerman (Tenor), 2004, Harmonia Mundi
* Nigel Short, Tenebrae, Frances Jellard (Alto), Paul Badley (Tenor), 2004, Signum U.k.

References

External links

* [http://www.seattlepromusica.org/Rachmaninovs_Vespers.htm Program note]
* [http://www.mosingers.com/concerts/04rach_program.html Program note]
*Rhodes College Mastersingers, directed by Tony Lee Garner, live recording from February,1998 at St. Mary's Cathedral, Memphis Tennessee. [http://www.patriciagray.net/Musichtmls/vespers/vespers.html Free mp3s of complete performance]