Rachmaninoff: Vespers - All-Night Vigil

Sergei Rachmaninoff's Vespers (All-Night Vigil), composed in 1915 for a charity concert held in Moscow in aid of the victims of the First World War, draws on the traditions of Russian Orthodox liturgical chant. It's fascinating beauty captivates listeners in both East and West alike. The new CD from BR Klassik presents a complete recording of the Vespers (All-Night Vigil) for soloists and mixed choir a cappella. Sung in the original language, it was performed in Munich in November 2025 by the outstanding Bavarian Radio Chorus under the direction of Peter Dijkstra.Opus 37 is regarded as the quintessential sacred masterpiece by the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. Correctly translated, this vocal work, composed in 1915 and titled 'Vsenoscnoe bdenie', means 'all-night vigil': a form of worship common in the Orthodox Church, divided into evening and morning prayers. It is called 'all-night' because this service, which began as vespers in the evening, originally lasted all night and seamlessly transitioned into morning prayers. Rachmaninoff set the fifteen fixed parts of the liturgy to music. The solo part, supported by the choir with long sustained notes, adheres to the requirements of the liturgical sequence and the strict regulations of the Byzantine order of worship. Ten of the chants are based on ancient monophonic Greek and Russian church chants; five have been set to Rachmaninoff's own melodies. Throughout his life, Rachmaninoff himself regarded his Vespers as his most significant musical creation. Yet he was interested 'less in God and religious ceremony than in the incomparably beautiful singing'. The composer's memories of his carefree childhood and the 'religious soul' of his homeland are also evident in his music. Just two years later, in the winter of 1917, Rachmaninoff was forced to leave that very homeland for good.