The Boulder-based 40 mixed-voice ensemble Ars Nova focuses on a sacred a cappella work by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1872-1943), the 15-part "Vespers (All-Night Vigil, op.37)." "Come, Let Us Worship," "Bless the Lord, O My Soul," "Gladsome Light," "Lord, Now Lettest Thou," "Rejoice, O Virgin"...these are all lovely, classic spiritual works, beautifully performed by the renowned Ars Nova. There are some church bells here, but mostly wonderfully harmonic a cappella!

Songlist: Come, Let Us Worship, Bless the Lord, O My Soul, Blessed is the Man, Gladsome Light, Lord, Now Lettest Thou, Rejoice, O Virgin, The Lesser Doxology, Praise the Name of the Lord, Blessed Art Thou, O Lord, Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ, My Soul Magnifies the Lord, Glory to God in the Highest, The Troparion "Today Salvation Has Come", The Troparion "Thou Didst Rise from the Tomb", To Thee, the Victorious Leader

There are of course many fine versions of Rachmaninov's Vespers with mixed-voice choirs, both within the Russian tradition (for which the work was written) and outside it. This is the first to feature a choir of boys' and men's voices only. The result, whose point of departure was a particularly fine crop of low basses at King's that year, blends one of the finest choirs in the English choral tradition with some of the finest music from the Russian tradition. Furthermore, the beautiful acoustics of King's College Chapel are ideal for this repertoire, since they are not unlike those of a Russian Orthodox cathedral. This disc also breaks new ground in that the recording was originally made in surround sound. Though release in that format awaits further developments in domestic audio technology, the listener should already derive some benefit in the enhanced stereo sound of the present CD.

Songlist: Vosstanite...Slava svyatei, Priidite, poklonimsya, Blagoslovi, dushe moya', Gospoda, Blazhen muzh, Svete tikhii, Nyne otpushchaeshi, Bogoroditse Devo, Shestopsalmie, Khvalite imya Gospodne, Blagosloven esi, Gospodi, Voskresenie Khristovo videvshe, Velichit dusha moya Gospoda, Slavoslovie velikoe, Tropar': Dnes' spasenie, Tropa': Voskres iz groba, Vzbrannoi voevode

The Corydon Singers' recording of Rachmaninov's Vespers is extremely moving and beautifully sung. Conducted by Matthew Best with soloists Joya Logan, alto and John Bowen, tenor, it is an outstanding version. The choir has a very warm and rich sound, especially from the basses. This piece requires an enormous range of color from the more introverted "Blagoslovi, dushe moya" to the wildly joyful "Khvalite imya Gospodi." This performance is one of the finest interpretations of this piece.

Songlist: All-Night Vigil (Vsenoshchnoe Bdenie 'Vespers' Op 37), Priidite poklonimsya (O Come let us worship), Blagoslovi, dushe moya (Bless the Lord O my soul), Blazhen muzh (Blessed in the man), Svete tikhii (O gladsome light), Nyne otpushchaeshi (Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart), Bogoroditse Devo (Hail, O Virgin Mother of God), Shestopsalmie: Slava v Vyshnikh Bogu (Hexapsalmos: Glory to God in theHighest), Khvalite imya Gospodne (The Polieley), Praise ye the name of the Lord), Blagosloven esi, Gospodi (Blessed art Thouh, O Lord), Voskresenie Khristovo (We have seen the Resurrection), Velichit dusha moya (My soul doth magnify the Lord), Slavoslovie velikoe: Slava v Vyshnikh Bogu (Great Doxology: Glory to God inthe highest), Tropar: Dnes spasenie (Troparion: Today is salvation come), Tropar: Voskres iz groba (Troparion: Being risen from the tomb), Vzbrannoy voevode (O victorious leader)

Some of the most beautiful music in the world can be heard in a performance of Rachmaninoff's Vespers. Better to be described as an All-night vigil, Rachmaninoff uses Russian melodies dating from the Byzantine era. In the Eastern Church, the All-night vigil is observed before religious feasts. This piece is difficult for any non-Russian choir due to the language. The Dale Warland Singers sing with great energy and beautiful dark tones as befits the Russian style.

Songlist: Vespers:, Come, Let Us Worship, Bless the Lord, O My Soul, Blessed is the Man, Gladsome Light, Lord, Now Lettest Thou, Rejoice, O Virgin, Matins:, The Lesser Doxology, Praise the Name of the Lord, Blessed Art Thou, O Lord, Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ, My Soul Magnifies the Lord, The Great Doxology, The Troparion "Today Salvation Has Come", The Troparion "Thou Didst Rise from the Tomb", To Thee, the Victorios Leader

The period from 1880 to 1917 marked a renaissance in Russian choral music. Previously, Russian choral music had been dominated by German and Italian influences. Now composers returned to old Russian chants as the source of their works, thus creating a thoroughly Russian choral style. Although Sergei Rachmaninov wrote only few choral works, they are among the finest example of Russian choral music ever written. Of those works, the All-Night Vigil (more commonly referred to as the Vespers) stands as his crowning achievement and is widely regarded as the pinnacle of the Orthodox church music as a whole. Composed in 1915, the All-Night Vigil is comprised of texts for services of Vespers, Matins and Prime. In writing the work, Rachmaninov employed a system known as "choral orchestration," which requires singers to make use of a wide range of complex vocal techniques. But for all the innovation and technical prowess evident in Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil, it is the work's intense emotion and deep spirituality that stays with the listener.

Songlist: Come, let us worship, Praise the Lord, O my soul, Blessed is the man, O gentle light, Lord, now lettest Thou, Rejoice, O Virgin, The Six Psalms, Praise the name of the Lord, Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Having beheld the Ressurection, My soul magnifies the Lord, The Great Doxology, Today salvation is come, Thou didst rise from the tomb, O queen victorious

Sergei Rachmaninov's setting of the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom - Eastern Christianity's common Eucharistic service liturgy - is regarded as one of the great cornerstones of 20th-century sacred music. This work of symphonic proportions was composed in the summer of 1910, in less than three weeks. After its completion, Rachmaninov wrote to a friend that he had been carried away by the project and that it had been a long time since he had written music with such pleasure. The outcome was judged by contemporary church officials as "...absolutely wonderful, even too beautiful... it is not church music." This a cappella choral work is performed by one of the foremost choruses in the world, the Latvian Radio Choir, under the direction of Sigvards Klava. The soloist roles are sung by K rlis R tent ls (tenor; celebrant priest) and Gundrars Dzi ums (bass; deacon). The recording was made at the Riga Dome Cathedral.

Songlist: Blessing, Bless the Lord, o my soul, Glory to the Father ? Only begotten Son of God, In Thy Kingdom, Come, let us worship, O Lord, Save - Holy God, Cherubic Hymn, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Creed, A Mercy of Peace, We hymn Thee, Hymn to the Mother of God, The Lord's Prayer, Communion Verse, We have seen the true light, Let our mouths be filled, Blessed be the name of the Lord, Many years

Vespers is a musical setting for a night-long service celebrated in Russian monasteries and Russian orthodox churches. Written at the height of Rachmaninoff's compositional powers, the Vespers setting is considered to be the finest of his sacred works. This lush and beautiful composition for unaccompanied voices, in an eloquent performance by Robert Shaw and his talented festival chorus, is captured dramatically by Telarc in the spacious acoustic of the Church of St. Pierre, Gramat, France. This recording won a Grammy award in 1990.

Songlist: Priidite, Poklonimsya-Come, Let Us Worship, Blagoslovi, Dushe Moya-Bless The Lord, O My soul, Blazhen Muzh-Blessed Be The Man, Svete Tikhyi-O Serene Light, Nyne Otpushchayeshi-Now Let Thy Servant Depart, Bogoroditsye Devo, Raduisya-Rejoice O Virgin, Slava V Vyshnikh Bogu-Glory To God In The Highest, Khvalite Imya Gospondene-Praise The Name Of The Lord, Blagosloven Yesi, Gospodi-Blessed Art Thou, O Lord, Voskreseniye Khristove Videvshe-Having Seen the Resurrection Of The Lord, Velichit Dusha Moya Gospoda-My Soul Magnifies The Lord, Slava V Vyshnikh Bogu-Glory To God In The Highest, Dnes Spaseniye Miru Byst-Troparia Of The Day Of Salvation, Voskres Iz Groba-Christ Is Risen From The Grave-Troparia Of The Resurrection, Vzbrannoy Voyevode-Thanksgiving To The Mother Of God

Seattle Pro Musica : Rachmaninov   

From 1880 to 1917 was a renaissance in Russian choral music, a great outpouring of sacred compositions by major composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Chesnokov and Kastalsky. While Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) only wrote a few choral works, they are among the crowning achievements of Russian choral music. "Vsenoshchnoye Bdeniye Op. 37 (Vespers)" encompasses a wealth of moods and emotion, ranging from meditative introspection to praise and proclamation. The 76-strong, award-winning Seattle Pro Musica is the perfect ensemble for this material, dramatically powerful on a piece like "Priidite, poklonimsya," (Come Let Us Worship), sweetly meditative on songs like "Blagoslovi, dushe moya, Gospoda" and "Shestopsalmiye: Slava v vyshnikh bogu" (The Six Psalms: Glory Be to God in the Highest), filled with wonder on "Tropar: Dnes spasneniye" (The Troparion: Thou didst Rise from the Tomb), and joyfully triumphant on "Vzbrannoy voyevode" (To Thee, the Victorious Leader). Truly wonderful, rarely-heard sacred music from one of great composers of all time.

Songlist: Priidite, polonimsya (Come, Let Us Worship), Blagoslovi, dushe moya, Gospoda (Bless the Lord, O My Soul), Blazhen muzh (Blessed is the Man), Svete tikhyi (Gladsome Light), Nyne otpushchayeshi (Lord, Now Lettest Thou Thy Servant Depart), Bogoroditse Devo (Rejoice, O Virgin), Shestopsalmiye: Slava v vyshnikh Bogu (The Six Psalms: Glory to God in theHighest), Khvalite imya Gospodne (Praise the Name of the Lord), Blagosloven yesi, Gospodi (Blessed Art Thou, O Lord), Voskreseniye Khristovo videvshe (Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ), Velichit dusha moya Gospoda (My Soul Magnifies the Lord), Slavosloviye velikoye (The Great Doxology: Glory to God in the Highest, Tropar: Dnes spaseniye (The Troparion: Today Salvation Has Come), Tropar: Voskres iz groba (The Troparion: Thou didst Rise from the Tomb), Vzbrannoy voyevode (To Thee, the Victorious leader)

Rachmaninov's passionate setting of the Russian "All Night Vigil" is to the Eastern Orthodox liturgy what Bach's B Minor Mass is to the West. Consulting Rachmaninov's manuscripts and correspondence, and working with Russian language and cultural specialists, the virtuoso SWR Vocal Ensemble, under the direction of Marcus Creed, has drawn upon every artistic source available to make this new recording of Rachmaninov's transcendent Vespers.

The roots of the Russian Orthodox Church are traceable back into the Third Century A.D. Whilst Western forms of Christianity continued to evolve, the Orthodox tradition has been preserved largely intact since the 11th Century, despite persecution of the Church under an intolerant Communist regime in Russia. The music of the Russian Orthodox Church features vocal chants, the oldest of which is known as znamenny (from the Slavonic znamia meaning "sign"). The melody of this chant is extremely simple, and whilst other composers added their characteristic harmonic effects, Rachmaninoff consciously preserved the modal purity of the original in his setting of the Vespers. The all-night vigil is celebrated on the eve of the main feasts of the Orthodox Church. Originally it lasted all night and consisted of three separate services to celebrate the beauty of the setting sun, and to reflect on the spiritual light of Christ as the new light of the coming day and the eternal light of heaven. Rachmaninoff's setting of the vigil was written in 1915, in the middle of the First World War. He has used authentic znamenny chant in seven movements, with two movements employing Greek chants. "Even in my dreams I could not have imagined that I would write such a work" Rachmaninoff told the singers at the first performance in March 1915. The work is dedicated to the scholar Stephan Vasilevitch Smolensky who introduced Rachmaninoff to the repertoire of the church, however the composer's inspiration was as much politically motivated as spiritually - the composition was a powerful affirmation of nationalism during the war.

Songlist: Come, Let us Worship, Bless the Lord, O My Soul, Blessed Is The Man, Gladsome Light, Lord, Now Lettest Thou, Rejoice O Virgin, The Six Psalms, Praise the Name of the lord, Blessed Art Thou O Lord, Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ, My Soul, Magnifies the Lord, The Great Doxology, Today Salvation has Come, Tho Didst Rise From the Town, To Thee, the Victorious leader, We Praise Thee