The Bucks County Choral Society will perform Rachmaninoff’s “All-Night Vigil,” sung in original church Slavonic Russian, at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 17, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 235 E. State St., Doylestown.
Rachmaninoff loved Orthodox Church music since his visits, about age 10, to the churches of St. Petersburg, accompanying his devout maternal grandmother. As he later recalled, he often made his way beneath the gallery to relish “singing of unrivaled beauty” by the cathedral choirs.
During the winter of 1914-15, following Russia’s disastrous Battle of Tannenberg, Rachmaninoff was filled with a desire to create a work true to the spirit of the Orthodox services he fondly remembered. Rachmaninoff wished to write something authentically Russian, using the “magnificent melodies” recalled from his childhood.
In the “All-Night Vigil,” Rachmaninoff incorporated chants from the Obikhod, the collection of venerable chants used by the Russian Orthodox Church. Ten of Rachmaninoff’s 15 movements are based on ancient chants from that collection, the remainder (movements 1, 3, 6, 10 and 11) are based on his own melodies.
This challenging, rich and resonating work comprises three different daily liturgical services. First, the Vespers, opening the service with a joyous invitation to prayer, with the sun yielding to darkness out of which comes the divine light. Second, the Matins, awaiting the light of dawn, and finally Prime (“First Light”), when the choir sings a final hymn of praise to Mary (Bogoroditse).
The Choral Society is devoted to mastering and honoring the Slavonic Russian along with the rich interconnecting harmonies and chant-like melodies. The deep, tenebrous bass lines will draw the audience listener in, while the joyous singing of the bells in the soprano and tenor lines invite a sense of celebration and triumph.
For tickets, visit https://www.buckschoral.org/tickets.
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