Last evening, September 29, we traveled a considerable distance to Atlanta to see a concert. Sometimes it is worth the price of time and distance to experience the ethereality of music. This concert was such a one.
The setting was a large Methodist church on Peachtree Road in Buckhead. The sanctuary was a perfect setting acoustically and esthetically, one conducive to meditation during the music.
I love classical romantic music, that which is very lyrical, pieces such as “Scheherazade”, “The Lark Ascending”, and “The Firebird”. Rachmaninoff is a late romantic. His “All-Night Vigil” is an incredibly rich and melodic choral masterpiece. The text contains Russian Orthodox versions of Latin hymns such as “Gloria in Excelsis”, “Ave Maria”, the “Magnificat”, and the “Nunc Dimittis”. The music combines text from several services of the daily office (or hours) to serve for a night-long service in Russian monasteries on eves of holy days.
The opening notes came upon us like a wall of sound, and for an hour we were immersed in a musical sea. The Russian basses go to depths of the lowest B-flat while the sopranos soar to angelic heights.
Select a recording of Op. 37, “All-Night Vigil” also known as “Vespers”. Sit back. Enjoy. . .