Composer: Alexander Grechaninov
Performer: Dārta Paldiņa, Kārlis Rūtentāls, Jānis Kokins, Jānis Kurševs, Latvian Radio Choir
Conductor: Sigvards Kļava
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Ondine
Catalogue: ODE1397-2
Release: 2021
Size: 799 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
All-Night Vigil, Op. 59 “Vsenoshchnoye bdeniye”
01. I. Bless the Lord, O My Soul
02. II. Kathisma. Blessed Is the Man
03. III. Gladsome Light
04. IV. Rejoice, O Virgin
05. V. Praise the Name of the Lord
06. VI. Blessed Art Thou, O Lord
07. VII. From My Youth
08. VIII. Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ
09. IX. The Great Doxology
10. X. To Thee, the Victorious Leader
With this new album the Latvian Radio Choir conducted by Sigvards Klava is turning its attention to the music of Alexander Grechaninov (1864–1956), one of the masters of Russian liturgic music. Grechaninov’s All-Night Vigil is a fitting continuation to the choir’s albums of sacred music by Sergey Rachmaninoff and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Together with the two latter names, Grechaninov’s All-Night Vigil belongs to the central repertoire of Russian liturgic music.
Also known as author of several symphonies and over 200 opus-numbered works, Grechaninov’s choral music has an important position among his oeuvre. His All-Night Vigil, written in the 1910s during the golden era of Russian liturgic music before the October revolution, belongs to its highlights. Unlike the Vigils by Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, Grechaninov’s work was written primarily for concert use. Grechaninov’s All-Night Vigil is a bright, optimistic work full of light. Grechaninov used old traditional Slavic chants as the basis of this work and selected the uplifting, solemnly glorious chants to emphasize the character of joy, exultation and jubilance.