Comprised of 15 movements, the All-Night Vigil is based largely on Russian Orthodox chants. It is also very rarely performed, owing in part to the demands it places upon the choir.
“The Vigil is a technical and emotional tour de force,” says Jeffrey Bernstein of Altadena, artistic director of PMC. says. “Sung without instruments and lasting just over one hour, the piece evokes many moods and stretches the choir to its limits of range and endurance.”
“Rachmaninoff composed the All-Night Vigil in just over two weeks,” explains Bernstein, who will also lead PMC in a performance of the epic work on Saturday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church in Pasadena. “It reminds me of Handel’s Messiah, in the speed with which it was composed, as if divinely inspired. It’s a towering achievement.”
Comprised of 15 movements, the All-Night Vigil is based largely on Russian Orthodox chants. It is also very rarely performed, owing in part to the demands it places upon the choir.
“The Vigil is a technical and emotional tour de force,” says Jeffrey Bernstein of Altadena, artistic director of PMC. says. “Sung without instruments and lasting just over one hour, the piece evokes many moods and stretches the choir to its limits of range and endurance.”
“Rachmaninoff composed the All-Night Vigil in just over two weeks,” explains Bernstein, who will also lead PMC in a performance of the epic work on Saturday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church in Pasadena. “It reminds me of Handel’s Messiah, in the speed with which it was composed, as if divinely inspired. It’s a towering achievement.”