By Douglas Neslund
What, you might ask? The
title above cannot be true. Didn’t the Los Angeles Master Chorale perform the
All-Night Vigil just recently? As did the Pacific Chorale?
So what forms a claim of “premiere” performance, you ask. Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote the work in 1915 to
be sung by the Moscow Synodal choir comprised of boys and men. Therein lies the
premiere aspect brought to Los Angeles for the first time ever by the 56 young
men of the Pacific Boychoir of Oakland, with 29 tenors and basses provided by
local professionals and alumni of the choir. The unfortunately smallish audience
at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles heard the work as envisioned
by the composer in 1915 and ultimately performed six times as its popularity in Moscow
grew ever greater. Tragically, the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 brought an end
to public performance of religious music of any kind, but equally sad, an
end to the Synodal choir itself.
The All-Night Vigil (also
sometimes called Vespers) is an amalgam of traditional modal Znamenny chant
amplified by sections composed by Rachmaninoff in the same a cappella style. The result is a finely woven tapestry of sound
that varies endlessly in its employment of treble and men’s voices, utilizing
the widest possible distribution and range throughout. Such writing makes the
many entrances a challenge for choirs of any age. The music itself is simply
gorgeous and in an ecclesiastical setting, serves the purpose of giving life to
the varying texts of the 15 separate sections, including Eastern Orthodox
versions of Ave Maria, the Annunciation, Magnificat, Nunc dimittis, and various
Psalm settings.

When the music demanded, fortissimos erupted in volcanic heat,
but a moment later, delicate, crystalline pianissimos
reflected the shifting textual requirements. The effect is stunning, and the
blend of bright boys’ voices with the men is so different and so “right” the listener
cannot deny its appropriate impact, truly a “premiere” for Los Angeles.

After the final phrase,
the audience sprang to its collective feet for sustained applause and cries of “sláva!”
were heard. It was that kind of performance.
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The Pacific Boychoir and men in rehearsal for the All-Night Vigil in Los Angeles |
Residents of Northern California have an opportunity to hear this choir sing the All-Night Vigil on Friday night, May 24, at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, and on Saturday night, May 25, at The Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland. Further information may be obtained at http://www.pacificboychoir.org
4 comments:
Great review; Great reviewer!
Thank you, Debbie
Thank you, Doug!
Doug, the reviews you wrote were superb and eloquent. Unfortunately
I wasn't at the performance, but
through your words, I can only wish
that I had been.
You are such a gifted man, Thank you for everything.
Sincerest Wishes, Chris
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