Rachmaninoff Vespers - Rejoice, O Virgin

[qwunics]

какая стройность пения

[intjmm]

Russian is by far the most beautiful language in which to sing.

[TheFunkaholic]

I sang this in choir in high school two years ago. Only looking back do I truly realize the beauty of this piece. I'm not a religious man in any way, shape or form, but as a musician and music-lover, I have to recognize that some of the best pieces of music in existence are from the church. Truly beautiful.

[nikkiflixx]

This will haunt me forever. My uncle was a professional singer in the SNO amongst other choirs throughout Scotland. He sang in the Sydney Opera House, The Holy land and travelled the globe. Music was his passion. He had an incredible voice (tenor or bass) and was an incredible man. Sadly he passed away from a brain haemmorage last November. Sad times... only 54..As a tribute, his fellow choir mates (all 70) and the conductor he had known for many years, performed this song... was very moving..

[6digit]

very magnificent voices it makes you calm more!!

[michaels7]

Many of us are guessing the providence of the peace. I also think it is Shaw. Can anyone enlighten us. It sounds way too smooth for a Russian view. The Shaw telarc version from France was amazing.

[1hwkwon]

@michaels7 Yes, The Shaw Festival Singers from Atlanta -- beautiful, so deep...

[TheJamesalden]

When I first discovered this music some years ago, I felt overwhelmed. So to this day, I feel that this represents some of the most sublime choral music ever composed...

[babyycat]

One of my favorites also. So peaceful and loving the sound of it. The dear Virgin Bless you for posting such beauty..

[amyleeluvr]

This is one of my favorite pieces by Rachmaninoff EVER!!  AWESOME!!

[ItsYourJosh]

I sang this with a county chorus. It's beautiful.

[anilompro1]

Me too Josh. It's one of the most beautiul songs in all the Orthodox Church.

[RyanWho2]

yeah i listened again..it's just me.

haha..

[RyanWho2]

it sounds like that may have drop the pitch a little. sounds about a half-step or so flat at the end..or maybe it's just me.

[JudithMatta]

The crescendo part is not "ora pro nobis" (that's using the Latin church's Hail Mary) but "Blessed is the Fruit of thy womb!";and then, "For thou has born the Saviour of the world"! We're working on this for our small choir. A very beautiful and healing prayer.

[spikelaquila]

The singers here are Russian. They sing in Russian. And this is the best work of the most prominent Russian composer of our time - Sergey Rachmaninov (the double F is not really necessary there). Mother-Russia should be so ashamed that such a genius had to leave her. Forgive me, but I will cry now...

[lonedell129]

Apparently, Rachmaninoff preferred the ff spelling in english.

[woodpeckerarizona]

@spikelaquila ...many left their native Russia because the country was held hostage by a vicious regime which destroyed millions of its own people. After some 75 years of communism, and atheism, this social experiment failed, as it must. We are grateful Rachmaninov left to create to the full measure of his talent.

[DJLiko81]

@spikelaquila Just a clarification; though the singers certainly are Russian, Bogoroditsye Djevo is sung in Church Slavonic, which is different from vernacular Russian. It would be like calling Church Latin Italian; they have a common root and structural/grammatical similarities, but they are two distinct languages.

[6741please]

About two or three years ago, the All-Night-Vigil was performer at the University of Victoria as the final concerto Chorfest with Simon Carrington conducting. 5 choirs. Wonderful experience.

[andrewwojcik21]

Wonderful! I hope you had a lovely dark, candle lit church.

[6741please]

I obviously didn't proofread. I meant to say it was the final concert of Chorfest.  It was performed at the University of Victoria main concert hall, not in a church.

[WildFan123]

I'd be surprised if this is Shaw's group. Lovely music, tho - as moving to hear as it is to sing.

[kthrntrry]

All-night vigil From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from All-Night Vigil)

The All-night vigil is a service of the Eastern Orthodox Church consisting of an aggregation of the three canonical hours of Vespers, Matins, and the First Hour. The vigil is celebrated on the eves of Sundays and of major liturgical feasts. The vigil has been set to music most famously by Sergei Rachmaninoff, whose setting of selections from the service is one of his most admired works.

[carletongoss]

They definitely sound like an american choir but I don't think it is Robert Shaw's style.

[k957]

I believe this is the Robert Shaw Festival Singers