Rachmaninov’s All-night Vigil features music of uplifting spiritual strength. Combining ancient chants with rich harmonic language, the work is considered the supreme achievement of Russian Orthodox Church music.
Composed in less than two weeks in 1915, it was first performed in Moscow the same year and was received warmly by both critics and audiences. However, the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the rise of the Soviet Union led to government condemnation of religious music. Of the All-Night Vigil, it has been written that ‘no composition represents the end of an era so clearly as this liturgical work’.
Join the Petros Singers to hear this enduring work in St Stephen’s Gloucester Road, a church of inspiring beauty in which music plays a central role.
Rachmaninov is chiefly remembered as a composer for the piano and, as a counterpoint to the All-night Vigil, the concert will feature several of his preludes, intended as virtuoso piano showpieces.
Pianist Libby Burgess is well known on concert stages across Britain, playing in the country’s major halls and festivals, on BBC Radio 3 and on numerous recordings. She is known for her 'warm, sensitive pianism' (The Observer), her musical intelligence and her generosity of collaborative spirit. Libby is also the founding Artistic Director of the annual New Paths festival in Yorkshire, the creative highlight of her year.