The National Philharmonic Chorale performs Rachmaninoff’s “Vespers”
Where: The Music Center at Strathmore
When: 8 p.m. Saturday (pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m.)
Info: $29, ages 7 to 17 free; 301-581-5100; nationalphilharmonic.org
Sergei Rachmaninoff, best known for his brilliance at the piano, has (perhaps ironically) created in his composition “Vespers” one of the great masterpieces of sacred choral music.
Tomorrow night, National Philharmonic Chorale Artistic Director, Stan Engebretson will conduct the National Philharmonic in a performance of “Vespers”, also known as “All Night Vigil” at the Music Center at Strathmore. The concert will highlight the Philharmonic’s nearly 200-voice, all-volunteer chorale as well as soloists, mezzo-soprano, Molly Donnelly and tenor, Mathew Loyal Smith.
“Rachmaninoff’s ‘Vespers’Éis truly a masterwork in its careful attention to the text and how the composer wrote sublime music to illustrate the emotion within,” said Engebretson.
The all choral composition consists of settings of texts taken from the Russian Orthodox All Night Easter Vigil ceremony.
“Personally, it is one of my favorite works due to its incredibly beautiful, arching melodies, many of which are based on the Slavonic Chant.” Engebretson continued. “The harmonies are written in a rich Romantic style which supports these lines in an innovative and descriptive structure, with the choir at times illustrating special effects, such as the tolling of the church bells or the singing of angels.”
The piece is not without its challenges, however. Predominately written in four to six-part harmony which is par for large choirs, “Vespers” has moments where the divided lines stretch to 11-part harmony. This dense texture, according to Engebretson “gives the piece its rich quality emphasized in the choral score, and is part of its meditative aspect for the listener.”
For the soloists, the challenges lie in the low vocal ranges.
“The Russian composers really like the low voices; [my] alto solo is unusually low,” said Molly Donnelly. “Thankfully, I feel very comfortable down there.”
Then, there is the small matter the Russian language. Luckily for the singers, the scores have a written version in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
“Vespers” is meant to be enjoyed by audiences familiar with Russian Orthodox services, as well as those without that background, who Engebretson concludes, will have their own “musical meditation.”
“Much like Gregorian Chant, the listener can simply relax into the depth of the sound and find themselves peacefully transported by the music,” he said.
