SERGEI RACHMANINOV

Vespers

Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, op. 31

1. Bless the Lord, O my soul (Psalm 102 [103])

2. In thy kingdom (The Beatitudes)

3. Hymn of the Cherubim

4. We praise thee (Eucharistic Canon)

5. It is truly meet to bless thee (Hymn to the Mother of God)

6. Our Father

7. Praise the Lord from the heavens (Communion hymn) Vespers, op. 37

8. Bless the Lord, O my soul (Psalm 103 [104])

9. Blessed is the man (Psalm 1)

10/11. O gladsome light

12. Nunc dimittis (Song of Simeon)

13. Ave Maria (Hymn to the Mother of God)

14. Hexapsalm (Little Doxology)

15. Gloria (Great Doxology)

16. Thou didst rise from the tomb

17. O Queen of the Heavenly Host

Accentus

Eric Ericson Chamber Choir / Laurence Equilbey

On this new recording of Rachmaninov’s two great a capella sacred works, the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, and Vespers, award winning choral group Accentus and its musical director Laurence Equilbey are joined by the chamber choir founded by her teacher and mentor Eric Ericson. When combined their forces make up an ensemble of 65 voices.

Founded by its current director Laurence Equilbey, Accentus is a professional chamber choir which appears in the leading concert halls and international festivals. The group collaborates regularly with prestigious conductors and orchestras (Pierre Boulez, Christoph Eschenbach, Orchestre de Paris, Ensemble intercontemporain, Orchestre de l’Opéra de Rouen Haute Normandie, Concerto Köln, Akademie für Alte Musik). The group’s recordings have received numerous prizes from the musical press, notably ‘Transcription”, Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross, Fauré’s Requiem with members of the Orchestre National de France, and ‘Strauss a cappella’ with the Latvian Radio Choir. Accentus records exclusively for Naïve

These two vast sacred compositions by Sergei Rachmaninov may be seen as a striking manifestation of the return to the roots of Russian music which was at its height in the early twentieth century. Their appearance marks the conclusion of a century-long era inaugurated by Glinka. Rachmaninoff achieved a synthesis of the school of St Petersburg (Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov) and that of Moscow, the ‘new school’ of church composers (Kastalsky, Chesnokov, Grechaninov). Rachmaninoff used original melodies for certain movements and copies of them for others.

Naïve V5239