Concert introduction: Rachmaninov and church music
Saturday March 16, 20:00-20:30
(Doors open at 19:45)
Oslo Cathedral
For concert ticket holders only
Duration: 30 minutes
NB! The introduction will be held in Norwegian
Asbjørn Eriksen, speaker
Rachmaninov composed two great church music choir works: Liturgy of St John Chrysostom (1910) and the much better known Vigil (1915). They appear as isolated islands in Rachmaninov’s list of works, written in a different style to his other music. But Rachmaninov had good prerequisites to compose them: In childhood, he often attended church services, where he listened excitedly to the monks chanting, and at the Moscow Conservatory he was taught about the history of Russian church music. At the beginning of the 20th century, he made contact with a group of church musicians who wanted to cleanse Russian church music of Western influence, and instead make music that recreated the spirit of old Orthodox church singing. In Rachmaninov’s Vigil (Russian title: Vsenoščnoe bdenie = All-night vigil),
10 of the 15 movements are based on old Russian church chants, many from the Middle Ages. In this introduction, you will learn more about the background of this great work, the form of the composition, and a little bit about the style. The speaker argues that the Vigil is not as far removed from the composer’s other works as may appear.
Photo: Universitetet i Oslo