The Orthodox Concert Stage: Performing Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil, Op. 37 in a Liturgical Style

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that Sergei Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil, op. 37 can successfully be performed by choral ensembles in a liturgical style by careful selection and grouping of individual movements, along with the interpolation of other chants or musical settings traditionally used in the Russian Orthodox Church that are not part of the composer's original score. This would make the work more accessible to choirs and conductors that may otherwise not be inclined to program an unaccompanied work over seventy minutes in duration. Additionally, such performances would more accurately reflect the Russian liturgical performance practice history of the work as traced in this document. This document explores the history and form of the All-Night Vigil service, Rachmaninoff's exposure to the Orthodox Church, performance decisions made for the viva voce presentation portion of this document, and the performance history of Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil before and after the Russian Revolution.