Rachmaninov: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom Latvian Radio Choir & Sigvards Klava

• 1 Blessing 00:39
• 2 Bless the Lord, o my soul 03:40
• 3 Glory to the Father … Only begotten Son of God 03:10
• 4 In Thy Kingdom 05:18
• 5 Come, let us worship 01:20
• 6 O Lord, Save - Holy God 02:40
• 7 Cherubic Hymn 05:05
• 8 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 00:54
• 9 Creed 08:13
• 10 A Mercy of Peace 07:02
• 11 We hymn Thee 02:55
• 12 Hymn to the Mother of God 03:06
• 13 The Lord's Prayer 04:25
• 14 Communion Verse 02:14
• 15 We have seen the true light 01:27
• 16 Let our mouths be filled 04:39
• 17 Blessed be the name of the Lord 00:41
• 18 Many years 01:04
• Total Runtime 58:32

Info for Rachmaninov: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Sergei Rachmaninov's setting of the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom - Eastern Christianity's common Eucharistic service liturgy - is regarded as one of the great cornerstones of 20th-century sacred music. This work of symphonic proportions was composed in the summer of 1910, in less than three weeks. After its completion, Rachmaninov wrote to a friend that he had been carried away by the project and that it had been a long time since he had written music with such pleasure. The outcome was judged by contemporary church officials as '...absolutely wonderful, even too beautiful... it is not church music.'

This a cappella choral work is performed by one of the foremost choruses in the world, the Latvian Radio Choir, under the direction of Sigvards Klava. The soloist roles are sung by Kārlis Rūtentāls (tenor; celebrant priest) and Gundrars Dziļums (bass; deacon).

„This may be the finest performance on disc of Rachmaninov's (...) Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. The Latvian Radio Choir not only possesses the rich-colored tone (those altos!) and substantial vocal range (those basses!) (...), but also leaves no question as to its collective, deeply felt understanding of the meaning of the texts and of the overall service itself.“ (David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com)

„The Latvian Radio Choir's singing is sensuously beautiful: the tone Slavic, but more refined and better blended than some of that provenance. The choir boasts rich-toned basses capable of sustaining the low B♭ in the Credo. The performance is both devotional and thrillingly dynamic. Pacing is subtly varied to underline the text, often creating, as at the beginning of 'In Thy Kingdom,' a breath-catching sense of time suspended. The balances achieved by Kļava and his chorus of 25 are ideal; the exquisite rising of the pure-voiced soprano soloist from the chorus in 'We Hymn Thee' is but one of many examples. The pitch and diction are exemplary, whether the voices have been tapered to a mere thread of tone or are ringing in the great dome of the Riga Cathedral. The two liturgical soloists are excellent in their truncated roles. The Latvian Radio recording is stunning, creating a palpable sense of the chorus in a large reverberant space with no loss of focus or clarity.“ (Ronald E. Grames, Fanfare Magazine)

Karlis Rutentals, tenor solo (Celebrant Priest, on tracks 1, 10–13, 15)
Gundars Dzilums, bass solo (Deacon, on tracks 1, 5–6, 8–10)
Latvian Radio Choir
Sigvards Klava, conductor

Recorded at the Riga Dome Cathedral in March and April 2008

No biography found.

Booklet for Rachmaninov: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom