Rachmaninov: The Liturgy of St John Chrysostom

Critics' Choice Gramophone Magazine 2004

"King's glorious return to the Russian Liturgy brings a foretaste of paradise"
(Gramophone Editor's Choice June 2004)

"Is there any other composer so well known for a core group of pieces (piano concertos, symphonies and solo piano works) who is so little known for other major ones? This work came as a revelation - an hour and a quarter of awe-inspiring music. The Choir of King's College achieve a magnetic blend of sonority - and what a glorious role their chapel plays in the success of the superb recording."
(Gramophone)

The Liturgy of St John Chrysostom is a service of the Orthodox Church. Written in 1910, the work consists of twenty settings for unaccompanied four-part chorus. Rachmaninov follows very strictly the Church rules that required intelligibility of the text and the avoidance of polyphony. Instruments were forbidden, whence the use of unaccompanied voices. The rhythm throughout the work generally follows closely the natural rhythms of the text. Rachmaninov's setting is designed primarily for liturgical use, but also works very well outside this context; indeed the premiere was a secular performance.

This work was recorded in July 2003 in King's College Chapel. The use of an all-male choir with boys' voices on the soprano line inevitably creates a sound different from that the composer would have known, since mixed choirs had been the norm in Russia at least from the 18th century in this kind of music. In preparing this work for performance the choir will have had to learn the rather less formal way of doing things in an Orthodox service, which takes the form of a continuous dialogue between clergy and choir. The King's recording a few years ago of Rachmaninov's Vespers showed the choir's tremendous skill in adapting to a new musical language and indeed has become one of their best-selling albums.

SELECTED RECENT KING's COLLEGE DISCOGRAPHY
RACHMANINOV: Vespers 556 7522
SCARLATTI: Stabat mater 5574982
VIVALDI: Gloria 5572652
HANDEL: Coronation Anthems 557 1402
BACH: Magnificat 556 9942 (2CD)