Nominated for a GRAMMY® Award!The Clarion Choir and its Artistic Leader Steven Fox make their Pentatone debut with a recording of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s choral masterpiece,...

Nominated for a GRAMMY® Award!

The Clarion Choir and its Artistic Leader Steven Fox make their Pentatone debut with a recording of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s choral masterpiece, the All-Night Vigil, demonstrating their exceptional proficiency in Russian repertoire. The All-Night Vigil is a nocturnal hymn that gradually moves towards daybreak, symbolizing the Resurrection of Christ. This message of light and hope emanating from the darkness is both universal and very topical in the troubled world we find ourselves in. On this recording, many of the movements are preceded by the original Kiev and Znameny chants on which Rachmaninoff based his composition, adding another layer to this mesmerizing piece. Steven Fox is the Artistic Leader of the New York-based Clarion Choir since 2006. Generally considered as one of the most exceptional US choirs, their recordings of Russian choral repertoire have received multiple Grammy nominations.

REVIEW:

The U.S.-based Clarion Choir has specialized in Russian choral music, and they are a logical choice to take on this quite difficult work. Director Steven Fox  forges a distinctive sound in which quieter passages are quite delicate. These contrast sharply with the almost gravelly vocal textures usually heard in the work, but in climactic passages, Fox gives his group a fascinating kind of focused power that carries a good deal of ecstatic emotion. The sound engineering from New York’s Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is ideal.

-- AllMusic.com (James Manheim)