Rachmaninoff: Vespers / Putniņš, Netherlands Radio Choir

$15.99
Label
BIS
Release Date
April 29, 2014
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      RACHMANINOV, SERGEI
    • ORCHESTRA / ENSEMBLE
      Netherlands Radio Choir
    • PERFORMER
      Putnins
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      April 29, 2014
    • UPC
      7318599920399
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      BIS-SACD-2039
    • LABEL
      BIS
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Choral - Sacred
    Works ⌄

    1. Beginning song: Come let us worship

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Performer: Matthew Minter, Gert-Jan Alders

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    2. Psalm 103 (104), "O praise the Lord"

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Performer: Pierrette de Zwaan

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    3. Blessed is the man

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    4. O Joyful Light

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Performer: Eyjolfur Eyjolfsson

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    5. Song of Simeon: Lord, now let your servant depart

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Performer: Eyjolfur Eyjolfsson

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    6. Hail, O Virgin Mother (Ave Maria)

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    7. Hexapsalms: Glory to God on high

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    8. Psalm 134-135 (135-136), "O praise the name of the Lord"

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    9. Glorifying song of the Resurrection: Teach me O lord in the way of truth

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Performer: Matthew Minter

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    10. Hymn of Resurrection: We have seen the resurrection

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    11. Magnificat: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    12. Great Doxology: Glory be to God on high

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    13. Resurrection hymn (Troparion): This day of salvation has come to the world

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    14. Resurrection hymn (Troparion): When you had risen

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    15. Thanksgiving hymn of Virgin Mary: O victorious leader

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš

    16. V molitvakh neusipayushchuyu bogoroditsu (In our Prayers, Ever-vigilant Mother of God)

      Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

      Ensemble: Netherlands Radio Choir

      Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš


Rachmaninoff’s All-night Vigil - sometimes erroneously referred to as his Vespers – is in fact a hybrid of three Russian Orthodox services; Vespers (movements 1 to 6), Matins (7 to 14) and First Hour (15). There have been a number of well-regarded recordings of the piece in recent years, two of which spring to mind: the first is from Sigvards Klava and the Latvian Radio Choir, the second from Paul Hillier and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. Those are fine Baltic ensembles, expertly led, and their collections are always worth your time and money. Besides, they tend to get top-notch recordings, too.

The Netherlands Radio Choir, founded after the Second World War, is a 68-strong group with a number of world premières to their name. That makes them a good fit with Kaspars Putniņš, chief conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, who is a tireless promoter of contemporary choral works. That said, his repertoire is wide-ranging, so Rachmaninoff is well within his artistic purview. Incidentally, this recording includes a filler, The Theotokos, Ever-Vigilant in Prayer, which Rachmaninoff composed in 1893. A precursor to the Vigil in style it burns with a quick, fierce flame. An intriguing little bonus.

First impressions of Putninš’ Vigil are entirely positive. The bass and tenor soloists – Gert-Jan Alders and Matthew Minter respectively – are ideally spaced at the start of O come let us worship, and the choir’s response is both refined and radiant. The alto Pierrette de Zwaan – who appears in Praise the Lord, O my soul – is just as ravishing, the choral cadences gentle but telling. Goodness, this is singing of the highest order; weight and blend are well nigh perfect, as is the open, airy sound. This may be a studio recording, but there’s breadth and depth aplenty, with no obscuring echoes. Indeed, the ‘goose-bump quotient’ is very high, even at this early stage.

Minor caveats aside, this is a splendid account of Rachmaninoff's masterpiece. The Dutch bring emotional intensity to the Vigil; you must hear it.

– MusicWeb International (Dan Morgan)