Though Rachmaninov the composer is best remembered for his concerti and other piano works, the Symphony No. 2 (1906-1907), the tone poem Isle of the Dead (1909), and numerous songs, he also produced a small but distinguished body of choral music. The "choral symphony" The Bells (1913) is probably the best-known example of this part of the composer's output, but Rachmaninov also produced a number of other important choral works during the same decade. The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for chorus, Op. 31 (1910), was composed during one of the composer's regular summers in Ivanovka, a retreat where he also composed the Études-tableaux, Op. 33 (1911), and the Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 36 (1913). The namesake of The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (ca. 307-407) is one of the most revered saints in the Orthodox tradition. St. John (whose full name denotes "golden mouth") is held in particular esteem for his powers as an orator and theologian. He has been honored by composers on numerous occasions; the mass text that bears his name was set by, among other composers, Tchaikovsky (his Op. 41, composed in 1878). Rachmaninov's setting of St. John's Liturgy reflects the work's age-old origins in the Orthodox Church. In keeping with the Liturgy's roots, Rachmaninov makes use of unaccompanied voices, which sing the traditional text in Slavonic. Early on, the Russian Orthodox Church rejected the "modernist spirit" of Rachmaninov's work, causing it to lapse into obscurity as the Russian Revolution approached. The Liturgy, lost for decades, was reconstructed in the 1980s from archival sources and part books located in a New York monastery.
Sergey Rachmaninov
Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, for chorus, Op. 31
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Description by Rovi Staff
Parts/Movements
- The Great Ektenya
- Praise the Lord, O my soul
- The only-begotten
- In Thy Kingdom, double chorus
- In Thy Kingdom, Chorus
- Come, bow
- Lord, save the faithful, and Holy God
- The two-fold and following Ektenii
- Which Cherubim
- The suppliant Ektenya
- I believe
- The grace at peace
- We sing to thee
- It is right for all men and all things
- Our Father, double chorus
- One Church
- Praise God in the Heavens
- Blessed be the hosts, and We see the true light
- And our faith shall show forth
- Cry the name of the Lord, double chorus
- Praise the Father and the Faithful
Appears On
Year | Title | Label | Catalog # |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Carus | CARUS 83407 | |
2014 | Decca | 4786765 | |
2014 | Harmonia Mundi | HMU 807526 | |
2012 | Brilliant Classics | 9253 | |
2011 | Melodiya | MELCD 1001930 | |
2010 | Ondine | 11515 | |
2009 | EMI Classics | ||
2008 | Hyperion | 55318 | |
2006 | Glossa / VRK | 922203 | |
2005 | Moscow Studio Archives | 18732 | |
2005 | Brilliant | 6215 | |
2004 | EMI Classics | 57677 | |
2003 | Philips / Polygram | 475 227-2 | |
1999 | Christophorus | 0088 | |
1999 | Claves | 509304/5 | |
1998 | Le Chant du Monde | 288154 | |
1996 | Nimbus | 5497-8 | |
1995 | Philips | 442 776-2PH | |
1995 | EMI Classics | 568664-2 | |
1995 | Melodiya | 74321 25187-2 | |
1995 | Hungaroton | 31610 | |
1994 | Hyperion | 66703 | |
1994 | Capriccio Records | 10519/20 | |
1993 | Christophorus | 74522 | |
Melodiya | 1000012 | ||
Bison Records | 42196 | ||
Carlton | 569147 | ||
Sony Music Distribution | 64092 |