Rachmaninoff’s All Night Vigil
Sunday, March 6 at 3:00 PM | Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Albany Pro Musica Concert Chorus
José Daniel Flores-Caraballo, Opalka Family Artistic Director
Elizabeth Eschen, mezzo-soprano; David Vanderwal, tenor
Elizabeth Pitcairn, violin
TICKETS: Purchase tickets online or call the Box Office at (518) 273-0038.
NOTE: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and mask required; visit the Troy Music Hall’s website for details. To inquire about socially distanced seating, please call the Box Office.
On March 6, 2022, Albany Pro Musica will present Sergei Rachmaninoff’s magnificent All Night Vigil, often referred to as Vespers. This monumental a cappella work was premiered on March 23, 1915 in Moscow and consists of settings of texts taken from the Russian Orthodox ceremony of the same name. It has been praised as Rachmaninoff’s finest achievement and “the greatest musical achievement of the Russian Orthodox Church.” It was one of Rachmaninoff’s two favorite compositions, along with The Bells, and the composer requested that its fifth movement (“Nunc Dimittis”) be sung at his funeral.
The All-Night Vigil is one of the most celebrated choral works of all time and is beloved for its mystical beauty and profound spirituality. Albany Pro Musica’s Concert Chorus will be joined onstage at the incomparable Troy Savings Bank Music Hall by celebrated guest artists Elizabeth Eschen, mezzo-soprano, and David Vanderwal, tenor.
The first half of the concert will feature favorites from the rich Russian repertoire for solo violin, including works by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Glazunov, and Rimsky-Korsakov, performed by renowned violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn. Pitcairn performs with one of the world’s most legendary instruments, the “Red Mendelssohn” Stradivarius violin.
Please read Albany Pro Musica’s statement of solidarity for the people of Ukraine.
Support for this program comes from Wayne A. Senitta, Jr. and Daniel Washington, and The University at Albany Foundation.
