All-Night Vigil

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): All-Night Vigil

Composed in 1915, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil stands as one of the most beautiful choral masterworks ever written—a luminous bridge between ancient Slavic spiritual traditions and late-Romantic expression, with bass notes so low they challenge the limits of the human voice.

Drawing deeply from ancient Russian Orthodox chants, Rachmaninoff weaves the timeless melodies of Russian plainsong into works of transcendent beauty. Cappella Romana presents the Vigil as intended, with unadorned Russian chants filling out the Vigil — palette cleansers between Rachmaninoff’s sumptuous courses.

This is music that transforms—an outpouring of profound emotional and spiritual vision that finds beauty in darkness. This performance won’t last all night, but you’ll wish it did.