Grechaninov, Alexander - All-Night Vigil, Op. 59 - Latvian Radio Choir

On this new album, the award-winning Latvian Radio Choir, conducted by Sigvards Klava, turns its attention to the music of Alexander Grechaninov (1864–1956), one of the masters of Russian liturgical music. Grechaninov's Vigil of the Night is a fitting follow-up to the choir's albums of church music by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Together with the latter two, Grechaninov's Vigil of the Night, completed in 1912, belongs to the core repertoire of Russian liturgical music. Unlike Rachmaninoff’s and Tchaikovsky’s all-night vigils, Grechaninov’s work was written primarily for concert performance. Grechaninov’s All-Night Vigil is a bright, optimistic and cheerful work. Grechaninov based his work on old traditional Slavic songs and chose uplifting, festive songs to emphasize the nature of joy, jubilation, and triumph. The Latvian Radio Choir (LRC) is one of Europe's finest professional chamber choirs, and its refined taste in musical material, expressive skills, and incredibly wide vocal range have made it a significant brand on the world map. The LRC's repertoire ranges from Renaissance music to the most sophisticated scores by contemporary composers, and could be described as a sound laboratory – the singers explore their skills by turning to the mysteries of traditional singing, quarter-tone and overtone singing, and other sound production techniques.