SOUL MUSIC

“Ever since my childhood I had been attracted by the magnificent melodies of the
‘Oktoechos’ [“eight modes”--the Orthodox tonal system]. I had always felt that a special style was needed for their choral treatment, and this I hoped to have found in the ‘Vesper Mass.’” - Robert Shaw

“In Robert Shaw I have at last found the maestro I have been looking for." - Arturo Toscanini

I've owned several copies of Rachmaninoff's Vespers in my CD collection over the years, but only recently have I truly fallen in love with the sacred work. This happened after I picked up Robert Shaw's classic recording on Telarc from a local Oxfam, which I’ve found to be easily the definitive version (at least to my amateur ears).

There’s something about the spaciousness around the choir that, to me, seems simply perfect, creating an ideal balance of hushed reverence, meaningful reflection, and redemptive joy. No wonder, then, that when I read Joseph Swain's essay on this recording, he confirmed what I had intuited, though with far greater expert analysis of why this particular version resonates so profoundly.

"That sound of these Robert Shaw Festival Singers might be called “international” by comparison with what is for many the touchstone of all the “All-Night Vigil” recordings, Alexander Sveshnikov conducting the State Russian Choir. That recording is indisputably “Russian,” in the timbres of the voices, particularly the altos and deep, deep basses, and in the way that the onsets of phrases are attacked with a quick pitch slide coming from just under the main note. The performance certainly has spirit and energy, but at the cost of a certain precision of intonation and ensemble. The Shaw recording has these in spades, and yet his sound is completely convincing and expressive in more intimate way. In many of the movements, Rachmaninoff calls for one or more parts of the chorus to sustain very long notes, often not sung but hummed, reminiscent of the Byzantine ison drone pitch that often underlies the chants of that tradition. In the Shaw recording, these make a mysterious tonal curtain that colors the background of the main melody. That is one effect among many that gets him what he wants: the sound of Russian Orthodoxy sung by an American choir."

Rachmaninoff composed the Vespers in 1915, during a turbulent period of rapid political and social change in Russia (World War I had already begun, and the Russian Revolution was just around the corner). His motivation for writing the piece stemmed from a desire to find serenity amidst a time of national and religious uncertainty, fraught with concern for the future of the country. Through this work, the composer also sought to honour his Orthodox heritage, despite having a perpetually complex relationship with his faith, often being prone to spiritual doubt.

As we head into deep winter in this country—both climatically and metaphorically—I think I'll find great solace in Russian Orthodox music, particularly the Vespers. This music reflects a time in Russian history when traditional religious culture faced suppression by destructive forces that sought to impose their will on Orthodox beliefs. Perhaps, culturally, the Russian people’s predisposition to extreme cold and political turmoil has helped them become masters at navigating through the darkness toward the light.