The Latvian Radio Choir directed by Sigvards Klava has a track
record in Rachmaninov, their recording of
The Divine Liturgy of St John
Chrysostom Op.31 having already been given a muted welcome by Gavin
Dixon (see
review). Gavin poses the question “how
Russian does a choir have to be to pull off Rachmaninov’s choral
music?” There is also the question, “how Russian a choir do you
want for Rachmaninov’s choral music?”
The
All-Night Vigil has a myriad of different versions available,
and your taste in vocal style will have everything to say about which
kinds of performance you will prefer over the long term. The St Petersburg
Chamber Choir with soloist Olga Borodina originally on the Philips label
and now repackaged for Decca is a fine example of full-blooded Russian
singing, laden with expressive vibrato and capable of making the hairs
stand on the nape of the neck. This is a genuinely affecting choral
sound and a remarkable musical experience, but do you want Olga Borodina’s
‘wobbly’ solos? On the other side of the coin, do you want
the King’s College Choir/Stephen Cleobury on EMI with their pure
ecclesiastical lines?
The Latvian Radio Choir is somewhere in between these two, with a
full and expressive sound generated by a warmly natural choral tone - a
certain amount of vibrato in other words, though by no means as pronounced
as you might anticipate from a Russian choir. They are closer to
King’s College than St Petersburg, though the linguistic
pronunciations sound convincing enough. Individual voices rarely if ever
emerge from the choral texture which is good, though the resultant quality
is one of homogeneity rather than extravagantly distinctive character. The
low bass tones are present when required, though not emphasised. Solo
singing is done by un-named choral members and is distinguished,
idiomatically well suited to the music and highly polished.
So, what we have here is a very beautiful recording of Rachmaninov’s
All-Night Vigil, and one you can put on late in the evening confident
you won’t be dealt any shocks. Is this what you are looking for?
I for one will be very happy to have this as one version of Rachmaninov’s
finest choral work, but it is by no means the only one, not really ticking
enough of the emotional satisfaction boxes required for the full
Vespers
experience. Each time I want to feel the tear ducts prickle behind my
eyes or feel my heart swell within my chest it’s that St Petersburg
recording directed by Nikolai Korniev which keeps bringing me back.
It’s not perfect and I don’t always want this kind of OTT
experience, but once you’ve heard it the alternatives will always
seem a little pale and gentle by comparison. In its two CD version you
also get a very fine performance of
The Divine Liturgy of St John
Chrysostom as well so it’s worth seeking out. There is another
recording by Korniev on the Pentatone label which presents a more direct
SACD competitor to this Ondine recording. This one comes in at a total
of 49:22 compared to Klava’s 62:31, so you can guess at some of
the differences. The Pentatone recording sounds smaller-scale and less
rough-and ready than the older Philips/Decca one, but I don’t
prefer it. The solo singing is less distinctive but also less distinguished,
and I think once you’ve heard the rather soggy
Bless the Lord,
O My Soul second track you’ll be putting this version gently
back on the shelf and seeking further.
Returning to the Latvian Radio Choir there is a lot to be said for
choral singing of such poise and refinement. There’s plenty of dynamic
range and expressive depth here, and, having had this recording around for a
while I doubt you’ll want to relinquish it easily. The relaxed tempi
and beautifully modulated sound all have a cumulative effect which is life
enhancing. Rachmaninov will certainly not have had such a purpose in mind
for this music, but put your feet up, pour a glass of port, close your eyes,
and tell me there’s somewhere else you’d rather be.
Dominy Clements
[62:31] 
