​EXPLORING THE RACHMANINOFF VESPERS

​with Artistic Director Matthew Guard

CREATED FOR SKYLARK+ IN THE SUMMER OF 2020
​
Matthew Guard hosts an 8-part in-depth series exploring one of the masterworks of the choral canon, Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil.

PART 1:  An introduction

An introduction to the in-depth series 

PART 2:  History and structure

Top Vespers trivia, historical context, and structure of the piece, featuring a unique visualization

PART 3:  The Russian choral sound

Exploring the soundworld of Russian choral music, and the choir for whom the piece was written

PART 4:  Mastering the language

How a professional choir approaches singing in Old Church Slavonic, with Skylark Soprano Fotina Naumenko

PART 5:  Two pilgrimages

Insights from two primary sources: The original autograph manuscript in Rachmaninoff's own handwriting, and the Robert Shaw Papers

PART 6:  The conductor's dilemma

A study of tempo, and how to pace the 15 movements of the Vespers

PART 7:  Interpretive choices

Conscious decisions we made for Skylark's performance

PART 8:  Introducing our performance

An introduction to Skylark's recorded performance, featuring a chat with legendary Basso Profundo Glenn Miller

Conclusion: SKYLARK'S PERFORMANCE

A full audio recording of Skylark's performance at St. Paul's Harvard Square

View the full concert program from this performance here