大象传媒

Donald Macleod explores Rachmaninov鈥檚 Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, which failed to win over Russia's church authorities.

Rachmaninov has been seen as the last great champion of Russian late Romanticism. He was a celebrated pianist and conductor, as well as a composer, and his musical legacy includes his hugely popular piano concertos. In this series of programmes, Donald Macleod turns his attention to Rachmaninov鈥檚 great choral works and his story during the periods in which they were composed. These choral masterpieces are both sacred and secular, and include the cantata Spring, the choral symphony The Bells, Three Russian Songs, the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, and the iconic All-Night Vigil. Donald explores what inspired Rachmaninov while he was writing this music, including creative collaborations, beautiful poetry, and places in Russia and abroad.

During the first decade of the 20th century, Rachmaninov made a number of trips away from Russia. In Italy and Germany, Rachmaninov and his family found respite from the political and social turmoil in Russia at that time. He also visited the USA on a concert tour, where he performed his newly completed Third Piano Concerto. Russia herself, however, exerted a tremendous pull on Rachmaninov鈥檚 creative spirit, and during this time that he decided to compose music for use in Russian church services. The Russian Orthodox ecclesiastical authorities judged his Liturgy of St John Chrysostom to be far too modernist, and refused to sanction its use in church.

Before my window, Op 26 No 10
Daniil Shtoda, tenor
Larissa Gergieva, piano

Piano Concerto No 3 in D minor, Op 30 (Allegro ma non tanto)
Yuja Wang, piano
Sim贸n Bol铆var Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor

Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Op 31 Nos 6-10
Natalia Kornieva, soprano
Alexander Ranne, tenor
Sergey Tsipcalo, baritone
St Petersburg Chamber Choir
Nikolai Korniev, conductor

Etudes-tableaux, Op 33 No 8 (Moderato)
Mikhail Pletnev, piano

Produced by Luke Whitlock, for 大象传媒 Wales