Rejoice, O Virgin (Bogoroditse Devo) - Sergei Rachmaninoff (for Brass Ensemble)

Rejoice, O Virgin
Movement VI from All-Night Vigil
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Arranged for brass ensemble by Samuel Kerr (https://www.samuelkerrmusic.com/)
Parts and score for sale: https://www.samuelkerrmusic.com/store...

Recorded at Grace Church on-the-Hill, Toronto - December 4, 2021
Audio Recording: Chris Wiens (Lead and Engineer), Ricci Ebron, Richard Song
Video Recording: Jasmine Tsui (Lead), Jacob Thomas
With thanks to Christopher Leonard of Grace Church on-the-Hill

Conductor: Samuel Kerr
Horn: Noah Hawryluck, Michael Nunes, Ilinca Stafie
Trumpet: Declan Scott, Erik Dubeau, Charlotte McIntosh, Elias Doyle
Trombone: Ben Storm, Ilan Mendel, Bien Carandang (bass)
Tuba: Benjamin Whitby

An All-Night Vigil is a religious service originating from the Eastern Orthodox Church, comprising the three canonical hours of Vespers, Matins, and the First Hour. The vigil is celebrated on the eves of Sundays and major liturgical feasts and has been set for chorus by a number of well-known composers.

Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil (Всенощное бдѣніе) is a culmination of a period of intense interest in Russian sacred music, beginning with Tchaikovsky’s own 1882 setting of the Vigil. Though similarities exist between the works, Rachmaninoff is much more adventurous with his use of harmony, textual variety, and polyphony. All-Night Vigil was one of Rachmaninoff’s two favourite compositions, alongside 'The Bells', and has been heralded as “the greatest musical achievement of the Russian Orthodox Church”.

The sixth movement, Rejoice, O Virgin (Богородице Дѣво) is one of the most frequently performed movements of the work, and features simple and inviting harmonies. This movement is the final in the original six Russian Orthodox Vespers adaptions of All-Night Vigil.