The
All-Night Vigil, Op. 37
, of
Rachmaninov
, is a perenially popular work, merging the language of Russian Orthodox church music with the composer's lush late Romanticism. There are plenty of recordings available, and those considering this one should know that it offers not the usual work but an arrangement for an all-male group, here performed by the
PaTRAM Institute Male Choir
, the male choir of the Patriarch Tikhon Russian-American Music Institute. The particular group here contains singers from Russia, Serbia, North America, and Australia, and there are some stars of the Russian universe on the album, notably conductor
Ekaterina Antonenko
. The album is thus a one-of-a-kind occurrence. The arrangement lowers the music to fit the male voices, submerging it into the general murk of traditional Orthodox choral music, and the low basses are given several chances to shine (if that's the right word). This may sound like quite an elaboration on what
had in mind, but there are a couple of justifications for what has been done here. First is that
wrote the work for an all-male choir, albeit one with boy singers, not all adults. Second,
Alexander Gretchaninov
, in
's own time, arranged one of the hymns,
Glory to God in the Highest
, in a manner similar to the arrangements here by
Dmitri Lazarev
and
Benedict Sheehan
. This is, then, an experiment, but it is one well worth hearing, with not only the impressive growling bass by
Alexis V. Lukianov
but also so-called octavist basses who double the bottom lines at key junctures with impressively resonant effect. (Sample "Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos.") Another draw is the acoustic of the Russian Orthodox Convent Monastery Church of the Ascension, Mount Olives, in Jerusalem, a space that will be new to many audiophiles but that is perfect for this project. The album made classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2024. ~ James Manheim