Rachmaninoff Vigil Performance

A note to PrayTell readers in Seattle and Portland: Cappella Romana is performing Rachmaninoff’s Vigil this weekend. On Friday, September 11, the performance is at St. James Cathedral in Seattle at 7:30; on September 12, in Portland at St. Mary’s Cathedral; and again at St. Mary’s, at 2:30 p.m. on September 13.

A few details: this is the centennial anniversary of the composition and premier of Rachmaninoff’s Vigil. Mark Bailey is conducting; he is the artistic director of the American Baroque Orchestra and the Yale Russian Chorus. Bailey is also head of Yale’s Historical Sound Recordings. For many years, Bailey taught choral leadership and composition at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, New York. I do not want to give a “spoiler”; but, for those able to attend, prepare to hear an authentic rendering of the Vigil.

The program includes free pre-concert talks given by…yours truly! I am also chanting the deacon’s parts of the Vigil. You can expect that my pre-concert talk will include some reference to the place of traditional chants in liturgical renewal.

Nicholas Denysenko

Nicholas Denysenko serves as Emil and Elfriede Jochum Professor and Chair at Valparaiso University. He previously taught at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles (2010-2017). Denysenko is a graduate of the University of Minnesota (B.S. in Business, 1994), St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (M.Div., 2000), and The Catholic University of America (Ph.D., 2008). His most recent books are The Church's Unholy War: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and Orthodoxy (Cascade, 2023), and This is the Day That the Lord Has Made: The Liturgical Year in Orthodoxy (Cascade, 2023). He is a priest of the Orthodox Church in America.

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Comments

3 responses to “Rachmaninoff Vigil Performance”

  1. Anthony Ruff, OSB Avatar
    Anthony Ruff, OSB

    Cappella Romana is fantastic – I heard that at a symposium at the Huffington Institute that I was part of. Any chance you could get permission to post an audio track here? Or is there a link to any of there pieces available online?
    Sounds like there might be a blog post on traditional chant from you too!
    awr

    Reply
  2. Rita Ferrone Avatar
    Rita Ferrone

    I regret that I am not anywhere near Seattle or Portland to hear this, but I forwarded the link to a friend in Portland. Good luck — sounds like it will be a wonderful occasion.

    Reply
  3. Nicholas Denysenko

    Thanks for your support! I’ll publish my lecture on PrayTell after the series concludes.

    Reply

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