Mariinski Koor . Andrej Petrenko

If there is one type of repertoire that profits from a performance by musicians who have grown up with it, it is Russian Orthodox liturgical choral music. The density of the Russian choral sound, with its legendary full and deep-bodied basses, is a vital component which allows the great romantic Russian choral music to be performed to full advantage. An absolute high point in this tradition is Sergei Rachmaninov's Vespers. He wrote them in 1915, a few years before swapping Russia for Europe and the United States. Rachmaninov was proud of what he had accomplished with the Vespers. At the end of his third and final symphony he quotes from 'Blagosloven esi, Gospodi' (Bless you, O Lord), as a final expression of gratitude for his whole creative oeuvre. The legendary Mariinsky Chorus from St Petersburg adds a worldly counterpart to Rachmaninov's grand religious vision, with a selection of folk songs which, like the religious music, is deeply rooted in the Russian soul.