Communion music
This week, we shall be listening to “Bogoroditse Devo” by Sergei Rachmaninov (1873–1943), performed by the Latvian Radio Choir.
Rachmaninov is best remembered today as the last great composer of the Russian Romantic tradition, but was also a devout Orthodox and wrote several works for the Russian liturgy. He was also in his lifetime a highly celebrated international pianist. This is the sixth movement of his All-Night Vigil from 1915 – often (if misleadingly) described as Vespers – and makes use of traditional Orthodox chant to set a prayer (“Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God”) which is largely identical to the Western church’s “Hail Mary”.