The University of Utah A Cappella Choir under the direction of Dr. Brady Allred, performs Sergei Rachmaninoff's Bogoroditse Devo from the Rachmaninoff Vespers, followed by Arvo Part's arrangement of the same text.
Hurley Sim Agreed. also the whole song that builds up to that is piano or pianissimo, which helps with the feel that the song is trying to create. but still, enjoyable performance
That's not true in the slightest, actually. Choirs like this always learn a lot about the songs they are singing, especially ones that are in foreign languages. Also, singing it in English would not be the same for a variety of reasons.
funny how every cuts on these choirs for this or that, but willing to wager the choirs you're conducting or are in can't come near to these people and their work. You want faster? You want slower? you want different accents? you want this or that or the other thing. Dr. Allred has done wonders with that department and their interpretations and singing deserves respect.
People should just enjoy it, and keep criticisms to themselves. If you think it should be done differently, do what I did and become a choir director! Haha
Give credit where credit is due.. Thi is a most difficult piece done by NON Slavonic singing/speaking singers. Yes there is an accent.. But I give an A for effort..And done by memory with no music.. (score)
I so agree :. and I’ve heard, in all honesty, well more than a hundred ensembles take it on after... how many years has it been, O who is counting, who is, O who still... And I have to be honest, at this 6 am hour here in Kansas City, already up for an hour of writing and meditation, thinking of my mother
... I was grateful that it was at a faster tempo [I was writing] because I was already crying, and to see the faces of these young people, to never forget that innocence and openness especially as one meditates on all those chronicles of love and loss for every one of them oo to much to bear Gott sei dank geht alles schnell voruber das Pärt so nu
Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God, Mary full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thee among women, and blessed is the Fruit of Thy womb, for Thou hast borne the Savior of our souls.
One of the best Songs I ever heard and sang. It is quite difficult to sing it... but if it works as perfect, as University of Utah Choir sings, it's just beautiful and awesome. Nice work, boys and girls from Utah! :) Greez from Austria
We did this at UACCM. As hauntingly beautiful as it sounds from the audiences perspective, it sounds even more spectacular amidst the choir. Brilliantly done.
This is truly an awesome performance. We were inspired by you, putting the Rachmaninov piece down to E instead of F in our own performance. These two pieces by two great composers represents tradition of the people, hoping for love and salvation.
Dr. Allred directed this song at the 1996 PMEA District 1 Honors Choir, of which I was a part, and the beauty of this tune & his directorial prowess never fades!
Very beautiful interpretation of both pieces. The Rachmaninov was a little fast for my liking. It didn't let the notes have their space and made some of the phrases (particularly the basses at mm. 20 and the altos at mm. 15-20) a little less beautiful than they could be by rushing through them to the end.
There’s another video on RU-vid, don’t know which choir since it’s all in Russian. Choir on stage with some sort of balcony behind them, maybe someone can translate for me. Anyway, much slower, about a minute longer than UUtah. Also, no full choral breathing until before the last phrase, just constant spinning of the sound. Reminds me of some of Rachmaninoff’s slower piano pieces, just constant flow with virtually no interruption. And I prefer the sound of this other choir in that it’s heavy on the bottom. When Rach. composed the All-Night Vigil, some wondered where he would find basses strong enough on the bottom. He found them. That’s the Russian choral sound I love: dark, rich, sonorous, reverberating through those beautiful Russian cathedrals.
a music perfomance is like a theater action - you have to be inside it, to live it. especially a choir performance, and especially when singing the russian sacred music - it's always full of a theater like action. the "Vespers" by Rachmaninov is a "syphony work for the choir", every turn in the score is very significant. but very well done on the university level. thanks!
I was listening to this while listening to this during Barack Obama's address to the nation today and it worked rhythmically amazingly well with the speech. It was very nice.
mmmm, English pronunciation of letters is destroying these piece like letters T, Y, S...somewhere too much corona, somewhere too fast... these piece should be performed with more wisdom and knowledge what are you singing, there are prayers to Virgin Mary, not a rock 'n' roll.
Absolutely Beautiful!! Imagine--Rachmaninoff wrote this in 1915--and after the 1917 Revolution, it was banned in Russia for the next 70 years (along with all religious music)! Our choral group is doing this in next Sunday's concert. -- can't wait!!
Libby Gardner Concert Hall on the University of Utah campus. I've been there several times and it is beautiful. The hall's acoustics can be adjusted to suit different types of music and performances. Pretty cool.
Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God, Mary full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thee among women, and blessed is the Fruit of Thy womb, for Thou hast borne the Savior of our souls.
I think it was sung beautifully but could've been better in a slower time signature. When the basses come in for their fortissimo phrase it seems rushed because of the faster tempo established.
