Sergei Rachmaninov

1-19
The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom,
opus 31

The Great Litany
Bless the Lord, O my Soul
Glory be to the Father
In Thy Kingdom
Come, let us Worship
O, Lord
The Augmented and Subsequent Litanies
The Cherubic Hymn
The Litany of Supplication
The Creed
A Mercy of Peace
To Thee We Sing
It is Truly Meet
The Lord's Prayer: Our Father
The Communion Hymn: Praise the Lord of the Heavens
Blessed is He
We Have Seen the True Light
May our Mouths be Filled
Blessed be the Name of the Lord
Glory to the Father

Throughout the history of music, few composers have had such (almost systematic) recourse to feelings as Rachmaninov and used them as the main sustenance for their works. Generally, even the most identifiably Romantic authors occasionally hide or disguise their feelings behind more abstract concepts, which can be summarised by terms such as "thematic construction", "motif material" and "expressive power". Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943), however, was not afraid to make eloquent, unambiguous and direct references to the feelings that pervade his pieces in a mixture of agitation and urgency, turning them into moving radiographs of his innermost artistic and human sentiments. Neither does he hesitate to assert the eminently nationalist nature of his output. His Liturgy of St John Chrysostom was composed in 1910 when, at the age of 37, Rachmaninov had just returned from his first American tour, having given a series of recitals in which his Concerto Nº 3 for Piano and Orchestra Op. 30 had been enthusiastically received.

Rachmaninov had always been fascinated by the melodic legacy of the Orthodox Church, a repertoire that he encountered, for example, near Novgorod, one of the main religious centres in the country. He managed to capture the depth of the liturgical text, translating it perfectly into a set of melodies whose simplicity increases their capacity to echo in the listener's mind. With the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom we penetrate the very heart of the spiritual world of Orthodox Russia, where its greatest desires and hopes for eternal life gleam.