Rachmaninov – Vespers [Sveshnikov 1965 Recording, 2012 Reissue] – FLAC

FLAC | 290 MB (https://mega.nz/#!53h0QIQK!9h0SeMCEK12igCjdaUU-Km9n-Qi-tylZC5Qw9-zCGU0)

So this is actually the first produced recording of Rachmaninov�s �Vespers,� or more correctly �All-Night Vigil� as it contains settings of texts from the full Russian Orthodox ceremony and not just the evening service. It was produced in 1965, a half-century after the work was written, by the Soviet Melodiya label for release exclusively outside of the USSR due to anti-religious policies.

If you have never heard Rachmaninov�s masterpiece and are only familiar with him as a pianist, this is truly one of the most beautiful choral works you will ever have the pleasure of listening to. Despite being a cappella, it is harmonically rich.

I have uploaded a sampler from the second movement (https://picosong.com/wN4F8/), �Bless the Lord, O my Soul,� following my own path to this work through the recordings with which I discovered it: the Robert Shaw recording for Telarc, which is pristine but ultimately a bit too slight; the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir conducted in 1986 by Valeri Polyansky which is more appropriately Slavic but is still missing some needed gravitas due to being a smaller ensemble and a further twenty years of degradation to Russian choral tradition; and lastly this Sveshnikov recording, which has perhaps the most astounding choral bass that I have ever heard. [NOTE: The Sveshnikov is somewhat louder than the more recent recordings, but I opted to leave the levels untouched.] The fifth movement, �Lord, Now Lettest Thou Thy Servant Depart,� descends to a notoriously low B-flat for a special Russian basso profundo tradition, oktavism. (https://www.oktavism.com/single-post/2014/11/16/What-is-an-Oktavist)

This particular rip is from the most recent CD mastering in 2012 from Melodiya, which is sadly long out of print. A cheap CD-R from an earlier mastering is available on Amazon, but this 2012 disc is highly sought after due to its improved sound quality.