This lovely choral piece was held in Rollins Chapel on a rainy afternoon. It was a late addition to the program, and I got tickets at the last minute. The group was very formal – the women all in long black dresses, the men all in black suits. But it suited the piece. It was sung in Russian, which was interesting – on the fringe of understanding.
The bass was very powerful, providing the melody in a couple of the different sections. The mezzo solo in the second section, but Nikhil’s solos in section IX were very good – I still think he should have won Dartmouth Idol.
The piece was not what I would have expected – nothing like the piano works. Instead, very traditional, like the Baltic choir I heard a few years ago. The piece was written in 1915, and Rachmaninov wanted it played at his funeral.
I’m not sure if it was connected, but it happened to be Easter Sunday in the Orthodox calendar.