Vespers (All-night Vigil)- RACHMANINOV
Waiting for the Barbarians (WORLD PREMIERE) – ANDREW FORD

Sunday 22 July at 2pm

From Russia, with reverence: Rachmaninov’s Vespers (All-night Vigil) caress the ancient words of the Orthodox liturgy, drawing from them music of such profound majesty and awe that it seems to have tapped the very source of life itself. The colours of the Russian choral sound are like burnished gold and velvet night, a blend of spiritual and sensual pleasure.

Modern living has left many of us hungering for Time: time to reflect, to meditate, to breathe, to centre ourselves. The liturgies of the Russian Orthodox church offer rich, deep Time for the prayerful contemplation of the divine: ‘God is a mystery, and the knowledge of God is communicated in mystery . . . The mystery always remains; it is deepened by our knowledge.’ Nicholas Berdyaev (1874-1948). Rachmaninov’s music, steeped in the solemn traditions of the Orthodox liturgy, unfolds gently through perfumed layers of chant and ritual into a place of stillness, calm and joy.

Concert Duration: 80 minutes (no interval)

Conductor: Graham Abbott
Soloists: Jenny Duck-Chong (Contralto), James Egglestone (Tenor)
With the Sydney Philharmonia Symphony Chorus

Tickets:
GENERAL ADMISSION $45 ADULT / $40 CONCESSION
Buy tickets online at http://www.sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/ssl/concerts_buyticketsform.html