Pasadena Master Chorale

Writer Robert Lee Scott, Jr. once famously referred to God as his co-pilot when chronicling his days during World War II with the Army’s airborne unit, the Fighting Tigers. But, as composer Jeffrey Bernstein, Artistic Director of the Pasadena Master Chorale (PMC) sees it, intervention from a Higher Source might very well have played a role in the world of music as well.

“Rachmaninoff composed the All-Night Vigil in just over two weeks,” explains Bernstein, who will lead PMC in a performance of the epic work on Saturday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church in Pasadena and Sunday, June 17 at 4 p.m. at Altadena Community Church in Altadena. “It reminds me of Handel’s Messiah, in the speed with which it was composed, as if divinely inspired. It’s a towering achievement.”

 Comprised of 15 movements, the All-Night Vigil is based largely on Russian Orthodox chants. It is also very rarely performed, owing in part to the demands it places upon the choir.

“The Vigil is a technical and emotional tour de force,” Bernstein says. “Sung without instruments and lasting just over one hour, the piece evokes many moods and stretches the choir to its limits of range and endurance.”

 Yet difficult as it is to perform, the All-Night Vigil is a deeply moving, intimate – and ultimately irresistible – work.

“On the most joyous and proclamatory sections of the text, like the word Alleluia, where other composers would allow the chorus to crescendo and soar, Rachmaninoff does the opposite,” Bernstein explains. “At such points marking deep faith, Rachmaninoff writes very low, soft and beguiling passages, suggesting an internal joy. This is what makes the piece both alluring for PMC to perform and compelling for the audience to hear.”

Tickets for Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil are available for $28 per person. Purchase them by visiting the Pasadena Master Chorale’s website, www.pasadenamasterchorale.org, through any Chorale member, or at the door. Complete details on concerts, ticket prices and venue locations can be found on the website as well. Recorded information is available by phone at 626.208.0009.

First Congregational Church is located at 464 East Walnut Street in Pasadena (91104)

Altadena Community Church is located at 943 East Altadena Drive in Altadena (91101).

The Pasadena Master Chorale also gratefully acknowledges that this performance of Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil was funded (in part) by a grant from the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.

“Whether or not God was Rachmaninoff’s co-composer of the All-Night Vigil is up to each member of our audience to decide,” concludes Bernstein with a smile. “What I do know is that PMC is up for the challenge of performing it. It’s not often that lovers of choral music get to hear this powerful statement of faith. And we, for one, can’t wait to share it.”

ABOUT THE PASADENA MASTER CHORALE

Founded in 2009, the Pasadena Master Chorale is one of Pasadena's newest and most vibrant arts organizations. A volunteer choir with professional standards, PMC presents well-loved and affordable concerts of the highest quality to the greater Pasadena community. Specializing in the pinnacles of choral music spanning five centuries, PMC has thrilled audiences with recent performances of Orff's Carmina Burana, Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem, a folksong program entitled Songs of the World, and a Renaissance program entitled The Golden Age. PMC is also committed to engaging Pasadena's young choral singers and fostering their love of the choral art. Through partnerships with four PUSD schools, PMC offers performance opportunities to dozens of Pasadena students each year, including a vocal competition and a mentoring program that pairs student singers with experienced chorale members. From a first season of 3 concerts in 2008-2009, PMC has grown rapidly, presenting 11 performances of 7 programs in its third season (2010-2011). A non-profit organization, the Pasadena Master Chorale is the proud recipient of numerous grants from the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.