Rachmaninov - All-Night Vigil
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Hillier
HM HMU 907384

Release date April 2005

Not the least remarkable thing about Paul Hillier’s new recording of Rachmaninov’s celebrated All-Night Vigil is the modest size of the choir; the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir fields thirty singers, roughly half the number usually deployed for this work. This marvellous choir combines the richness and intense spirituality of the best Russian choirs with the flawless tuning and unanimity of attack of, say, the Monteverdi Choir. The only real drawback of using a relatively small ensemble is that, in order to maintain a rich sound, the Estonians rarely sing really quietly. Hillier – rightly, I think – includes the intonations, some of them sung by a fabulous basso profundo, Vladimir Miller, whose awesomely low notes sound more animal than human – an amazing sound. The Estonians negotiate the tricky faster movements with ease – try them bouncing happily through Khvalite imya Gospodne, while keeping everything perfectly focused and balanced.

Sandy Matheson