Elgin Choral Union wraps season with two concert finales
The Elgin Choral Union will present its season finale, "Harmonies from Heaven," with two concerts, in Elgin and St. Charles.
The performances of Sergei Rachmaninoff's "All-Night Vigil (Vespers)" will be at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, May 23, in the Blizzard Theatre at Elgin Community College's Visual and Performing Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive; and 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 25, at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, 307 Cedar Ave. in St. Charles.
At times haunting, mesmerizing and serene, this sublime work relies exclusively on a living, breathing instrument - the choir - to captivate listeners with glorious expressions of soul-stirring awe. Widely praised as his greatest achievement, and often referred to simply as Vespers Mass, much of the work is based upon music utilized during special Orthodox services occurring between sunset and sunrise.
Combining unaccompanied sacred texts with stirring melodies and rich bass line, this 15-movement choral symphony draws on several forms of ancient chant, sung prayers, psalms and hymns from the Russian Orthodox Church. One of his two favorite compositions, Rachmaninoff requested the fifth movement be performed at his funeral.
Opening both performances will be Golosá, the University of Chicago's Russian mixed-voice a cappella ensemble. They will be performing sacred and secular folk music from the culture of the Siberian Old Believers. Golosá is a guest ensemble from the University of Chicago.
All audience members are invited to join ECU member JoAnne Dowdell 45-minutes before each performance for an information discussion about Rachmaninoff's life and work.
Ticket prices are $23 for adults, $18 for seniors, $15 for students, and $5 for children younger than 12 with the purchase of an adult ticket. For tickets, call the Elgin Community College box office at (847) 622-0300 or visit elgin.edu/arts.
Under the direction of maestro Andrew Lewis, Elgin Choral Union is the oldest and largest choral ensemble in the Fox Valley. ECU members range in age from 18 to 80, and come from more than 30 communities.