Estonian Pcc/Putnins - Sergei Rachmaninov: Liturgy of St John Chrysostom

The music of the Russian Orthodox Church was an essential part of Sergei Rachmaninov�s musical background. As a boy he was deeply moved by the sound of St Petersburg�s cathedral choirs, and phrases reminiscent of liturgical chant permeate his music. His Vespers has long been admired as a summit of Russian liturgical music. It has unfortunately tended to overshadow the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, his earlier large-scale sacred composition. Named after the fourth-century Archbishop of Constantinople and Church Father, the Liturgy consists of a sequence of prayers, psalms and hymns, which are sung or chanted by the different participants in the service.