Armonico Consort: Rachmaninov Vespers by Candlelight

Singers from the Armonico Consort, all dressed in black, ready to sing by candlelight in a church
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Event Description

Candlelit choral concert brings chance to unwind and reflect: Rachmaninov’s Vespers by Candlelight

The renowned choral group Armonico Consort is to give a summer evening candlelit performance of Rachmaninov’s glorious Vespers at Malvern Theatres on 8 July 2025.

Rachmaninov’s great choral achievement provides a chance to experience an hour of contemplation and mindfulness in an evocative candlelit setting.

Written in 1915, while Rachmaninov was on a concert tour of Russia to support the war effort, this is music that brought consolation as well as a yearning for peace in the depths of war. It was hugely popular from the outset and Rachmaninov said, ‘Even in my wildest dreams I could not have imagined that I could write such a work.’ He hoped its fifth movement would be played at his funeral.

The rich and sonorous tones of the Vespers are steeped in the long tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church and Rachmaninov found a way of turning the unaccompanied voices into an orchestra, with singers frequently dividing into multiple parts.

Led by founder-director Christopher Monks, Armonico Consort is one of today’s leading vocal groups, especially known for its innovative concerts of choral masterpieces, and its critically-acclaimed performances and recordings.

Christopher Monks says, ‘Rachmaninov Vespers is simply the most gorgeous choral music ever to have been written, and for a moment in time, simply nothing else will matter.’

 

Tuesday 8 July 2025

8:00pm

Malvern Theatres

Location

Malvern Theatres

WR14 3HB

01684 892277

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