Rachmaninov Vespers and William Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices
We are blessed to have such an amazingly accomplished main choir at All Saints Kingston and this January, they will be performing the masterpiece; Rachmaninov’s Vespers (also known as the ‘All-Night Vigil’) and William Byrd’s Mass for four voices as a fundraising event.
Rachmaninov’s Vespers is a haunting cornerstone of the choral repertoire, using the unaccompanied choir almost like an orchestra, with great colour and precision, although the work is very firmly founded in the Orthodox tradition and is largely based on Orthodox chant. The choir frequently divides into many parts, giving rise to complex and varied textures. Listen to a recording from classicalmusic.com here.
William Byrd stands at the very heart of English church music, organist of the Chapel Royal under both Elizabeth I and James I and admired in his own lifetime as the greatest composer of his age. His Mass for Four Voices is one of the most eloquent artistic responses to the tension between public conformity and private faith and the first of his three Mass cycles for the forbidden Catholic rite.
Tickets £20/£10 (concession for under 18). Please book here.
Duration 1.5 hours, doors open at 7pm. Our licensed bar will be open to purchase drinks from 7pm. All proceeds will be used to support the musical life of the church.
Please book here. https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/all-saints-church-kingston/rachmaninov-vespers-and-william-byrd-mass-for-4-voices/2026-01-17/19:30/t-ejakgvm