Fulham Camerata Prepares for Ambitious Rachmaninoff Performance
Choir will sing his All-Night Vigil at All Saints Church
The choir performing earlier at All Saints Church. Picture: Fulham Camerata
March 2, 2026
The soaring drama and deep spiritual resonance of one of Russia’s greatest choral masterpieces will fill All Saints Church in Bishops Park this spring, as Fulham Camerata stages an ambitious performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil on Saturday 21 March.
The 45-strong choir will take on the composer’s 1915 work—often referred to in English as Vespers—under the direction of conductor Harry Guthrie. Sung in Russian and written for a mixed choir with an unusually wide vocal range, the piece is renowned for its rich harmonies, resonant bass lines and moments of luminous stillness.
Rachmaninoff composed the All-Night Vigil as a tribute to the music of the Russian Orthodox Church, drawing on ancient chant traditions and the melodies he remembered from childhood. Premiered in Moscow in March 1915, the work was immediately celebrated for its emotional depth and technical brilliance.
Geraldine Cooper of Fulham Camerata explains that the title Vespers can be misleading.
“Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil consists of 15 movements designed for the Orthodox service,” she says. “It was intended for a mixed choir requiring a wide range of vocal textures, including exceptionally deep bass parts.”
The piece’s early success was cut short when the Orthodox tradition was suppressed after the 1917 revolution, prompting Rachmaninoff and his family to leave Russia. “It was a sad ending for such beautiful, haunting music,” Cooper adds. Yet the work endured, gaining renewed international recognition after a landmark 1965 recording and becoming a staple of choral repertoires across Europe, the United States and Russia.
Tickets cost £20 (£15 for under-25s and students).
To find out more about Fulham Camerata, future concerts, or to get involved with the choir, visit their official site: Fulham Camerata.
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