Vespers of the tundra

Wide, desolate snowscapes. Fragile, yet at times, soaring voices. Soft whispers, spellbinding mumbling and sinister grunts. Vigilia, by Finnish composer Rautavaara, is lesser known, but no less magnificent than Rachmaninoff’s Vespers. It is a beautiful, dark choral work, inspired by experiences from Rautavaara’s youth when he visited a Byzantine monastery.

Both seasoned choir enthusiasts and new visitors can indulge themselves in this Finnish-influenced programme by the Netherlands Chamber Choir. It undoubtedly belongs to the ‘monumental choral works’ category. After the acclaimed performances of major Russian-oriented choral works such as Rachmaninoff’s Vespers and Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto for Chorus, chief conductor Peter Dijkstra is now pulling out all the stops in a performance of this Finnish counterpart.