The renowned choral group Armonico Consort is to give a summer evening candlelit performance of Rachmaninov’s glorious Vespers at Lighthouse Poole on Thursday 3 July.

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.”

Armonico Consort presents RACHMANINOV VESPERS

THURSDAY 3 JULY 7pm (CONCERT HALL) 

Tickets and information 01202 280000 

www.lighthousepoole.co.uk