The work on this Grammy-nominated recording has a complex history: it was written by its composer, a Lithuanian Jew who had converted to Christianity to marry the daughter of his teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov, just as the Soviet Union got serious about banning religious observances. The work was published abroad, but attracted little publicity. It was known to Shostakovich, who gave a copy to a Russian-American conductor, whose daughter passed it along to the present forces. This and a version by the Cappella Romana (also an ...
Read More
The work on this Grammy-nominated recording has a complex history: it was written by its composer, a Lithuanian Jew who had converted to Christianity to marry the daughter of his teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov, just as the Soviet Union got serious about banning religious observances. The work was published abroad, but attracted little publicity. It was known to Shostakovich, who gave a copy to a Russian-American conductor, whose daughter passed it along to the present forces. This and a version by the Cappella Romana (also an American choir) are the first recordings of the piece. It's quite compelling. Steinberg's most important model is the Rachmaninov All-Night Vigil, Op. 37, with the similarity residing in the degree to which Slavonic chant melodies permeate the music. Most of the 16 sections of Steinberg's work use chant in some way (some are simply pieces of chant), and you can sample one of the movements (such as "Of Thy Mystical Supper") that elaborates on the chant immediately preceding. Steinberg...
Read Less
