Songs of Devotion

London Concord Singers
East London Chorus
Jessica Norton (conductor)

Two choirs join together to give a performance of one of the great choral masterpieces of the 20th century, Alfred Schnittke's Choir Concerto. Written in 1984-85 the work sets texts drawn from The Book of Lamentations by the Armenian mystic and poet, Saint Gregory of Narek. The music is based on traditional harmony and melodic formualae of Russian Orthodox Chant, but Schnittke uses his large choir to create richly evocative textures full of Schnittke's personal musical language. Lasting 40 minutes, the Choir Concerto is modelled on the choral concertos by 18th century Russian composers which influenced the choral music of Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky.

The work will be accompanied by a selection of other devotional works by Rachmaninov, Arvo Pärt and Anton Bruckner.