Gramophone Magazine
July 2023
Editor's Choice

St. John's Voices, Cambridge University Chamber Choir, Graham Walker

Chesnokov: Cherubic Hymn
Chesnokov: Salvation is Created, Op. 25 No. 5
Chesnokov: Angel vopiyashe (The Angel Cried Out), Op. 22 No. 18
Chesnokov: O Tebe raduetsya 'All of creation rejoices in you', Op, 15, No. 11
Chesnokov: All-night Vigil, Op. 44

Pavel Chesnokov studied with Taneyev, Ippolitov-Ivanov and Conus in Moscow and was an admired choral director in the city. He wrote more than 500 choral works, the majority of them sacred. His contribution to music for the Divine Liturgy was immense and he wrote two settings of the All-Night Vigil, the second of which is heard here, rich in chant melodies, and full of grandeur and Romantic lyricism. His smaller-scale works show a refined and perceptive use of texture and sonority, often capturing the essence of chant without direct quotation.

"o my knowledge, this is the first recording dedicated exclusively to Chesnokov’s work by British singers, and it provides an excellent showcase for his work, in chronological order." - Gramophone Magazine, July 2023.