Rachmaninoff himself considered his Vespers, also known by the title All-Night Vigil, to be one of his best compositions. The work is based on centuries-old Orthodox chants with their strict liturgic form which were fused by Rachmaninoff with his own late-Romantic musical language into a sacred work of rich sonority which is at the same time a heartfelt, meditative dialogue with God. For mixed choir a cappella, with piano accompaniment for rehearsal only. Text in church Slavonic, with a separate English translation.