Artemij Vedel. All-Night Vigil

About the album

On this compact disc the “Kyiv” Chamber Choir presents the “All-Night Vigil” of A.Vedel. This creation was not preserved in authored form, but at the beginning of the 20th century was released both in full, grouped and singular editions. “The All-Night Vigil” exhibits itself as a full variant of the Divine Service, which is made up of “Great Vespers” and “Matins”. To them enter unchanging refrains, which form the basis of the Divine Service. However, during certain periods of the Church Year specific refrains supplement Holy and Saint’s Days, and normal services. Together, the general character and cycle allows omission of that created for the triumphant Easter Services. Scaled compositional thought places the “All-Night Vigil” amongst the Vedel’s most
mature works. The principle of the cycle is glitteringly disclosed in a logical tonal plan of intoned and indexed arcs. The work starts and ends in “Major”, opposed to the field and usage of tonality, normally “Minor”, which, without saying became reflected through individual, and singular readings of the genre. Vedel’s “All-Night Vigil” authenticates these traits through the composer’s creations, which unites – music and verbal texts, synthesized elements of Western-European music with Ukrainian national song, classical styles in harmony, usage of polyphonic sources, dynamically formed choral textures, many faceted choral colouristic, timbre contrasts, and adversative ensembles, and tutti. Besides all this, a vast array of evidence and a host of different signs differentiate Vedel’s works from others, through namely: enough retention of melody, simplicity of technique, prevailing fast tempos with clamorous dynamics, plus a great and particular attention to antiphonal sound. All of this advances before the performer a host of complex obligations, within which – only successful resolution permits the embodiment of the artistic thoughts of its author.

Tetyana Husarchuk,
Doctor of Arts