Vigilia is a great religious work, inspired by Finnish Orthodoxy, for mixed choir and vocal soloists, written by Einojuhani Rautavaara in 1971. The work was originally written for the Helsinki Festival and the Finnish Orthodox Church, and it was first performed at a ceremony dedicated to Saint John Chrysostom. This is the revised 1997 version, altered slightly for use in concert halls and sung in Finnish – the composer has also made a few translations for foreign choirs. The musical style of this intriguing work borrows from countless sources: from old Byzantium to the 20th century as well as neo-classicism, neo-romanticism, minimalism and a few sallies into whispering or micro-intervals along the way. The only school that is deliberately left out is serialism, which Rautavaara tried out for a while before discarding it and never looking back. The notable influences or inspirations at work here include Bartók, Stravinski, Messiaen, Janáček, Britten and Steve Reich, but ultimately this work is 100% Rautavaara, a subtle mixture of ancient and modern (Nordic and universal). The Finnish Radio Chamber Choir and its soloists, conducted by Timo Nuoranne, plunge wholeheartedly into this work, which one only has to hear to recognise its proximity to the Divine Liturgies of Saint John Chrysostom produced by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, or Rimsky-Korsakov. © SM/Qobuz