Powerful, passionate, hypnotic – in a time of turmoil and at the height of his powers, Rachmaninoff turned to the choral heritage he held dear, and created his awe-inspiring All-Night Vigil—better known as the Vespers.

A work he loved above all others, it combines Znamenny and Kievan chant with lush Romantic harmony - moving with emotional intensity from a hushed opening prayer to its triumphant final blessing.

With mesmeric melodies - and some of the lowest notes you’ll ever hear sung - it is beloved by audiences and singers alike.

“Concerts given by Ex Cathedra are never just concerts... incredible intonation and tuning, soaring to great heights and plunging into abyssal depths yet staying true, never wavering. The choir’s intricate shaping of the music continued to the last ... passing through blazing fire before finally receding into a quiet, radiant joy” - read the full www.bachtrack.com review

Running time: approx. 1 hr 40 minutes, including interval.

EX CATHEDRA Choir
Jeffrey Skidmore conductor
Martha McLorinan mezzo soprano
James Robinson tenor
Simone Rebello bells

How to book

£40 / £35 / £30 / £16 / £10 plus £3.95 transaction fee

Book online or call St Martin-in-the-Fields box office on 020 7766 1100

Other opportunities to hear Ex Cathedra in London

Do join us again at St Martin-in-the-Fields:

- Thu 22 Oct 2026: In 40 Parts: Spem in alium
- Fri 11 Dec 2026: Christmas Music by Candlelight
- Mon 14 Dec 2026: Christmas Music by Candlelight
- Thu 10 Jun 2027: Monteverdi Vespers (1610)

Access

Everyone is welcome at our concerts, and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure you have a great experience.

Detailed access information is available here.

You may like to note that each half of this concert will be performed as an uninterrupted sequence and the atmosphere will be quiet and still for extended periods.  Audiences usually reserve applause for the end of each half.

If you have any other access questions, please contact us, we are happy to help.

Concert FAQs

Find answers to your questions here. Do let us know if we've missed anything you'd find helpful.

Jeffrey says

"We are thrilled to return to Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, his most-loved work using orthodox chants from the Znamenny tradition, Greece and poignantly from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Recent discoveries from the original 1915 poster inform our performance and bells, so dear to Rachmaninoff and Russian Christian culture, will sound the chants between movements."