While Rachmaninov’s setting of the (Eucharistic) Liturgy is not as well known as his Vigil (the so-called Vespers) – with the exception of the setting of the Lord’s Prayer, which has enjoyed a shadowy life in an English-language adaptation – it has increased in popularity in recent years, and this new recording should find it many more admirers. The work dates from 1910 and thus predates the Vigil. It does not make use, as the later work does, of liturgical chant, being entirely freely composed; and while that creative tension of tradition and innovation is lacking in the Liturgy, it is nevertheless a work that deserves a more solid place within the choral literature than it currently enjoys.

The Estonians are absolutely at home with this repertoire, and Kaspars Putninš knows, as always, exactly how to shape the music so that one section relates to another and there is always a sense of a dramatic curve. In that respect, it is a shame that more of the clergy petitions were not included, but this kind of concert suite adaptation is perfectly acceptable. An example of the difference such an inclusion makes may be heard in the ‘Milost mira’ (Eucharistic Prayer), in which the choral responses to the priest and deacon make far more sense (especially when sung with such purity and sensitivity as here) than they would if sung straight through; the ebb and flow of the dialogue is what creates the drama, as anyone who has ever attended a Byzantine-rite service will know.

However, this is a magnificent recording, and the Lord’s Prayer mentioned earlier, sung here of course in the original Slavonic, is one of the highlights, superbly controlled and shaped. Recording quality is outstanding; the Niguliste Church in Tallinn proves yet again to be a perfect venue.