Remarkably, every three years, Pacific Boychoir presents Rachmaninov's epic Vespers or All-Night Vigil. The work's original premiere was by a boys choir in Moscow in 1915.
In 2007, Pacific Boychoir became the first choir in America to reproduce the original performing forces, resulting in a SFCV verdict that "The sheer sonic experience was chilling."
Along with Wesley Rogers as tenor soloist, the Bay Area's finest choral tenors and basses augment the choir, which will number 100 male voices. Also on the program is Arvo Pärt's The Beatitudes, with guest organists Ben Bachmann and Rudy de Vos taking turns.
The first performance is in Grace Cathedral on May 24, the second in Oakland's Cathedral of Christ the Light on May 25.