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The All Night Vigil...

is an a cappella choral composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff premiered on 23 March 1915, in Moscow.

The piece consists of settings of texts taken from the Russian Orthodox All Night Vigil ceremony. 

It has been praised as Rachmaninoff's finest achievement... 

and the greatest musical achievement of the Russian Orthodox Church. 

It was one of Rachmaninoff's two favorite compositions, along with The Bells... 

and the composer requested that its 5th movement (Нынѣ отпущаеши, Nunc Dimittis) be sung at his funeral.

The title of the work is often mis-translated as Vespers. 

This is both literally and conceptually incorrect as applied to the entire work. 

Only the first 6 of its 15 movements set texts from the Russian Orthodox canonical hour of Vespers...

[wiki]