Rachmaninov

| All-Night Vigil, Op. 37 | Simon Halsey | LSO MC SACD LSO 0781

If there is any work of Rachmaninov’s that has benefitted from the surround sound revolution, it is certainly his seminal All-Night Vigil, but nearly every SACD version I have reviewed has delivered a quality artistic presentation in superior, glorious sound. So why this one? Honestly, I can’t think of a reason. There are recordings where the all-important basses are given more presence, and spiritually it is hard to forget Rostropovich and his Washington Chorus. The aforementioned basses are nicely present in the Shaw (Telarc), but both of these are stereo versions, but all of the surround recordings sport fine choirs with deep, spacious sound. If pressed, I’d stick with the Netherlands Radio Choir under Kaspars Putnins on BIS or the award-winning reading with Charles Bruffy (Chandos), but it’s tough— this one has a lot to offer. It’s not often that one can throw a dart and be guaranteed an