MUSIC REVIEW : A Dramatic ‘All-Night Vigil’ : Conductor William Hall and the Master Chorale of Orange County give the Rachmaninoff composition a large-scale, operatic interpretation.

William Hall brought operatic proportions to his direction of the Master Chorale of Orange County in its performance of Rachmaninoff’s a cappella Vespers, Opus 37 (“All-Night Vigil”), at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on Sunday. There is much in the music to justify this approach, and just as much to suggest another.

The composer provided scenes of abundant operatic contrast, exemplified by the ninth song, “Blagosloven yesi, Ghospodi” (Blessed art Thou, O Lord), a vivid narration of the resurrection of Christ, based on a Russian znamenni chant, juxtaposed against a choral response.

Hall attended to the various rhythms, phrase lengths and musical character for effective drama, though his tenor soloist, John Nuzzo, struggled to hold his own. The choir pushed impressively to powerful climaxes, such as in “Blazhen muzh, izhe ne ide na sovet nechestivih” (Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked), made all the more effective by its restrained, chordal ending.

Still, despite all the opportunities to turn outward, Rachmaninoff also created a subtle vehicle for intense personal expression.

The seamless phrases and transparent texture of “Blagoslovi, dusha moya, Ghospoda” (Bless the Lord, O my soul), the sad and moving tenor solo in “Nine otpushchayeshi raba Tvoyego, Vladiko po glagolu Tvoyemu” (Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace)--both rooted in Eastern chant liturgy--illuminate a private devotion and require great control and subtlety within the quiet end of the dynamic spectrum.

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Although the Master Chorale proved that its 160-plus members could muster an isolated pianissimo, its comfort range--within which flourished great nuance and probity--apparently hovered above mezzo piano. This caused particular problems for Nuzzo, who sounded ill-at-ease against his zesty cohorts in this reverberant venue.

Ironically, a truly profound communication came during the only real opera excerpt, Prince Gremin’s aria from Tchaikovsky’s “Yevgeny Onegin,” as sung by Louis Lebherz. The bass brought a lush voice and a compelling vibrancy to his work.