Customer Reviews

Hildegard von Bingen: Canticles of Ecstasy

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The more I study Hildegard of Bingen, the more I am amazed at not only the depth of knowledge that she had in many fields, but I am continually struck by the talent she had for expressing this knowledge in beautiful ways. She wrote a wonderful book chronicling her visions called the Scivias. She was an able visual artist. She was a healer who was more successful than many doctors of her time. Most significantly (at least in this review) she wrote music that was revolutionary in her time and is still beautiful today. The Canticles of Ecstasy is a wonderful starting point from which to begin listening to her music. Sequentia has captured the spirit of her writing and the majesty of her sound. Hildegard was an amazing woman. This is an outstanding recording. I recommend it.

The first time I heard this extraordinary CD it, it left me speechless. Sequentia, accompanied only by a medieval fiddle and harp, sing the deeply spiritual music of Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) with an almost unfathomable spiritual depth. This is music of the divine; it never fails to draw me closer to God. It's the best CD for quiet meditation I've ever experienced.

This album of Hildegard's music is ethereal sublime and glorious in its composition and execution. If you have never heard (or heard of) Hildegard von Bingen let it suffice to say that her music, while of spiritual nature was an essential step in the development of western music and I rank her in the top ten important composers of the last millennium. If you have heard Hildegard then you will be amazed by the quality of the recording. Canticles of Ecstasy is very clean and richly recorded and is among the finest recordings of Hildegard's music.

Naturally the tone of this music is very meditative and is relaxing yet uplifting. This makes excellent music to listen to in the morning while reading or when you want to be peaceful. That being said it isn't simple ambience and an attentive listen will reveal how Hildegard's orchestrations of the voice shift and create harmonies that one could easily call "magical". I recommend this CD to the fan of Hildegard von Bingen as well as a starting point to exploring her music. Further I recommend this one highly to anyone just wishing to expand their musical horizons. Fans of early music and classical, along with fans of music like Aphex Twin or Autechre will certainly appreciate this CD. - Enjoy

- Ted Murena

Eloquent proof of the power of music to transcend time. The music of Hildegard von Bingen conveys her spiritual sense across the centuries intact, and Sequentia's performance is truly wonderful. To be so moved by someone who lived 900 years ago reminds one of the continuity of the human experience, both spiritually and on earth. Not just beautiful music...an experience.

Having enjoyed "A Feather on the Breath of God" for quite a few years and after having listened to this intoxicating disc by Sequentia for the past several months, I have no qualms in recommending this disc as the perfect starting point for anyone interested in discovering Hildegard of Bingen for the first time. This disc is magical! The title says it all!

This spectacular music is every bit as moving as other reviewers have described it. On another level, its sublimity is even more stunning. The inspiration for the music is the visions that Hildegard experienced, which present, through music, a more profound view of God than any twelfth-century contemporary thinker - let alone composer - ever attained. And who thereafter? To transform this mystical vision of the Absolute into music that successfully conveys this experience is astonishing. And Sequentia captures the right sense of the composer. Soaring voices, yet a simple line, infused with spirituality but not sentimental or trite, very challenging, shocking in the best sense. This is a wonderful recording.

I am a huge fan of music by the Medevial composer Hildegard von Bingen, but this, as well as "Voice of the Blood" are the best recordings I have heard. In fact, I would recommend buying both together...and listening to them back to back with the "Chant" box set by the The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos.

I was enraptured by Hildegard von Bingen when I first heard her chants on NPR.

"Nunc Aperuit Nobis" (track 2 below) was playing and my father and I were both silenced by it. I felt such a wellspring of warmth and peace that I insisted on listening for another 30 minutes to find out who the composer was.

As a musician with a Catholic upbringing, playing the entire CD beginning to end is a now marvelous experience for meditative sessions.

Honestly however, most listeners will only appreciate tracks 2, 5, and 6; they are the brightest of the bunch (the rest have been described by most as "depressing"; a prior reviewer referred to them as "cold."). If you're a fan of Gregorian chant however, this collection will likely be one of your favorites (it is mine).

Nonetheless, "Nunc Aperuit Nobis" is so beautiful and timeless that it was worth this college student's dollar to simply buy the whole album for it.

Could this music really be 900 years old? Please don't call it New Age!

This is very meditative music; of course that was part of the reason it was written. But it's not simply background ambient sounds; it's much too beautiful for that. Very well sung and recorded, this CD is well deserved of it's rosette from the Penguin Guide.

I first heard Hildegard von Bingen in an evening yoga class. The music was very emotional, and I immediately bought the c.d. I now play it for my yoga students when they are wired, and without fail somebody comes up to me and asks, "What c.d. were you playing?". It is excellent for massage and meditation as well.