Customer Reviews

von Bingen: Celestial Harmonies

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

 

 

Hildegard of Bingen, "Celestial Harmonies: Responsories and Antiphons"

Hildegard is of course the multi-talented abbess from the 12th Century who has been rediscovered to great acclaim in recent years. Her range and accomplishments are legendary; particularly, she anticipated many creative progressions of the future, including writing what could be the first Opera.

While some recent interpretations of her work have expanded her chorales with instrumentation, this disc focuses on the works in their pure a capella beauty. A quartet of women and a quarter of men, chosen from the Oxford Camerata, alternate on separate pieces. The songs are monophonic chants, drifting on soaring leads that echo within a cathedral. The call and response form of the songs allow sterling solos and lush choirs to compliment each other in turn. It is a pure and lifting sound, both ethereal and moving. The music is wonderful for either communal celebration or quiet comtemplation.

Admirers of Hildegard's genius, beautiful voices, plainsong choirs, or Opera will love this smart collection. But Pop music fans shouldn't miss out either. If you like Yma Sumac's high dynamics, Edda Dell'Orso's angelic leads for Ennio Morricone soundtracks, Julee Cruise's TWIN PEAKS work with Angelo Badalamente, or radiant vocalists like Jeff Buckley, Muse, Radiohead, Antony and the Johnsons, Bjork, Vashti Bunyan, or early Joni Mitchell, I highly recommend this as a starter disc.

Yet another beautiful collection of songs of devotion in Latin, that send you soaring high, whether you are sitting quietly listening to them, or hearing them while you cook. What more could I say?

I was pleased to find out that most pieces performed on CELESTIAL HARMONIES have not been recorded by Sequentia (tracks 02, 06 and 07 can be found on Hildegard von Bingen: Symphoniae, Hildegard von Bingen: Voice of the Blood and Hildegard von Bingen: Canticles of Ecstasy, respectively). Surely, there's not a single piece by Hildegard which has come down to us that hasn't been recorded (more than once, I dare say), but Sequentia's 6-album collection is still the most comprehensive recording of her output, so I think it must be really difficult to find records the repertoire of which do not largely or entirely coincide with Sequentia's.

Apart from that, this is a plainchant record (meaning: no instrumental drones or any such thing), competently sung. I especially enjoy the male choir. My only reason for giving it a 4-star rate is the scarcity of liner notes - the small text featured here actually comes from Summerly's and Oxford Camerata's previous Hildegard album, Hildegard von Bingen: Heavenly Revelations.