Hildegard Von Bingen: O Eterne Deus - 4041

Product Description Womens vocal ensemble Vajra Voices presents their debut recording, O Eterne Deus- Music of Hildegard von Bingen. Also known as Saint Hildegard, Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) was a German Benedictine abbess, composer, philosopher, writer, Christian mystic, and polymath. She composed some of the earliest liturgical dramas and morality plays. Vajra Voices is directed by Karen R. Clark, and the ensemble is joined by multi-instrumentalist Shira Kammen for this recording. One cannot help but be deeply moved by the exquisite rendition of Hildegards music by Vajra Voices. Their singing brings Hildegard into the room with all her passion and power and the Spirit arrives too along with angels eager to wake us up. (Matthew Fox) Review "The chant melodies, rendered here with heartfelt elegance by the women's chorus Vajra Voices under the direction of Karen R. Clark, are striking in both their shapeliness and the spiritual fervor that runs through them." Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, April 20, 2016 "The Vajra Voices, 7 in all, are a Berkeley-based all-female group who have Hildegard's music at the centre of their repertory. Their strengths, apart from beautiful voices, include precise articulation and the confidence to be simple in expression. Voices blend beautifully, and Karen R Clark has a contralto well-suited to the spiritual depths of the music - a truly splendid voice. Listen either to the opening or the final pages, and one is touched by a depth and beauty. All in all, this recording belongs with the very best Hildegard collections, one for late night reflectiveness." Michael Wilkinson, MusicWeb International, July 26, 2016 "...Vajra Voices, under the direction of Karen R. Clark, offers a very fine survey of nearly every genre of chant represented in Hildegard's repertory- antiphons, responsories, hymns, and sequences. Clark herself has a beautiful voice that shows flexibility and nuance through the very broad range that Hildegard covers in her chants. Her performance of the antiphon 'O Quam Magnum Miraculum Est' to Shira Kammen's vielle accompaniment is gorgeous." --Peter Loewen, American Record Guide, September/October 2016 "The seven women of Vajra Voices - richly voiced, contrasted individuals who shine as soloists or conspire without egotism in vivid, full-blooded ensemble - sing out with tremendous intensity. Led by the wide emotional spectrum of Karen R. Clark's contralto, the shimmering resonance of their elegantly paced performances with entirely credible phrasing and selection of note lengths, coloured at times by instrumental accompaniment, vocal drones, and oganum (sparing and tasteful), is delightful. Lovely, thoughtful, and inspiring instrumentals adorn this, the most convincing Hildegard disc I've yet heard from the USA." --Rebecca Tavener, Choir & Organ, September/October 2016
ASIN: B01EK0968M
VSKU: GGV.B01EK0968M.VG
Condition: Very Good
Author/Artist:Von Bingen, Hildegard / Kammen, Shira / Clark, Karen
Binding: Audio CD