The colours which Hildegard invoke in her paintings are wonderfully diverse, almost garish. Her music is essentially very economical in its "scoring", many of a solo voice (here Thornton herself) with an accompanying chorus, sometimes plus a tiny handful of instruments playing a basic bass drone. A medieval harp makes an appearance in this record, glittering in O virga mediatrix. The single instrumental piece [track 12] for two fiddles and harp is another world by itself - like a musical transcription of moving curtains of light and running water.

RIGHT: Hildegard's vision of all creation as "a symphony of joy and jubilation."

This otherwise seemingly monochrome ensemble gives rise to a magical haze of shimmering colours and meanings. It is as if, having reached the profound heights of musical expression, one looks back down and sees the simple pattern emerge from what seems complicated. And this is how her peotry also works, describing great universal themes and events with profound simplicity and intellectual grace.

Hail Mary,
O source of life
in rebuilding salvation,
who have shaken death
and trodden down the serpent
to which Eve reached up,
her neck high
with the breath of pride.
You have trampled down that serpent
in giving birth to God's son from heaven,
whom the spirit of God breathed into you.

From Ave Maria, o auctrix vitae.

The Sequentia women's vocal ensemble perform with strength-filled beauty on this album, their voices unified in spirit and tone, basking in the acoustic expanse of a church interior. At no point does any voice falter - amazingly, they negotiate the highest notes with no sign of strain.

While the Hyperion album "A Feather on the Breath of God" makes a shorter introduction, "Canticles of Ecstasy" is suitable as a longer and more consistently interesting disc. Indeed, although the "Feather" album is a classic and quite indispensible, "Canticles" and "Jerusalem" are my preferred Hildegard discs. (Note also that some of the pieces on "Feather" are also performed on the other two.)

One main reason for this is that the performance by Sequentia (above/left) is much more moving and heart-stoppingly powerful - awesome. Listening to this CD, I am often struck full in the face by the magnificent and shattering beauty of the music. The essay by Barbara Thornton, who died on 8th November 1998, is also very valuable for its poetic and musical insights into Hildegard. What is also highly commendable in this album is the fact that the performers make the 73 minutes pass so quickly.

With this disc running, time seems to stop. And yet, it has been 900 years...

Because, then, a woman prepared death,
an illustrious virgin now subsides it;
and thus the highest blessing
is found in female form,
rather than in any other creature.
For God is made human
in a lovely and blessed virgin.

From Nunc aperuit nobis clausa porta.

The Black Madonna Pilgrim Songs from Montserrat

Chominciamento di gioia Instrumental and Vocal Music from the time of the Decameron

Gabriel's Greeting Medieval English Christmas Music performed by Sinfonye

Llibre Vermell de Montserrat The Red Book: A 14th-century pilgrimage

Madre de Deus Cantigas de Santa Maria

Miracles in Praise of the Virgin Mary: Music from the Cantigas and the Llibre Vermell

Music from the Gothic Era A reissue featuring the Early Music Consort of London

On the Banks of the Seine Music of the Trouvères

HILDEGARD OF BINGEN
A Feather on the Breath of God The classic recording by Gothic Voices