Visions of Paradise
A Hildegard von Bingen Anthology
CD (total time 73:20); anthology from earlier Sequentia recordings (1982-98); released 2009 by Deutsche Harmonia Mundi / SONY Classics
In September 2009 a new film about the life of Hildegard von Bingen, directed by Margarethe von Trotta and starring Barbara Sukowa, was released in Germany. This new introductory anthology, made up of exceptional tracks from six of Sequentia’s releases on DHM, has been chosen not only to complement the release of the film and win over new admirers of Hildegard’s work, but to highlight her melodic and textual genius and the striking varieties of mode, structure, color, and scale which define her work. This new anthology is also a loving tribute to the memory of Sequentia’s co-founder Barbara Thornton, whose voice was tragically silenced forever in 1998.