Hildegard von Bingen – 900 Years (8 CD box set, APE)

Composer: Hildegard Von Bingen
Orchestra: Cologne Sequentia Ensemble for Medieval Music
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 8
Format: APE (tracks)
Label: RCA
Size: 1.77 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no

CD 01
01. O magne pater
02. O Bonifaci
03. O mirum admirandum
04. Instrumental piece
05. O viriditas digiti dei
06. O beata infantia
07. O felix anima
08. Instrumental piece.wav
09. O presul vere civitatis

CD 02
01. To Saint Maximus – Columba aspexit (sequence fol. 476r)
02. Instrumental piece
03. To Saint Ursula – O Ecclesia (sequence fol. 477)
04. Spiritui sancto (responsory fol. 471v)
05. To Saint Matthew – Mathias, sanctus per electionem(sequence fol. 474v)
06. To the Holy Widows – O pater omnium (‘Symphonia viduarum’ fol. 478v)
07. To Saint Eucharius – O Euchari, columba virtutem illius (responsory fol. 475v)
08. O Euchari, in leta via ambulasti (sequence fol. 476r)

CD 03
01. Prolog- Qui sunt hi, qui ut nubes
02. Prozessionsmusik fuer die leibhaften Seelen
03. Szene 1- O nos peregrine sumus
04. Prozessionsmusik der Anima
05. Szene 1 (Forts.)- O dulcis divinitas
06. Prozessionsmusik der Anima
07. Szene 1 (Forts.)- O gravis labor
08. Tanz (instrumental)
09. Szene 2- Ego Humilitas
10. Tanz (instrumental)

CD 04
01. Symphonia- O quam magnum miraculum
02. Symphonia- O felix anima
03. Symphonia- O quam mirabilis
04. Instrumental Lament,Klageweise (instrumental)
05. Szene 3- Heu! Heu! nos virtutes plangamus
06. Szene 4- Que es, aut unde venis
07. Finale- In principio

CD 05
01. O vis aeternitatis (Responsorium)
02. Nunc aperuit nobis (Antiphon)
03. Quia ergo femina mortem instruxit (Antiphon)
04. Cum processit factura digiti Dei (Antiphon)
05. Alma Redemptoris Mater (Marian Antiphon, 10,Jh.,Cent. Anon.)
06. Ave Maria, O auctrix vite (Responsorium)
07. Spiritus Sanctus vivificans vite (Antiphon)
08. O ignis spiritus Paracliti (Sequenz,Sequence)
09. Caritas habundat in omnia (Antiphon)
10. O virgia mediatrix (Alleluia-Antiphon)
11. O viridissima virga, Ave (Lied,Song)
12. Instrumentalstьck,Instrumental Piece
13. O Pastor Animarum (Gebet,Prayer)
14. O tu suavissima virga (Responsorium)
15. O choruscans stellarum (Antiphon)
16. O nobilissima viriditas (Responsorium)

CD 06
01. O rubor sanguinis- Antiphon to St. Ursula
02. Favus Distillans- Responsory to St. Ursula and the 11,000 virgins
03. Laus Trinitati- Antiphon in Praise of the Trinity
04. In Matutinis Laudibus- Office for the Feast of St. Ursula
05. O Ecclesia- Free Sequence to St. Ursula
06. Instrumental Piece based on Hildegard’s ‘O viridissima virga’ (Elizabeth Gaver)
07. O aeterne Deus- Antiphon to God the Father
08. O dulcissime amator- Symphonia of the virgins
09. Rex noster promptus est- Responsory to the Innocent
10. O cruor sanguinis- Antiphon
11. Cum vox sanguinis- To St. Ursula
12. Instrumental Piece based on the D-modes of Hildegard (Elizabeth Gaver)
13. O virgo Ecclesia- Antiphon for Ecclesia (Instrumental Piece by Elizabeth Gaver)
14. Nunc gaudeant materna- Antiphon to Ecclesia
15. O orzchis Ecclesia- Antiphon to Ecclesia

CD 07
01. O Jerusalem
02. Quia felix pueritia_Magnificat_Quia felix pueritia
03. O felix apparitio
04. O beatissime Ruperte
05. Instrumental piece
06. O tu illustrata
07. Cum erubuerint
08. O frondens virga_Gloria patri_Ave generosa
09. O quam preciosa
10. O ignee spiritus
11. Instrumental piece
12. O quam magnum miraculum est

CD 08
01. O quam mirabilis est
02. O pulchare facies (de Virginibus)
03. Ovirga ac diadema purpurae regis (de sancta Maria)
04. Instrumental
05. O clarissima mater (de sancta Maria)
06. Instrumental
07. Spiritul Sancto honor sit (de Undecim Milibus Virginibus)
08. O virtus sapientiae
09. O lucidissima Apostolorum turba (de Apostolis)
10. Instrumental
11. O successores fortissimi leonis (de Confessoribus)
12. O vos, felices radices (de Patriarchis et Prophetis)
13. Instrumental
14. Vos flores rosarum (de Martyribus)

Founded in 1977 in Cologne by Barbara Thornton and Benjamin Bagby, Sequentia set out in the early 1990s to document the entire catalog of Hildegard Von Bingen’s music. They’ve completed the Hildegard cycle, and this eight-CD box collects the results in a solid, handsome cube–perfect for the bookshelf. The beauty of the music is undeniable and has wowed listeners since Canticles of Ecstasy set an international community of listeners on a path of discovery in 1994. The big bonus now is that you can skip over the periods of wowed seduction that will follow the inaugural listen, and take in the entire collection of single- and double-CD issues Sequentia has devoted to Hildegard’s music. The recordings (and obviously the repertoire) are not particularly new, of course, but Sequentia has taken Hildegard to places no previous interpreter reached. Firstly, the group has been absolutely methodical with Hildegard, reaching always for the goal of a large collection of CDs by the 900-year anniversary of the composer’s birth. Second, they’ve refined and perfected their take on Hildegard since first presenting this music almost 20 years ago. They’ve found smoother lines of execution–not to make the music in any way easier for listeners but rather in better proportion to Hildegard’s philosophically well-proportioned vantage on music, spirituality, and life. Thus we have the collection of spiritual songs, Symphoniae, which relay earthly and celestial being to the polyphony of multiple voices and musical threads woven into the songs. We also have the breathlessly beautiful two CDs of Ordo Virtutum, a not-uncommon near-operatic corollary to medieval morality plays. This collection allows both newbies and committed fans the opportunity to work their way through hours and hours of musical bliss. –Andrew Bartlett

A Collection to Treasure

When my daughter was born about a year ago I initiated the project of collecting some of the “better music” for her, fearing that if she was only exposed to my preferred music she’d end up being a bass player in a biker band someday. I started with the Mozart piano concertos, then went to lots of Bach and other Baroque masterpieces, even ventured into some Wendy Carlos, with her “Turned On Bach.” I cringe to think how much I’ve spent in the last year, although I must say that the investment has been worth every penny. We actually have neighbors occasionally knocking on our door wanting to know what the music is which we are playing. It seems there is an untapped market for higher music. Well, suffice it to say that I was linked to this “900 Years” set from some other CD which I was contemplating and for some reason I was tantilized, without really knowing exactly what to expect.
This music is divine, total heaven on plastic. It is prolonged euphoria. The ambience is so pervasive that it just seizes you, totally centers your focus, lifts your imagination. Without degenerating into too many additional cliches, let me just suggest that this music gives me a tremendous sense of well-being, a feeling which seems to be more elusive to me as the years go by.
I’ve only played it through two times in the past month since I received it, as it is quite lengthy and I don’t want to desensitize myself to it. I listen to it in the morning when I’m first waking up. It brings me blissfully out of the twilight of my dreams into the vast possibilities for a new day. If one doesn’t listen closely a superficial criticism may emerge that the CD’s all sound similar. Play them again when you can focus more on the music and this concern will disappear. I will mention as well that if you don’t have a one year old running your household, as I do, this music will be absolutely perfect for you and your favored one to listen to in front of the fireplace.
I don’t have a sufficient command of the lexicon of this type of music to properly describe it to you: what comes to mind are floating feminine voices, clear resonant stringed instruments, it does indeed seems like the music of a thousand years ago, a thousand years from now. This is the music of eternity. I haven’t yet read the substantive brochures which are enclosed respectively in each of the “jewel” cases, I’m afraid they may alter my interpretation of the music. If you’re into that type of thing, however, I will mention that this is the best “packaged” box set I’ve yet purchased (of probably around 100). Each CD box has an outrageously beautiful piece of medieval art on it which perfectly compliments the music.
My daughter? She likes it, even she seems meditative when it plays. I envision it activating all types of neurological pathways in her adorable little head. I shall concede, however, that she is still cuter when she is dancing playfully to Metallica.