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In the Forum: Musical Discussions
In the Thread: Hildegard von Bingen on vinyl

Post Subject: Hildegard von BingenPosted by twogoodears on: 4/20/2011

Andrea von Ramm (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Ramm-Andrea-von.htm) and Studio der frühen Musik, with Thomas Binkley and Sterling Jones recorded on Telefunken SAWT series (blue label) a definitive (...) rendering and reading of Hildegard von Bingen's compositions... it's ancient music, so the aesthetics and performance are (mostly) due to historic sources like ancient papers now in Museums and/or private collections, BUT filtered in performers taste and sensitivity... Alfred Deller, David Munrow, the a.m. Studio der Fruhen Musik, Paniagua family... all gave in the last decades their tasty, superb renditions of this great, seldom heard and performed music... like for Perotinus and Orlando di Lasso, this is great, pure music to listen to, passionately: it's modal, vocal or choral music, with sparingly used rebecs, crumhorns, small percussions, instruments coming - as copies from old miniatures - from centuries and centuries ago.

I have well carved in my memory a concert by SdFM I attended in early '70s in Padua (Italy): von Ramm in long, white robe, a voice... they were pure magic!

She - Hildegard von Bingen - was a woman when "being a woman" wasn't easiest task!!!

As a plus, von Bingen's texts are poems and invocations to the Purest Love for God... no "religion" involved, BUT mysticism and she was so so human and full of joy for life... almost, I dare, sexy.

IMO: the vinyl Telefunken's version is THE version to have and to listen to... with a recording to par.

Curious?

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