Search - Gregorian Chant, Swiss Anonymous, Hildegard von Bingen :: The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen

My humble opinion.....

Adrien Caldwell | Chicago, IL USA | 12/27/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I gave this CD an above average rating. I did so because this is the 3rd CD that I have purchased from Anonymous 4 and to be quite honest they all sound the same to me. I personally feel that the style of Hildegard is heavy, crisp, intentional and complicated. It is unique compared to other styles of anicent choral music. Anonymous 4 has a very light, airy almost contemporary feel to whatever they sing. In the CD insert Anonymous 4 goes on to express how they prepared to sing the medeival music in latin with a German accent because that is where Hildegard was from, and that this is how she would have sung her music. But honestly I don't think one can tell. Like I said, this is my third CD from them and they all sound the same. Don't get me wrong ladies. You 4 have gorgeous voices but I have found that the albums by Sequentia that sing in Hildegard's von Bingen tradition to be more authentic. I recommend to those interested to try Chanticles of Extasy by Sequentia or any of Sequentia's albums. You'll understand what I mean after you compare them for yourselves."

Literary scholarship and musical prowess

Fabiano Seixas Fernandes | Florianópolis, SC Brazil | 05/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At first, to be quite honest, this record did little for me: singing did not sound as enticing as in 11,000 Virgins, and there's very little music of Hildegard in it. Only 6 out of the 17 tracks have been set to music by her; opening and close hymns are not hers (neither text nor music), and Hildegard's visions (which make up most of the program) were set to music by A4, who borrowed recitation tones from different sources.

However, with A4, music is not the only factor to be taken into account. ORIGIN OF FIRE is primarily not a presentation of Hildegard's music, but of a specific aspect of her visions--this is why near half of the program is chanting: chanting is not all-the-way musical; it is first and foremost a form of recitation, i.e. of bringing a text to one's attention. The listener who really wants to enjoy this record needs to focus on liner notes and text as well. By the way, this record's liner notes are, as is always the case with A4, clear and comprehensive."

A good CD

Laqueus contritus est | Arkansas | 01/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let's start out with some limitations:

1. If you're looking for an excellent translation and commentary on these works of St. Hildegard, you ought not buy this album (the booklet is generally unhelpful, and the translations are absurd).

2. If you are looking for a huge collection of St. Hildegard's music, you ought to think about buying the 11,000 Virgins album before this one.



BUT,

Anonymous 4 is definitely my favorite interpreter of the Hildegard texts. They take very little liberty with the musical notation for Hildegard's music, almost interpreting it with Solesmes-like conservativism. This lets the melody speak for itself. Moreover, they don't fool around with musical instruments that would have been forbidden from the monasteries of her time.

In this CD, Anonymous does some original and amazing work, interpreting not only the music of St. Hildegard, but also trying to bring the texts from her visionary works to life. If you can read and hear Latin, this is going to be a real treat--just don't bother with the translations in the book! They do original settings of Invitatory reciting tones and lection tones (the ones used in the Divine Office) to sing the texts, such as they might be sung if they were included in the Office of Matins. This gives the CD a quasi-liturgical style which, of course, matches with the lifestyle that St. Hildegard would have lived.



St Hildegard, pray for me!"