The Sequentia Ensemble Gives Hildegard a Dramatic Reading

High polish, full voices and dramatic economy characterized the latest version of Hildegard von Bingen’s “Ordo Virtutum” at Mount St. Mary’s College in Brentwood.

The Sunday afternoon performance (scheduled to be repeated Monday night) maintained the medieval ensemble Sequentia’s place as the primary source for the performance of Hildegard’s music, which it continues to commit to recordings.

This revival of the music-drama by the 12th century composer came a dozen years after a similar set of Sequentia performances also at the hilltop Mary Chapel on the Brentwood campus, in both cases sponsored by the Da Camera Society on its Chamber Music in Historic Sites series.

The event was joyful, its context sad. Just two weeks ago, one of Sequentia’s founders, Barbara Lee Thornton, succumbed to a brain tumor, first diagnosed in May 1997. These performances by the 16-member ensemble, and the entire, current U.S. tour, are dedicated to Thornton’s memory.

A full audience gave the musical play its rapt attention. This drama of the soul’s search for meaning in a hostile, worldly environment speaks to 1998 with surprising timeliness; the consistent and stylish beauties accomplished by handsome voices and virtuosic instrumentalists made it poignant.

The new staging, simple but graphic, by Franz-Josef Heumannskamper, underlines without overstatement the thrust of the narrative.

All the musicians surpassed the touching performances of 12 years ago.

Particularly strong were singers Pamela Dellal and Janet Youngdahl and players Rachel Evans, Robert Mealy (medieval fiddles) and Norbert Rodenkirchen (medieval flute).