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ModernMedieval Voices
Early Music Now’s concert on Saturday had some notable firsts for the series: its first sold-out show and its first concert in the round. An excited crowd filed into Calvary Presbyterian Church (aka the Big Red Church, across from the Central Library) for an evening of Hildegard von Bingen and other ancient music performed by vocal trio ModernMedieval Voices.
Hildegard, the remarkable composer/religious mystic/scientist of 12th century Germany, inhabited a world so removed from our own that it may be hard for us to imagine. Western notated music was still in early stages, and religious devotion permeated society. But ModernMedieval Voices gently led us into the past. The opening O Presul vere Civitatis spent several minutes as a unison chant, displaying the unique commitment this requires between performers. Eventually, simple drones appeared beneath the melodic lines. The sounds and the vivid images in the text combined to establish a mood of meditation and contemplation that would continue the whole evening.
The next two selections from anonymous composers showed slightly more complexity, and the three women achieved some glowing, pitch-perfect intonation. The church’s acoustic was just right for this program.
Window of Style
Medieval music has a fairly narrow window of style, so I welcomed the two new works that were also featured. The group’s artistic director, Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek, contributed Meditation, a beautiful, searching piece that complemented Bingen with its mystical feel and similar sense of breathing and phrasing. A commission from Caroline Shaw, Caritas habundat, was more chordal and harmonically restless, veering between major and minor. The piece employed obsessive and emphatic text painting of the phrase “love abounds in all” (in Latin of course) to create a powerful effect from the three voices.
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Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek, Chloe Holgate, and Martha Cluver rotated positions throughout the night, keeping fresh angles for the audience. They also each sang solo pieces that showcased the strength of their individual voices. The program notes from Horner-Kwiatek helped to give context for the texts, which often used metaphors to explore the Virgin Mary’s essence.
The last few pieces were some of my favorites. Lullay: I saw a swete semly sight was a gentle, delicate duet with imagery of the virgin mother and child. Ecce Quod Natura had a lilting feel and forward-looking harmonies. I was fascinated by O Ceteris Preamabilis; a single voice singing text against wordless tones in the other two voices had the effect of a soft organ accompaniment.
The group ended with O Jerusalem, a Hildegard piece that mirrored the opening with a long unison chant that later added drones. After this final piece, it felt strange to applaud and disrupt the deeply devotional atmosphere. But applaud we did. This concert was a special experience, impeccably performed, and just the right length for ModernMedieval Voices to cast their spell. While not everyone can connect to the religious ecstasy of these ancient texts, the music has the power to cleanse and center us. ModernMedieval Voices created a quiet, inward space that is rare in our modern world.
