Pessatti/Hatch - Hildegard Now & Then

As much as we know about Hildegard of Bingen, a German Benedictine abbess who set up her own monastery on the banks of the Rhine and became famous for her religious thinking and visions, there are so many questions we may never answer. This, in part, is what makes her music at once fascinating and mysterious. Described as �the sybil of the Rhine�, and known far beyond her native land, Hildegard managed to find her own creative and intellectual voice, setting up a monastery, writing theological tracts, communicating with popes, bishops and emperors, fighting against corruption in the Church, her thoughts often shaped by the visions which had been central to her life since childhood. Contralto Kismara Pessatti and percussionist Sarah Hatch explore the original works by Hildegard and give continuity to her inspiration through new world premieres works by Brazilian composer Silvia Berg.