Sequentia is one of the world’s most respected and innovative ensembles for medieval music. It is an international group of singers and instrumentalists – united in Paris under the direction of the legendary performer and teacher Benjamin Bagby – dedicated to the performance and recording of Western European music from the period before 1300.
Music For Paradise (also known as Visions of Paradise) is an anthology from earlier Sequentia recordings (1982-98) and was released in 2009 by Deutsche Harmonia Mundi / SONY Classics.
In September 2009 a film about the life of Hildegard von Bingen, directed by Margarethe von Trotta and starring Barbara Sukowa, was released in Germany. This introductory anthology, made up of exceptional tracks from six of Sequentia’s releases on DHM, was chosen not only to complement the release of the film and win over new admirers of Hildegard’s work, but to highlight her melodic and textual genius and the striking varieties of mode, structure, colour, and scale which define her work. It is also a loving tribute to the memory of Sequentia’s co-founder Barbara Thornton, whose voice was tragically silenced forever in 1998.
1 O Jerusalem 10:25
2 O Rubor Sanguinis 2:01
3 O Tu Suavissima Virga 11:12
4 O Quam Mirabilis 3:12
5 Caritas Habundat In Omnia 2:10
6 O Cruor Sanguinis 1:35
7 O Vis Aeternitatis 7:56
8 O Beata Infantia 5:55
9 O Vos Felices Radices 5:04
10 O Presul Vere Civitatis 8:45
11 [Instrumental Piece] 1:48
12 Que Es, Aut Unde Venis? 9:06
13 In Principio 4:08
Sequentia - Music For Paradise
