SUNDAY, MAY 13 at 3 pm
at
Trinity United Church,
400 Stevenson St., Guelph, Ontario
“Man plays 800-year-old music on harmonica.”
That’s how
multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird describes his latest work, felix anima,
interpretations of the music of Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179). It isn’t easy
to put into words the beautiful and haunting experience of listening to Bird’s
latest album. Contemplative, uplifting, sacred, transcendent. Bird’s thoughtful
approach to combining harmonica, a droning Shruti box, and a range of other
instruments, offers contemporary audiences a whole new way of encountering the
medieval abbess’ impressive musical works.
“…spectacular,
sublime, moving and beautifully interpreted and produced. A true piece of art
from an exceptional, mature artist, interpreting the music of a genius” -
Russ Christianson
, M.I.R., B Comm.
The melodies heard on
felix anima comes from the celebrated Hildegard of Bingen, an abbess in
12th century Germany, still known today for her impressive theological,
scientific, dramatic and musical works. A saint, a Doctor of the Church, a
mystic, a feminist, and a visionary, Hildegard of Bingen has captured the
imagination of audiences, artists, and musicians around the world.
In Bird’s words: “Like
all exceptional music, it remains timeless.”
The artwork for the
CD, also created by Bird, is a beautiful visual that combines the
transcendental with the electric, producing a stunning mandala of sacred
inspiration and hypnotic form that reflects and enhances the music itself. The
CD has already received considerable praise from everyone encountering it . It was featured on CBC’s First Play from April 19 - 26. Read the interview from that, here: https://www.cbcmusic.ca/first-plays/748/first-play-jeff-bird-felix-anima-hildegard
Jeff Bird is a
founding member of the seminal folk group Tamarack. With Cowboy
Junkies he was part of the legendary The Trinity Session and
continues to record and tour the world with them. He has realized 16 recordings
of his own as a soloist and collaborator, and has scored music for film,
television and dance. He is also an experimental filmmaker and performance
artist whose work has been showcased at festivals around the world, from Dawson
City, Yukon to Vladivostok, Russia. As a multi-instrumentalist Bird has
appeared on over 100 recordings and has worked with such diverse artists as
Jane Bunnett, Loreena McKennitt, Natalie Merchant, Scott Merritt, Townes Van
Zandt.
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