Celtic Twilight 7: Sacred Spirit weaves a Celtic knot of sacred music from antiquity to the present. The central feature of the Celtic worldview is the intimate relationship of humans with the natural world--"a holy intimacy between the human and the divine in nature"--and "a sense of spirit presences in nature" as Thomas Berry says. This feeling is expressed in many of the pieces on this album. A very similar worldview infuses the music of the brilliant 12th century German visionary Hildegard von Bingen. Like the Celts, Hildegard believed that the natural world is a Divine creation, filled with Divine beauty and Divine energy, and this is the theme of her songs. Some of the best Celtic artists have recognized their kinship with her and have made her music their own. This album features several songs by Hildegard in unique arrangements that are so radiantly Celtic in spirit, they almost transport the listener to the holy wells of Ireland. Also featured are top-notch Irish choir Anúna, great Celtic artists Áine Minogue and Cathie Ryan, brilliant English cellist Matthew Barley, virtuoso fiddler Mark O'Connor and his Appalachia Waltz Trio, the perfectly-tuned English choir The Cambridge Singers, and the wonderful Medieval/Eastern fusion ensemble Stellamara.
Track listing:
Kyrie — Jocelyn Montgomery
Kyrie Eleison, An Ghlóir, An Phaidir — Áine Minogue
The Blue Bird — Anúna
Lament of the Three Marys — Cathie Ryan
Caritas — Jocelyn Montgomery
Pie Jesu — Anúna
Viridissima — Jocelyn Montgomery
Kyrie Eleison — Stellamara
Hymn To The Virgin — Anúna
The Bluebird — Matthew Barley
A Gaelic Blessing — The Cambridge Singers
Amazing Grace— Mark O’Connor’s Appalachia Waltz Trio
Immrama — Stellamara
Kells — Anúna
