Songs from the Early Christian oriental repertoire, chorales by Hildegard of Bingen and Brigitta of Sweden,
sacred songs from rural Sweden, early polyphony from the Spanish Codex Las Huelgas.
In our programme we pursue the female paths towards the cognition of God in early and traditional sacred music
from Orient and Occident:
- Heartfelt mysticism in the chants of the two great female figures of the Middle Ages,
Hildegard of Bingen and Brigitta of Sweden.
- The direct path of the heart in traditional Early Christian music of the Middle East and in rural songs from Northern Sweden.
- Complex contemplation in medieval polyphony as sung by the noble and literate nuns of Las Huelgas monastery.
Miriam Andersén (Sweden) and Fadia el-Hage (Lebanon) perform songs from their own oral traditions
and join in the written tradition from the Spanish Codex Las Huelgas.
"… voices that transport us to other worlds …" Martin Caroso, ABC, 27.10.2009
"Harmonic fusion as Utopia – it can be found in music … this results in a tapestry of sound, in whose texture
the oriental and occidental strands have become hardly discernible – a wonderfully melancholic ideal. …" Nicole Strecker, Ballettanz, 4-08
"Sensational live music: Fadia el-Hage’s voice emerging from the innermost, and Swedish singer Miriam Andersén’s voice crystal clear …"
Silvia Nagl, OÖNachrichten, 10.03.2008
"The music is simply brilliant. Ensemble Sarband plays and sings the stars out of the sky."
Danielle de Regt, De Standaard (Belgium), 11.02.2008
„This is what I call mysticism.” Svenska Dagbladet, 28.07.2005
