Living Light (3.5’)

Program Notes:

When I was researching Hildegard for this piece I came across a translation of a letter she wrote to a friend in which she described her visions from God. What was most interesting to me was that this woman had experiences which were so intense and so strange that the most logical explanation was that they were visions from God himself. But although Hildegard believed she was getting messages directly from God, they were still shrouded in mystery. She only saw, only knew, what was shown to her. The visions were like a door opening in the dark to reveal a light so bright that it is impossible to see where the light is coming from or what’s beyond the door. And it was this dichotomy that I wanted to capture in this piece: the mystery and unknowableness as well as the beauty, joy, and awe of Hildegard’s experiences.