Hildegard von Bingen: O vis aeternitatis (arranged by David Chalmin)

Hildegard von Bingen: O orzchis ecclesia (arranged by Bryce Dessner)

David Chalmin: Lingua ignota – On Hildegard von Bingen’s text in an artificial language

Barbara Strozzi: Che si può fare, Op. 8/6 (arranged by David Chalmin)

Hildegard von Bingen: Alleluia, O virga mediatrix (arranged by David Chalmin)

David Chalmin: Research #1

Francesca Caccini: Che t’ho fatt’io (arranged by David Chalmin)

Hildegard von Bingen: O nobilissima viriditas (arranged by Bryce Dessner)

Barbara Hannigan: Aria (arranged by David Chalmin)

Featuring: Barbara Hannigan – voice, Katia Labèque, Marielle Labèque – piano, David Chalmin – electronics

Sound: Guillaume Loubère

Lighting: Bernd Purkrabek

French composer, musician and producer David Chalmin and Bryce Dessner, composer and guitarist of the legendary American rock band The National, produced the record, Electric Fields with the intention of recreating the songs, melodies and poetry of the female composers of the past through modern instrumentation. ‘As often in our work, we tried to connect periods and instruments in order to erase the frontiers between time and genre.’ At the heart of the project are three iconic female figures from the history of music: the medieval mystical thinker and composer Hildegard von Bingen, the early Baroque composer Barbara Strozzi, and Francesca Caccini, who was known as ‘The Songbird’ (La Cecchina) in the early 17th century. In concert, David Chalmin turns the performance of soprano Barbara Hannigan, who is known for her high-energy performance mode, and the globetrotting Labèque sisters, into something that is at once contemporary and timeless.