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Article: `Ordo' in the Cathedral; Amid Tricky Acoustics, the Folger's Spectacle
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- January 14, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Those who have tickets for tonight's repeat performance of
Hildegard von Bingen's "Ordo Virtutum" would do well to arrive at the
Washington Cathedral early. Parking is at a premium and the best
seats are likely to be snapped up well before the Folger Consort
launches into its instrumental prelude with rebec, psaltery, organ,
bells and other vintage instruments.
Where you sit makes a significant difference. In some parts of
the cathedral's vast reaches, the sight lines and acoustics can be
somewhat problematic. Hildegard's plainchant is written for exactly
this kind of acoustic environment; it moves slowly, its structures
are simple and unornamented, and it avoids brusque leaps of pitch ...