A show about the life and music of Catholic Saint, Hildegard of Bingen, who defied the strictures of her time, comes to Devon
Devon music organisations Lympstone Entertainments and Totnes Early Music Society will both host Vision, a concert/play by Clare Norburn which celebrates the extraordinary life and mesmeric music of the medieval saint, the Abbess Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179). The performances by acclaimed medieval ensemble The Telling will take place on Friday 22nd March, 7pm at Lympstone Parish Church and Saturday 23rd March, 7.30pm at St Mary’s Church, Totnes.
In their first ever performances in Devon, The Telling will present a magical evening, performing Vision, which is half a concert/half a play written by playwright/singer Clare Norburn, with staging by acclaimed director Nicholas Renton (known for the BAFTA-nominated BBC production of Mrs Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters as well as Lewis, Musketeers and George Gently) and starring Teresa Baham (who has regularly played at the Royal Shakespeare Company) as Hildegard.
Vision explores the extraordinary life of the visionary medieval abbess Hildegard of Bingen, alongside her haunting and distinctive chant. The programme aims to give an insight into the painful and visceral visionary experiences Hildegard suffered throughout her life. It is “an imagined testimony” as Hildegard, played by actress Teresa Banham, revisits and re-experiences meaningful episodes from her past.
Distinctive medieval group The Telling are renowned for bringing you intimate “concert-theatre” pieces to transport you back to the Middle Ages through a collision of music and drama. Singers will perform numbers from around the church and move around the audience and the production is fully staged with lighting design by Natalie Rowland and using candlelight.
Actress Teresa Banham’s previous theatre credits include many roles for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Exchange and Shakespeare’s Globe, as well as roles in TV programmes such as Dr Who, Call the Midwife, The Crown, Waking the Dead and Silent Witness.
The first performance for Lympstone Entertainments will take place at Lympstone Parish Church, beginning at 7pm on Friday 22 March.
The second performance for Totnes Early Music Society will take place at St Mary’s Church, Totnes, beginning at 7.30pm on Saturday 23 March.
Vision by Clare Norburn will be performed by
The Telling
Clare Norburn & Ariane Prüssner voices
Leah Stuttard harp
With Teresa Banham as Hildegard
Nicholas Renton director
Natalie Rowland Lighting Designer
“A multimedia experience of light, song, music and storytelling” The Argus
Lympstone Entertainments tickets (£12.50) are on sale now via https://lympstone-entertainments.net/lympstone-entertainments-events/
Totnes Early Music Society tickets (Adult £13, Under 18 £5) are on sale now via https://www.dartington.org/event/vision-the-imagined-testimony-of-hildegard-von-bingen/
For more information visit http://www.thetelling.co.uk/
The tour is funded by Arts Council England and The Ambache Charitable Trust
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