for Oboe, Percussion, and Harp.
Oboe: Kyle Bruckmann,
Percussion: Mckenzie Langefeld,
Harp: Jennifer Ellis,
Conductor: Matilda Hoffman.

Premiere: May 8, 2021

"Sanguine" is a collection of three miniatures inspired by Hildegard von Bingen’s "O Rubor Sanguinis." Hildegard always fascinates me with not only her beautiful music but also the powerful images in her texts. In Sanguine, I stayed away from any explicit musical references to "O Rubor Sanguinis." Instead, I have tried to recreate a musical interpretation of the text which, of course, is very different from Hildegard’s version.
Movement one sets out a flowing and transparent texture depicted in the first two lines of the text. Movement two is about the darkness, chaos, and intensity of “winter with serpent’s blast.” In movement three, a delicate and fragile soundscape is restored to create an ethereal and other-worldly mood.

English translation of "O Rubor Sanguinis" by Nathaniel M. Campbel:
"O bloody red
that flowed from up that height
divinity has touched: a bloom you are
that winter with the serpent’s blast
has never marred."

Artwork by Kiou Kalami, inspired by Milton Glaser’s “From Poppy With Love”

Sanguine

for Oboe, Percussion, and Harp.
Oboe: Kyle Bruckmann,
Percussion: Mckenzie Langefeld,
Harp: Jennifer Ellis,
Conductor: Matilda Hoffman.

Premiere: May 8, 2021

"Sanguine" is a collection of three miniatures inspired by Hildegard von Bingen’s "O Rubor Sanguinis." Hildegard always fascinates me with not only her beautiful music but also the powerful images in her texts. In Sanguine, I stayed away from any explicit musical references to "O Rubor Sanguinis." Instead, I have tried to recreate a musical interpretation of the text which, of course, is very different from Hildegard’s version.
Movement one sets out a flowing and transparent texture depicted in the first two lines of the text. Movement two is about the darkness, chaos, and intensity of “winter with serpent’s blast.” In movement three, a delicate and fragile soundscape is restored to create an ethereal and other-worldly mood.

English translation of O Rubor Sanguinis:
"O bloody red
that flowed from up that height
divinity has touched: a bloom you are
that winter with the serpent’s blast
has never marred."

By Nathaniel M. Campbel

Sanguine

Aida Shirazi