Hildegard of Bingen believed that Christian virtues were beings external to humans. They were believed to come from God and support the soul on the path to salvation. The NFM Choir artists will impersonate these virtues, as well as other characters, during a performance of Ordo Virtutum by contemporary Scottish composer James MacMillan. The Wrocław singers will be led by Sofi Jeannin, a Swedish conductor, who previously met with the musicians in 2019.

Ordo Virtutum, or “the order of virtues”, by Hildegard of Bingen is considered the oldest surviving morality play, a type of medieval drama dealing with psychomachia and the salvation of the human soul. Fortunately, both its Latin text and the original music by the 12th-century anchoress have survived. In Ordo Virtutum, which served as a pedagogical abridgement of Hildegard’s more hermetic, mystical work, Scivias, the Old Testament saints, the devil, and the seventeen virtues appear alongside the soul.

James MacMillan uses Hildegard’s text, dividing it between two eight-part choirs and soloists – the soul and the devil. The singers are accompanied only by percussions (including cymbals, a vibraphone, and elements of the drum kit). Interestingly, as in the medieval visionary’s text, the part of the devil, the destroyer of harmony, is spoken. MacMillan, a composer focused on vocal work, knows how to convincingly merge spirituality with modern musical language. The piece is like a ritual in which every human being  can see themselves as if in a mirror. Ordo Virtutum was composed during the pandemic, and Sofi Jeannin led the BBC Singers during its UK premiere.