21st Century Mediaeval Hymns; Kevin Keller-The Echoes Interview
We go to the monastery on Echoes when Kevin Keller talks about his album, Evensong. It is partly based on the chants and hymns of 12th century Abbess Hildegard von Bingen.
You might recall the chant craze of the 1990s when The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo singing gothic hymns were topping the charts, and artists like Enigma were adapting chants into their music. But rising above them all were the 12th century compositions of Abbess Hildegard von Bingen. Her music was recreated by artists like Gothic Voices, Sequentia and Anonymous 4, and adapted for 20th century ears by Richard Souther, Vox, and David Lynch with Jocelyn Montgomery. Now composer Kevin Keller has created his own beautiful renderings of her music on the album Evensong. A CD of the Month in November, Today we might call Hildegard a polymath. She was a writer, philosopher, mystic, and medical practitioner. But she is best known for her music, heavenly plainchant hymns that call to the heavens in the most sensual way. Many of these came to her in visions, and that’s how Kevin Keller’s album, Evensong arrived
Kevin Keller: At the risk of sounding a little too mystical, this album did sort of come to me in a vision. It arrived fully formed in my brain two years ago in October of 21. And just in like the space of a couple of hours, I had the album title, the concept, and I knew right from the beginning that it was going to involve songs by Hildegard of Bingen and that there would be eight songs.
We talk to Kevin Keller about bringing these gothic sounds into the 21st century. .
Hear it tonight or Right Now at Echoes On-Line.
Read John Diliberto’s CD of the Month Review of Evensong
PLAYLIST FOR KEVIN KELLER FEATURE
Sequentia – O Virdissima Virga, Ave – Canticles of Ecstasy
Sequentia – O Vis Aeternitatis – Canticles of Ecstasy
Richard Souther – Vision – Vision: The Music of Abbess Hildegard von Bingen
Kevin Keller – Evensong 7 – Evensong
Kevin Keller – Evensong 4 – Evensong
Kevin Keller – Evensong 3 – Evensong
Kevin Keller – Evensong 1 – Evensong
Kevin Keller – Evensong 7 – Evensong
Kevin Keller – Evensong 8 – Evensong
Kevin Keller – Evensong 4 – Evensong
Kevin Keller – Evensong 5 – Evensong
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Monday, February 19, 2024 – Echoes Program 2408A |
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Start Time |
Group Name |
Song Name |
Album Name |
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First Half Hour |
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| 0:01:00 | Kevin Keller | Evensong 4 (feat. Danya Katok) | Evensong |
| 0:06:00 | SFERIX | Believe (featuring Sine) | Believe (single) |
| 0:09:27 | Michael Whalen | Across the World to Be with You (feat. Ricky Kej) | Imaginary Trains |
| 0:13:54 | Ann Licater | Between the Stars | Between the Stars |
| 0:17:04 | London Grammar | Call Your Friends | Californian Soil |
| 0:19:55 | Michael Diamond | Return to Lemuria | Chroma Zone |
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Second Half Hour |
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| 0:30:00 | Interview: Kevin Keller | ||
| 0:46:00 | Kevin Keller | Evensong 3 (feat. Katherine Wessinger) | Evensong |
| 0:50:39 | Amaara | Photographs | Child of Venus |
| 0:55:47 | Richard Ashe | After The Final War | Sonic Spirals |
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Third Half Hour |
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| 1:01:00 | Beach House | Modern Love Stories | Once Twice Melody |
| 1:06:00 | George Winston | The Crystal Ship | Night Divides the Day |
| 1:10:44 | David Gilmour | A Pocketful of Stones | On An Island |
| 1:16:37 | D.C Cross | Brumby Revisited | Wizrad |
| 1:19:19 | Michel Moulinie | Lente Course | Chrysalide |
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Fourth Half Hour |
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| 1:30:00 | Maps | Windows Open | Counter Melodies |
| 1:34:57 | Bill Nelson | Beams of Light | All The Fun of the Fair |
| 1:38:23 | Jeff Oster | Shades of Gray | H0wling L00n |
| 1:40:32 | Russel Walder | The Time Finds Us (feat. Alina Renae) | Speak to the Storm |
| 1:45:30 | break | ||
| 1:46:14 | ELEON | The Dream Collider (feat. David Helpling) | Daithi |
| 1:51:28 | Beautiful Chorus | Inner Peace (expanded) | Love Dimension |
| 1:54:11 | Lara Somogyi | 16 lodges (with Cyrus Reynolds) | ! |
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