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Current Month

March

sun22mar6:00 amsun7:45 am1776 And All That!250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence6:00 am - 7:45 am

April

fri03apr6:00 pmfri7:45 pmMusic Before Easter6:00 pm - 7:45 pm

sat25apr6:00 pmsat7:45 pmHildegard & the birds6:00 pm - 7:45 pm

Time

25 April 2026 6:00 pm - 7:45 pm

Location

Ashby St Ledger's Church

Main St, Ashby St Ledgers, Rugby CV23 8UN

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Event Details

Known for its notorious resident Robert Catesby (of Gunpowder Plot fame), the village of Ashby St Ledgers’ fiery historic connections link nicely to Fiori’s phoenix-inspired theme that threads through our concerts this season.

This concert is inspired by the passionate visionary 12th-century polymath and mystic Hildegard of Bingen. If ever a woman in history has captured the imagination it is Hildegard of Bingen. And ever since Emma Kikby’s iconic recording ‘A Feather on the Breath of God’, this remarkable medieval mystic’s music, and her ideas on inclusivity, the role of women, nature and the Earth continue to resonate today some 8½ centuries after they were first penned!

In this concert we explore passion, fire and ecstasy through Hildegard’s music. (Even the church at Ashby St Ledgers with its faded wallpaintings, described by Pevsner as one of the ‘most complete cycles in England of the passion ofChrist’, ties in with Fiori’s theme.)

Hildegard’s soaring melodies carry many ideas associated with the myth of the phoenix; victory in adversity, rebirth, and even the role of fire in bringing about abundant life are all woven in, alongside a concern for the challenges of this present life.

Hildegard’s exhortations to turn from materialism and aquisitiveness & live in harmony with each other and with nature, focusing on the “viriditas” or life-force in everything, is notable and spot on for today’s world.

And to contrast with Hildegard’s musical raptures we perform fascinating baroque repertoire by some lesser known women composers, including Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, Isabella Leonarda and Lucrezia Vizzana.

Hildegard O ignee spiritus
Uccellini La hortensia virtuosa
Hildegard O virtus sapientiae
Orme The imitation of several birds
Cozzolani Laudate Dominum
Janequin Le chant des oyseaulx
Hildegard O ignis spiritus paracliti
Vizzana Sonet vox
Merula Ciaccona
Hildegard Spiritus sanctus vivificans
Uccellini Bergamasca
Leonarda Magnificat

Judit Felszeghy soprano
Fiori Musicali Chamber Ensemble
Hazel Brooks violin
Heidi Fardell recorder
Lynda Sayce chitarrone
voices from the Fiori Chamber Choir
Penelope Rapson director/chamber organ

Fiori are very grateful to the Continuo Foundation for supporting this concert.