Angelo Valenti Bayraktar

Hildegard

Angelo Valenti Bayraktar

[The Universe] Hildegard is an album of 11 tracks that translate into sound my reflections on identity, the interaction between humans and machines, the link between humankind and nature, relationships between individuals, and our ties to mysticism and magic. These reflections resonate with a world facing ecological challenges, new technologies, and a renewed interest in beliefs and spirituality. The album is set in the universe of a fictional role-playing game. The cover features representations of artifacts corresponding to the musical tracks, an inventory whose function and symbolism are discussed in Chapter II of the booklet, “Relic Chronicles”. The 3D graphics and animations of these objects were created by Azad Bayraktar, with whom I had the good fortune to work. This work is not program music. It does not follow a linear narrative. It consists of a series of distinct musical moments. Timbre and harmony play a central role in creating atmospheres, as do the compositional techniques associated with Mixed music, in which computer-synthesized sounds interact with traditional instruments. [Hildegard von Bingen] The name of this album, Hildegard, refers to and pays tribute to an iconic mystical figure of the Middle Ages: Abbess Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), who was canonized in 2012. She is known for having written works on medicine and botany, philosophy and theology, for having created a language, the “lingua ignota”, and for her production of sacred music.