Place of Refuge: Historia Sancti Magni

Place of Refuge: Historia Sancti Magni

Hear the Theotokos Ensemble, which includes Doug Balliett on organ & leiken (of Sequentia) as tenor in a reimagined medieval composition.

By Chelsea Music Festival

Date and time

Thursday, June 26 · 7 - 8:30pm EDT

Location

St. Paul's German Evangelical Lutheran Church

315 West 22nd Street New York, NY 10011 United States

Refund Policy

Refunds up to 7 days before event

About this event

  • Event lasts 1 hour 30 minutes

The Chelsea Music Festival is thrilled to present the Theotokos Ensemble, a baroque collective known for its “passion, historical curiosity, and imagination,” in a performance consisting of Doug A.A. Balliett on keyboards and leiken, tenor—who together will reanimate a miraculous composition from 10 centuries ago. Originally written by Hermann of Reichenau, or “Herman the Disabled” (1013-1054), an astonishing monk, intellectual and musician from the Middle Ages, these vivid compositions are essentially medieval opera, full of dynamic melodies and built-in drama.

This concert takes as its centerpiece Hermann’s Historia Sancti Magni, or “The Story of Saint Magnus”, a local saint venerated in the region where Hermann lived. Magnus was especially known for his nature miracles, which included expelling snakes, training dragons, and working closely with local bears to find lucrative iron mines. Through hymns, antiphons, responsories, and readings, Hermann tells the story of Magnus’s life, including his miraculous acts and his surprising interactions with animals. Musically, it stands equal among the great spiritual works of western music, and put in the proper context, the drama matches the intensity of the great Romantic operas of the 19th century.

Reception to follow


FEATURING
Theotokos Ensemble
leiken, tenor
Douglas A.A. Balliett, keyboards


PROGRAM
Hermann of REICHENAU Historia Sancti Magni (Matins Office)


Learn More Here: https://www.dougballiett.nyc/hermannus-contractus

The Chelsea Music Festival is grateful to all our 2025 Festival Sponsors

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Chelsea Music Festival

MISSION

Chelsea Music Festival celebrates great music by convening world-leading musicians and artists in the performing, culinary, and visual arts for an international audience. The Festival invites artists, composers, and performers to collaborate in pursuit of a new perspectives in artistic expression.

ABOUT

Inspired by its Chelsea roots, the Festival reflects the creativity of one of New York City's most dynamic neighborhoods. Programs span musical genres ranging from classical to contemporary to jazz with a special emphasis on Festival commissions by composers whose works are not in the traditional western canon. On the digital programming front, the Festival hosts an online library of recordings so music enthusiasts, artists, and students alike can explore unique interpretations of classical, jazz, and contemporary works via high-quality videos of world-class performances and dialogues available for years to come.

Since 2010, the Chelsea Music Festival has established itself as a critically-acclaimed, accessible and interactive gateway to chamber music in non-traditional concert spaces such as art galleries, public squares, schools, and churches. Artists hail from around the world to partake in nearly two weeks of programming complete with concerts, lectures, exhibitions, family events, and free outreach performances. In 2020, the Chelsea Music Festival inaugurated its Online Encores and Online Originals digital video series on YouTube; Online Encores presents highlights from Festival archives and past concerts while Online Originals presents new and never-before-seen performances and recordings.

We are proud to give emerging voices, particularly those of women and people of color, a stage and are working to build an audience and intimate community to support a new generation of musicians, composers, and artists.

$60.54
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