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As part of our centenary season, we present the UK premiere of Sir James MacMillan鈥檚 work for choir, Ordo Virtutum, a setting of a sacred music drama by Hildegard of Bingen.

Hers was the first ever medieval musical drama and concerns the struggle for the human soul in a battle between Good and Evil, represented by the Virtues and the Devil. Macmillan鈥檚 new virtuosic work for choir is in four sections.

In Part 1 the Virtues meet the Patriarchs and Prophets. We also meet the main character, the Soul. In Part 2 the Devil intervenes and tries to win her. Various Virtues confront him. They are Knowledge of God, Humility, Charity, Fear of God, Obedience, Faith, Hope, Chastity, Innocence, Celestial Love, Discipline, Modesty, Mercy and Victory.

In Part 3 they battle for the eternal life of the Soul and in Part 4 eventually overcome and conquer Satan, binding him in chains. Chastity reminds him that she 鈥渢rod your head underfoot, and in the form of the Virgin brought forth a sweet miracle, wherein the Son of God came in to the world.鈥� The music throughout alternates between full homophonic and contrapuntal choral textures, the various solo voices, the sound of the Devil who speaks but does not sing and various percussive sounds provided by one player on hand-held crotales, vibraphone, suspended cymbal, floor tom-tom and bass drum.