Celtic Twilight 7: Sacred Spirit is a 2007 anthology which weaves a Celtic knot of sacred music from antiquity to the present. The central feature of the Celtic worldview is the intimate relationship of humans with the natural world--"a holy intimacy between the human and the divine in nature"--and "a sense of spirit presences in nature." This feeling is expressed in many of the pieces on this album. Included are top-notch Irish choir Anuna, great Celtic artists Aine Minogue and Cathie Ryan, brilliant English cellist Matthew Barley, virtuoso fiddler Mark O'Connor and his Appalachia Waltz Trio, the perfectly-tuned English choir The Cambridge Singers, and the wonderful Medieval/Eastern fusion ensemble Stellamara. A very similar worldview infuses the music of the brilliant 12th century German visionary Hildegard von Bingen. Like the Celts, Hildegard believed that the natural world is a Divine creation, filled with Divine beauty and Divine energy, and this is the theme of her songs. Some of the best Celtic artists have recognized their kinship with her and have made her music their own. This album features several songs by Hildegard in unique arrangements that are so radiantly Celtic in spirit, they almost transport the listener to the holy wells of Ireland.

Celtic Twilight