At one point, the Devil appeared under the pulpit to caress the Soul’s hair, a quiet gesture of control and defiance. But thespian excellence was on offer in the sanctuary as well, the Virtues acting as if they were on stage and not in church. They used to good advantage the two huge boards — the performance’s only real prop — on which artist Martha Bancroft had reproduced pages from the manuscript. At the end, Raines, now in a dark lavender overshirt — emerged from behind those boards to join in the “In principio” final hymn to God. If the ladies of Cappella Clausura can tame the Devil, maybe it wouldn’t be too much to hope for a recording of this exquisite evening.
Topics:
Classical
, Opera, Religion, Christianity, More 
, Opera, Religion, Christianity, Theater, Theatre, God, Jacque Wilson, Hildegard von Bingen, First Lutheran Church, First Lutheran Church, Less 
