On June 2nd, Trauma Bar und Kino presents the 2nd edition of ‘Hearing Angels’ featuring Void ov Voices, a project by extreme metal vocalist Attila Csihar [Sunn O))), Mayhem], Egyptian singer and poet Abdullah Miniawy and a Gregorian choir singing compositions by German mystic Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179).

Drawing connections between the dungeon aesthetics of both sacred Gregorian music and black metal, this event is inspired by Hildegard von Bingen’s cosmic visions, her commitment to nature and spirituality and her approach to narrative listening experiences. The only medieval musical drama to survive, the selected works for this program are sung in order of three prime roles of her allegorical morality play ‘Order of Virtues’ (1152): the virtues, the prophet and the devil, respectively.

‘Hearing Angels’ is a choral event series that juxtaposes choirs with vocalists from cross-cultural contexts so as to illuminate narrative. This next edition, the first to be hosted outside of our venue, will be situated inside the compelling acoustics and backdrop of an old water reservoir, Kleiner Wasserspeicher (Diedenhofer Straße im Park, 10405).

Attila Csihar (Void ov Voices)

His music career began in 1985 with the Hungarian metal band Tormentor, which reached cult status in black metal circles with their first album, Anno Domini (1988). Tormentor performed 50-100 live shows between 1986–1990 and became one of the most infamous bands in Hungary. On the strength of his work in Tormentor, he was invited to perform vocals on the De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem after lead singer Dead committed suicide. His groundbreaking new way of singing added a special character to Mayhem’s sound.
He is a “shadow” member of the American doom/drone metal band Sunn O))). His first recorded collaboration with the band was in 2004 when he sang in Sanskrit language on their album White2. He has recorded five full-length albums with the group, including the very successful Monoliths & Dimensions, and performed live with the band on their worldwide tours hundreds of shows.
In 2004, Csihar rejoined Mayhem after the departure of Maniac, the band’s previous vocalist. Their 2007 album, Ordo ad Chao, won the Spellemannprisen (also known as the Norwegian Grammy).
Csihar started his solo act in November 2008, called Void ov Voices. His live performances have been in support of artists like Ulver on their first European tour, Bohren & der Club of Gore, Lustmord, Ruin and Diamanda Galas.

Abdullah Miniawy

Abdullah Miniawy (born 1994) is an Egyptian expressionist, a writer, singer, composer, and actor. Over the years, he has shared the stage with acclaimed artists such as Erik Truffaz, Kamilya Jubran, Yom, Médéric Collignon, Aly Talibab, A Filetta, Hvad, Ziur, Simo Cell, and many others. Abdullah’s performances have graced prestigious international stages and venues, including the Festival d’Avignon edition 72, French national theaters, Institute of Contemporary Arts London, Haus Der Kunst museum in Munich, Asian Museum in Turin, even the Louvre in Paris.
Most recently, Abdullah’s album “Le Cri Du Caire,” featuring Erik Truffaz, won LES VICTOIRES DU JAZZ 2023 award – the French equivalent of the Grammy Awards. in the World Music category.
As a writer, his lyrics have left a mark in the Middle East region, notably during the Arab Spring, where they were displayed in places like the Yarmouk camp in Syria.

Hildegard von Bingen

Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, visionary, and as a medical writer and practitioner during the High Middle Ages. She is one of the best-known composers of sacred monophony, as well as the most recorded in modern history. She has been considered by a number of scholars to be the founder of scientific natural history in Germany.
Hildegard’s convent at Disibodenberg elected her as magistra (mother superior) in 1136. She founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and Eibingen in 1165. Hildegard wrote theological, botanical, and medicinal works, as well as letters, hymns, and antiphons for the liturgy. She wrote poems, and supervised miniature illuminations in the Rupertsberg manuscript of her first work, Scivias. There are more surviving chants by Hildegard than by any other composer from the entire Middle Ages, and she is one of the few known composers to have written both the music and the words. One of her works, the ‘Ordo Virtutum’, is an early example of liturgical drama and arguably the oldest surviving morality play. She is noted for the invention of a constructed language known as Lingua Ignota.

Sung by:
Tenor - Rolando Guy
Mezzo Soprano - Olena Berehova
Soprano - Liobana Gómez Raboteaux

Selected works by Hildegard Von Bingen:
O Vis Eternitatis ‘O Power of Eternity’
O Frodens Virga ‘O Blooming Branch’ (Arr. by Carlotta Ferrari, 2016)
O Virtus Sapiente ‘O Strength of Wisdom’
Aer Enim Volat ‘Even As The Air Flies’ (Arr. by Carlotta Ferrari, 2020)

From ‘Symphony of Celestial Harmony’ (1150) and ‘Order of Virtues’ (1152)