by Pieter "Toypom" This remarkable album starts with four compositions by the medieval German mystic Hildegard von Bingen: O Quam Mirabilis (Antiphon for the Creator), O Ecclesia (Sequence for St. Ursula), O Clarissima Mater (Responsory for the Virgin) and Tu Illustrata (Antiphon for the Virgin), while the second part contains a selection of Meredith Monk's compositions from her earlier albums like Chacon, Quarry, The Book of Days and The Games. Both Monk's own music and the interpretations of Hildegard's songs are deeply spiritual, radiating a ritualistic feel unbound by any particular type of belief system. The sound sculptures often seem to evoke an unknown ancient culture with its mixture of non-Western vocalising and pure-toned medieval chanting. The vocal style is non-vibrato, with austere intervals, similar to medieval poliphony. The structures unfold with exquisite subtlety and repetition is used to incantatory effect with a deeply spiritual resonance. Unlike the gothic weirdness of Dolmen Music, Monk and the Abbess is highly accessible and should appeal to those who appreciate vocal medieval and classical music.