THE words and music of the inspirational medieval Abbess Hildegard of Bingen, a visionary musician, polymath and nun in Germany in the 12th century, echo down a thousand years. Performance group The Telling come to St Mary’s Church, Dorchester, on Tuesday 30th September, at 7.30pm, to perform Vision, celebrating the life, testimony and music of this great woman.

Amid the darkness of the Middle Ages, Abbess Hildegard of Bingen saw the universe in a dazzling light and spoke with an insight and a genius that makes her music and poetry resound down the centuries. Vision explores Hildegard’s extraordinary life as she relives her painful and visceral visionary experiences alongside her extraordinary music, with its haunting and distinctive chant.

The performance lasts one hour with no interval. It has been created by award-winning writer Clare Norburn and is directed by BAFTA-nominated director, Nicholas Renton. The Guardian reviewer called it “a beautiful piece .. it really is wonderful, so do try and catch it.”

The Church Times said: “It was the overlap of, interaction between and communication of the music of Hildegard — two voices and medieval harp — and her spoken word … which made the show such a unified, deep telling … if a moment for reflection is needed, or the desire to understand more of Hildegard is to be fulfilled, it is well worth making the time for this.”