The composer has kindly provided the following program notes for Rainbow Body:

 In the past few years I have been listening a great deal to the music of medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen and, as simple and direct as this music is, I am constantly amazed by its staying power. Hildegard’s melodies have very memorable contours which set them apart from other chants of the period. They are very sensual and intimate, a kind of communication with the divine. Rainbow Body is based on one of her chants, “Ave Maria, O auctrix vite” (Hail Mary, source of life.) 

The work begins in an understated, mysterious manner, calling attention to some of the key intervals and motives of the Hildegard chant. When the primary melody enters for the first time about a minute into the work, I present it very directly in the strings without accompaniment. In the orchestration, try to capture a halo around this melody, creating a wet acoustic by emphasizing the lingering reverberations one might hear in an old cathedral. 

Although the piece is built essentially around fragments of the melody, I also return to the tune in its entirety several times throughout the work, as a kind of plateau of stability and peace within an otherwise turbulent environment. Rainbow Body has a very different sensibility from the Hildegard chant, with a structure that is dramatic and developmental, but I hope that it conveys at least a little of my love for the beauty and grace of her work. Rainbow Body is dedicated to Glen Rosenbaum, without whose support and encouragement I would not be composing. 

—Christopher Theofanidis