James MacMillan
b. 1959
Snapshot
James MacMillan is the pre-eminent Scottish composer of his generation * Attracted attention with acclaimed BBC Proms premiere of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (1990) * Music combines rhythmic excitement, raw emotional power and spiritual meditation * Percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel (1992) has received over 400 performances * Programmed worldwide by orchestras including London Symphony Orchestra, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics and Cleveland Orchestra * Featured composer at Edinburgh Festival (1993), South Bank Centre in London (1997) and BBC Barbican Composer Weekend (2005) * Interpreters include soloists Evelyn Glennie, Wayne Marshall, Colin Currie, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, conductors Slatkin, Rostropovich, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Andrew Davis, Vänska, Alsop, Maksymiuk, Runnicles and Brabbins, and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon * Recordings on BMG/RCA Red Seal, BIS, Chandos, Naxos, Hyperion, Coro and Black Box
Works by James MacMillan include:
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel (1992) for percussion and orchestra
Seven Last Words from the Cross (1993) Cantata for choir and strings
Quickening (1998) for soloists (ATTB), children's choir, mixed choir and orchestra
View our web guide to MacMillan's choral music (PDF).
Looking Ahead: new motet for chorus and ensemble, Hodie Puer Nascitur, premiered at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (13 Apr); Spanish, Dutch and Japanese premieres of Violin Concerto in Valladolid (20 Apr), Amsterdam (28 Apr) and Tokyo (29 Jun); festive setting of the Gloria to mark the 50th anniversary of the consecration of Coventry Cathedral, to be premiered with Ian Bostridge as soloist, brass of the CBSO and assembled choirs (23 June); current commissions include Credo for choir and orchestra, a full-evening chamber oratorio and a large-scale orchestral work.
"...a composer so confident of his own musical language that he makes it instantly communicative to his listeners." — The Guardian
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