James MacMillan
b. 1959
Snapshot
English Deutsch
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 350 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 Glennie, Rostropovich and Wayne Marshall, 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 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
Looking Ahead: performances of new St John Passion for baritone, chorus and orchestra, by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis (2009-10); new piano concerto for Stephen Hough and Minnesota Orchestra (premiere 2009/10 season); first recording of Quickening with BBC Philharmonic and The Hilliard Ensemble to be released by Chandos (Jan 2009)
"...a composer so confident of his own musical language that he makes it instantly communicative to his listeners." — The Guardian
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