The Times
"Singing without blemish; playing that leapt straight from the heart: here was a sterling performance of a work that cries out to people of any faith or none."
Read MoreSeven Last Words from the Cross
Birmingham
Cambridge
London
20 – 25 Mar 2016
Byrd
Miserere Mei
Shostakovich arr. barshai
Chamber Symphony
Bach
Cantata 'O Jesu Christ, Mein's Lebens Licht'
James MacMillan
Seven Last Words from the Cross
Artists
Eamonn Dougan
conductor
Summary
With James MacMillan’s dramatic meditation on Christ’s final words, Seven Last Words from the Cross, at its heart, Britten Sinfonia’s moving celebration of Easter features exquisite music from four centuries.
Byrd’s melancholic Miserere Mei, JS Bach’s grave-side Cantata ‘O Jesu, mein Leben Licht’ and Barshai’s orchestral arrangement of Shostakovich’s searing eighth string quartet complete the contemplative programme, with Britten Sinfonia Voices and Britten Sinfonia conducted by Eamonn Dougan.
Reviews
The Guardian
"The fifth movement, “I thirst”, featured parched tremolos in the strings and rattlesnake whispers from the choir; the sixth, “It is finished”, had nail-hammering string chords that made one flinch. The final movement ended in darkness, with the sound of expiring breaths."
Read MoreCambridge News
"Orchestra and chorus, with Eamonn Dougan again conducting, gave a superlative account of MacMillan's devout composition, from its opening dynamic, surging passages of cascading strings, reminiscent of Shostakovich, through intervals of tender lyricism and sonorous reflection to its concluding pin-dropping quietude."
Read MoreBirmingham Post
"Individual lines were sharply etched, those crucial viola ones bitingly vivid, and ensemble was razor-sharp."
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