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 MoreMiserere Mei
Chamber Symphony
Cantata 'O Jesu Christ, Mein's Lebens Licht'
Seven Last Words from the Cross
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.
"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 More"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 More"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 More"Individual lines were sharply etched, those crucial viola ones bitingly vivid, and ensemble was razor-sharp."
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