The Times
"an overwhelming world premiere"
Read MoreStabat Mater with The Sixteen – Ely Cathedral
Ely
09 Nov 2019
Sir James MacMillan
Miserere
Tallis
Why fum'th in fight
Vaughan Williams
Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis
Sir James MacMillan
Stabat Mater
Artists
Harry Christophers
conductor
Summary
Few living composers communicate with the emotional directness of James MacMillan. The preeminent Scottish composer of our time draws upon his Celtic heritage and Catholic faith for revelatory choral works that tap into our universal humanity. MacMillan’s Stabat Mater for choir and string orchestra is a gripping masterpiece evoking a mother’s anguish. For the composer, ‘beauty is at the heart of our Christian faith’ and his new Stabat Mater is sure to be profoundly shaped by his beliefs. But this is a work with deep roots and a universal message; a celebration both of tradition and of radical renewal.
“MacMillan’s Stabat Mater is a masterpiece of choral invention.” – Scotsman
MacMillan’s Stabat Mater was first performed at the Barbican in 2016 with Britten Sinfonia and The Sixteen, under the baton of Harry Christophers. They will present the US premiere of Stabat Mater in New York on 7 November before coming to perform the work in the imposing surroundings of Ely Cathedral.
“The Sixteen and Britten Sinfonia produced one of those performances during which you can hardly breathe for fear of missing a nuance of expression.” – The Times
Reviews
Arts Desk
"Throughout the many wrenching contrasts there's always a focused emotional thread"
Read MoreClassical Source
"MacMillan’s Stabat Mater is a sustained exploration of sorrow that has unlocked some of his most powerfully moving and bittersweet writing"
Read MoreThe Guardian
"While passages of the choral writing are undeniably beautiful, often MacMillan’s response to the text involves something spikier, perhaps onomatopoeic"
Read MoreThe Financial Times
"This grief-wracked Stabat Mater is no easy listen, but then MacMillan clearly did not mean it so."
Read MoreThe Tablet
"Macmillan has given universal expression to the despair of a mother in mourning in a work noble and solemn for our times."
Read MoreThe Times
"As if possessed across the centuries by the spirit of Michelangelo's colossal, vividly coloured figures, the Sixteen and Britten Sinfonia produced one of those performances during which you can hardly breathe for fear of missing a nuance of expression."
Read MoreThe Tablet
"Listening to Sir James’ setting of the Stabat Mater is painful. It also transfixes, captivating the audience for an hour in a contemplative prayer."
Read MoreClassical Ear
"Its stark but searing beauty is brilliantly illuminated by the powerfully nuanced voices of The Sixteen and the poetically rich accompaniment of the Britten Sinfonia, by turns cosseting and excoriating."
Read MoreGrammophone
"The Britten Sinfonia have tremendously incisive rhythmic bite – their jagged chords four minutes into the first section have almost percussive violence to them..."
Read MoreThe Guardian
"It’s a devastatingly powerful evocation of Mary’s agony, balancing impassioned choral writing with equally intense, occasionally violent, work for the strings of the Britten Sinfonia."
Read MoreThe Herald
"At nearly an hour and with an accompanying score played by the Britten Sinfonia, this is a major piece and superbly performed."
Read MoreMusic Web International
"It’s obvious that MacMillan’s music makes virtuoso demands on both the singers and the players but these artists meet this immense challenge head on and seem to leverage their performance off MacMillan’s music so as to give a visceral account of the work."
Read MorePlanet Hugill
"This is a setting which is alive to the personal drama of the text, and there are moments of real violence."
Read More