MacMillan, Sir James Loy (born 1959)

[Beef Oven!]

I first got into MacMillan’s music from around 1990/91 and was particularly keen 'The Confessions of Isobel Goudie' and 'Veni, Veni Emmanuel'. Seeing these pieces performed live was a great experience and I’ll never forget the performances of the amazing Evelyn Glennie, for whom the percussion concerto was composed for.

I had taken it for granted that I would enjoy following the development of a new young composer, roughly the same age as myself (he’s one year older) and look forward to future releases and concerts. But it didn’t happen like that. I couldn’t go with the mainly choral and religious works that followed my initial 'contact' with his art.

I have tried a few times in the ensuing years to re-connect with his music, but failed each time. Over the last few days I’ve come back for another nibble, and this time I’ve had a little more success. I like what I’ve heard of his string quartets and will buy a download today. I’ve also enjoyed listening to his symphony #4 and bought it as a Hi-Res download - even though when I attended its world premier at the 2015 Proms I hated it and wanted it to end. I considered it 40 minutes of meandering pointless orchestral effects, not a symphony. But now I like it very much indeed. I know very little about his other three symphonies.

I need to crack his choral works. I see this as a challenge. I’ve said elsewhere that I don’t care for the religious context of many of his choral works and can do without it. But if anyone has suggestions or a bit of guidance on the choral works, I’d very much appreciate it.

[Richard Barrett]

if anyone has suggestions or a bit of guidance on the choral works, I’d very much appreciate it.

Here's one: listen to something good instead.

[Nevilevelis]

Try this:

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67970

I await your verdict! (I am on it, mind! )

NVV

[jean]

I need to crack his choral works. I see this as a challenge. I’ve said elsewhere that I don’t care for the religious context of many of his choral works and can do without it. But if anyone has suggestions or a bit of guidance on the choral works, I’d very much appreciate it.

You could start here:

Saturday 10 June 2017 7:30pm

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Gloria!

Gabrieli Canzonas
James MacMillan Gloria
Messiaen Les Offrandes oubliées
Poulenc Gloria

Sir James MacMillan CBE conductor
Ian Bostridge CBE tenor
Mary Bevan soprano

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir with choirs of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

Undoubtedly the most high-profile composer of religious music in the country today, James MacMillan originally wrote Gloria to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the new cathedral in Coventry. Written specifically for a leading tenor soloist, Ian Bostridge performed in that first performance, and both join us in Liverpool as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Liverpool’s second cathedral on Hope street...

[Beef Oven!]

Here's one: listen to something good instead.

That’s basically what I’ve been doing - I’m trying to re-connect!

[Beef Oven!]

Try this:

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67970

I await your verdict! (I am on it, mind! )

NVV

Thanks (I’ll avoid my usual "which one are you, the one on the left or the one on the right"). I couldn’t find that particular recording to stream, but listened to The Sixteen & Harry Christophers in "Tenebrae Responsories". It’s very 'British religious choral' and I ended up giving my Gabrial Jackson and James Whitbourn CDs a listen.

The CD that you’re on comes highly recommended and one Amazon reviewer refers to it as a kind of JM greatest hits! I may take the plunge and download it.

[Beef Oven!]

You could start here:

Saturday 10 June 2017 7:30pm

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Gloria!

Gabrieli Canzonas
James MacMillan Gloria
Messiaen Les Offrandes oubliées
Poulenc Gloria

Sir James MacMillan CBE conductor
Ian Bostridge CBE tenor
Mary Bevan soprano

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir with choirs of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

Undoubtedly the most high-profile composer of religious music in the country today, James MacMillan originally wrote Gloria to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the new cathedral in Coventry. Written specifically for a leading tenor soloist, Ian Bostridge performed in that first performance, and both join us in Liverpool as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Liverpool’s second cathedral on Hope street...

I’m afraid I didn’t get very far here. I ended up listening to the Poulenc (fabulous) and digging out my Messiaen CD for a listen!

[BBMmk2]

The students at the school where I work, had a day's tuition in the composition classes, last academic year. Very fruitful they were too. The students gained a lot from that day.

I am a great fan of his work to, especially his music for choir. Also his one brass band work to date as well, commissioned by the famous Black Dyke Band.

[Nevilevelis]

Thanks (I’ll avoid my usual "which one are you, the one on the left or the one on the right"). I couldn’t find that particular recording to stream, but listened to The Sixteen & Harry Christophers in "Tenebrae Responsories". It’s very 'British religious choral' and I ended up giving my Gabrial Jackson and James Whitbourn CDs a listen.

The CD that you’re on comes highly recommended and one Amazon reviewer refers to it as a kind of JM greatest hits! I may take the plunge and download it.

Do! It's quite a varied programme, from early works to the most recent and the simple and complicated sit well together; the brass adds another dimension.

NVV

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

When they first appeared, I was initially attracted to JMacM's early orchestral works but the sheer amount of Music he subsequently went on to produce got less and less interesting for me - too much resuscitation of stylistic "ticks" that had died the death several works before. Even now, whilst I can still enjoy Veni, veni, the concert of Varese's Ameriques last week served to demonstrate just how thin JMacM's Music is ... it never gives me that sense that I've been so awed and overcome that I haven't been breathing for the last twenty minutes.

I've often wondered if MacM's Musical development might have been much more impressive if he hadn't've been so successful and had to write to so many commissions. The World's Ransoming has two or three ideas that might have repaid repeated hearings had he had time to reflect on how they might develop, expand, proliferate ... do other things than simply "appear". It shows a superficial acquaintance with some of Ferneyhough's ideas, but without either questioning/examining what the expressive point of these features are, nor creating a strong expressive "substitute" of JMacM's own - the percussive ending is nicked from the close of Carceri d'Invenzione III, but the terror of that work just becomes table-thumpingly petulent at the end of Ransoming. There are several pages of irrational rhythms (17:11; 15:13 sort-of thing) in the first nine pages of the score, but JMacM never seems to realize the contrapuntal origins that give BF's rhythmic patterns their expressive force and propulsion. Instead, the rhythmic patterns are just used as ornaments to the melodic line - indeed, after page nine, he stops using the "precise" notation and substitutes more "open" acciaccatural notation - the pressures of the commission deadline? (And, anyway, Christine Pendrill doesn't play the rhythms as written in those pages on the LSO CD; she treats them as "free" melismas.

I was happily surprised to have enjoyed the Third String Quartet when the Edinburgh S4tet performed it in the Queen's Hall last year - I even bought their CD of the work. I see that it remains in its cellophane! Experience has taught me that the Music doesn't repay frequent rehearings for me, and I suspect that the reminiscences of Ligeti et al that I enjoyed in the communal Live environment will just prove annoying from the CD player speakers during a solitary listening.

What the blazes ... all IMO, of course, and even in the unlikely event that he encounters my opinion, I doubt that JMacM will be upset enough even to cry all the way to the bank. I'll set some time aside to play the Quartet some time over the next few days ... maybe even in a fortnight, to mark the first anniversary of the concert!

[Beef Oven!]

Well thanks for nearly ruining Ransoming for me! I was getting into that work (still quite like it).

I obviously agree with you about the beginning - Gowdie, Tryst, Veni Veni, and probably about what came next.

Inexplicably, I now like symphony No.4 very much. I didn’t applaud at its world premiere, just stood standing there with a miserable face (even though I was happy it had ended!).

I’m also enjoying his string quartets very much indeed. They’re very good, IMV.

I definitely enjoyed "Tenebrae Responsories". It made me dig-up my Gabriel Jackson and James Whitbourn CDs which, on reflection, I think contain better music! So I’ll probably not go on to buy a recording of that JM work (sorry Nevilevelis ).

So far, I’m sticking with:

Tryst
The Confession Of Isobel Gowdie
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel
"..... As Others See Us ....."
TheWorld’s Ransoming
The String Quartets
Symphony No.4

[Serial_Apologist]

Sir James is 100 today! Or should that be "going on 7"?

He is this week's COTW. Once I knew about his anti-Marxist views and heard some of the later music I dismissed him as an Establishment composer. OK, he joined the CP in his teens - a wrong choice, which would have given him a distorted viewpoint - but I've wanted to give him the benefit of my doubts as he isn't that bad a composer, viz The Confessions of Isobel Gowdie, arguably the best among his early works.

Perhaps we'll get to know what he meant sometime during this week. Maybe he'll convert me, but I think that would be more likely to be over the H posts at Twickenham RFG.

Personally I more and more see religion in whatever guise as more part of the problem of today than any solution. But what are other people's views on James MacFisher of Men: on his opinions, his music or his fame?

[Bryn]

Sir James is 100 today! Or should that be "going on 7"?

He is this week's COTW. Once I knew about his anti-Marxist views and heard some of the later music I dismissed him as an Establishment composer. OK, he joined the CP in his teens - a wrong choice, which would have given him a distorted viewpoint - but I've wanted to give him the benefit of my doubts as he isn't that bad a composer, viz The Confessions of Isobel Gowdie, arguably the best among his early works.

Perhaps we'll get to know what he meant sometime during this week. Maybe he'll convert me, but I think that would be more likely to be over the H posts at Twickenham RFG.

Personally I more and more see religion in whatever guise as more part of the problem of today than any solution. But what are other people's views on James MacFisher of Men: on his opinions, his music or his fame?

To me, Messiaen's and Bach's music was informed by their different Christian outlooks. With MacMillan, I see the religion more as a markeing ploy.

[ahinton]

To me, Messiaen's and Bach's music was informed by their different Christian outlooks. With MacMillan, I see the religion more as a markeing ploy.

I would like very much to be able to disagree with the last bit. I'd be struggling, though. I wouldn't necessarily go so far as to suggest that this is a deliberate ploy on his part or that his Roman Catholicism is in any way an insincere career convenience but I can find so little in his music that excites my sensibilities, I'm sorry to say (and of one of my compatriots, too). His recent trouncing of a most stupid article in The Guardian asking what "classical music" is "for" might do little more than scratch the surface of the subject but at least it does so with appropriately sharp claws...

[Bryn]

I would like very much to disagree with the last bit. I'd be struggling, though. I wouldn;t necessarily go so far as to suggest that this is a deliberate ploy on his part or that his Roman Catholicism is in any way an insincere career convenience but I can find so little in his music that excites my sensibilities, I'm sorry to say (and of one of my compatriots, too). His recent trouncing of a most stupid article in The Guardian asking what "classical music" is "for" might do little more than scratch the surface of the subject but at least it does so with appropriately sharp claws...

I seem to have missed that Guardian piece. Can you offer a link, perhaps?