James MacMillan: Stabat Mater
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JAMES MacMILLAN
James MacMillan: Stabat Mater
Harry Christophers, The Sixteen, Britten Sinfonia
[ Coro / CD ]
Release Date: Friday 17 March 2017
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James MacMillan's new Stabat mater was commissioned by the Genesis Foundation for Harry Christophers and The Sixteen and is performed by them with the Britten Sinfonia, in a continuation of the ensemble's close relationship with MacMillan.
Few living composers communicate with the emotional directness of Sir James MacMillan and his belief that 'beauty is at the heart of our Christian faith' is profoundly present in his new setting of the Stabat mater. Arguably one of the most powerful poems in the liturgy, only a small number of composers have tackled the Stabat mater in the last 30 years and the musical world has waited a long time for a substantial setting.
In James MacMillan's version we are witness to a new and intensely personal work which encapsulates the power of the poem in a way no other composer has done to date.
Harry Christophers writes: 'James digs deep underneath the surface of this 13th century Marian hymn meditating on Mary's suffering as she stands at the foot of the cross. He speaks of "a painful world of loss, violence and spiritual desolation" and the score is packed to the full with those intense feelings. Our
collaboration with the Britten Sinfonia on this project has been a marriage made in heaven - both groups have had long associations with James's music and both give of their all in bringing this score to life.'
Sir James MacMillan writes: 'It was a great delight and honour to respond to The Sixteen … I regard Harry Christophers' choir as one of the great choirs of the world and their standards of vocal brilliance and blend are unsurpassed.
"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...Wonderfully sung; profoundly moving." Guardian
"There is deference to the power of plainsong in the chanted opening, the timelessness of which feeds into the sublime harmonic journey of the ensuing movements. MacMillan's unfolding of the text and its instrumental halo are masterfully judged. I defy any atheist not to be moved by such a profound musical interpretation of religious belief." The Scotsman
"…without doubt the work's impact is immeasurably heightened by the exceptional performance it receives here…Christopher's adoration of MacMillan's Stabat Mater radiates out of every moment of this compelling performance…the Britten Sinfonia have tremendously incisve rhythmic bite." Gramophobne Disc of the Month May 2017
