20|SCO NEWS
Sir James MacMillan As part of this month-long celebration, we present two major MacMillan premieres – Concertino for Horn and Strings (World Premiere) and Stabat Mater (Scottish Premiere)
This March, in partnership with the BBC SSO, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Glasgow Life, is an exciting proliferation of performances
Our celebration culminates in MacMillan’s Stabat Mater for chorus and string orchestra, where we are thrilled to be joined by conductor Harry
celebrating new compositions by one of Scotland’s most successful contemporary composers – Sir James MacMillan. As part of this month-long celebration, we present two major premieres - Concertino for Horn and Strings (World Premiere) and Stabat Mater (Scottish Premiere).
Christophers and his widely-acclaimed choir, The Sixteen. Here is what MacMillan has to say on the piece:
Our superb Principal Horn, Alec Frank-Gemmill is the soloist for the Concertino arrangement of the composer’s thrillingly theatrical Horn Quintet. It’s an opportunity to hear the full extent of the capabilities of the french horn – an instrument that MacMillan cherishes from his time spent playing in brass ensembles as a young musician.
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“The text is a 13th-century hymn meditating on the suffering of Mary, the mother of God, as she stands at the foot of the cross. Stabat Mater Dolorosa (“The grieving mother stood … at the foot of the Cross”) – these are the first words of a long poem, 20 stanzas in full, whose subject is Mary as she beholds her dying son. This is a kind of ultimate, spiritual Kindertotenlied (a song on the death of a child). The poem goes beyond mere description. It invites the reader and the listener to partake in the mother’s grief as a path to grace, and as part of a believer’s spiritual journey. I also quote the Stabat Mater at
16/01/2017 11:02
