James MacMillan: Symphony No. 5 'Le grand Inconnu' & The Sun Danced

[Symphony] the overall effect is classic MacMillan: musically eclectic (from radiantly tonal to blisteringly dissonant), powerfully dramatic, and filled with ecstatic textural contrasts...Even... — Fanfare, September/October 2020 More…

Release Date: 3rd Apr 2020
Catalogue No: COR16179
Label: Coro
Length: 78 minutes

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MacMillan: The Sun Danced

Work length28:52

Album only

Mary Bevan
The Sixteen, Britten Sinfonia, Genesis Sixteen
Harry Christophers

MacMillan: Symphony No. 5 'Le grand Inconnu'

Work length49:58

Album only

Kim Porter, Mark Dobell, Julie Cooper, Ben Davies
Britten Sinfonia, The Sixteen, Genesis Sixteen
Harry Christophers

I. Ruah

Track length17:38

Album only

II. Zao

Track length18:15

Album only

III. Igne vel igne

Track length14:05

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$3.50

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"Imagine a vision too wondrous for eyes alone – ‘the lady more brilliant than the sun’. ‘The lady’ is the Virgin Mary, and The Sun Danced is an ecstatic choral celebration of the Miracle of Fatima commissioned for the Celebration of the Centennial of the Apparitions in Portugal. Celebrated British soprano, Mary Bevan, features.Of James MacMillan’s eagerly awaited 5th Symphony Harry Christophers writes: "From the barely audible breathing at the start of the symphony to the first forte that is so sudden and ecstatic that it produces one of those heart-pounding moments, everything is drawn together by James into a cornucopia of sheer virtuosity and brilliance."

Reviews

September/October 2020

[Symphony] the overall effect is classic MacMillan: musically eclectic (from radiantly tonal to blisteringly dissonant), powerfully dramatic, and filled with ecstatic textural contrasts...Even by MacMillan’s standards, the second movement is filled with a remarkable variety of contrasts... these two works (especially the symphony) are excellent additions to his already large catalog. Performances are (as one would expect from the forces involved) superb.

Nov/Dec 2020

These are performances created not by tension or intimidation but by love—love of music, love of performing, and love of God. Christophers’s and The Sixteen’s long-running association with MacMillan guarantee that these performances leave no potential unrealized. The Britten Sinfonia’s contribution is on the same level, and all in all, I cannot imagine a better performance of either of these works.

June 2020

MacMillan’s Fifth Symphony receives an absorbing premiere at the Barbican from Britten Sinfonia and The Sixteen under Harry Christophers and one can certainly relate to it on several levels...After a series of loud and dramatic collisions, the music settles into the more familiar surroundings of MacMillan’s mature choral style, with melismatic vocal lines overlapping and echoing one another.

James MacMillan: Symphony No. 5 'Le grand Inconnu' & The Sun Danced

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