Sir James mcMillan's new work Angels Unawares
  • Simon
    Posts: 168
    Í'm a bit dissappointed - I had hoped for a piece which accommplished choirs would be able to sing. But, no - it was not to be, Be that as it may
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,584
    Do you mean within the reach or ambit of a skilled parish choir, rather the reach or ambit of a larger concert chorus?

    https://youtu.be/3dTdfzOEJSs?t=460
  • probe
    Posts: 122
    Reviewed: https://observer.co.uk/music/classical/article/the-sounds-of-the-sistine-chapel
    Thanked by 1Liam
  • Simon
    Posts: 168
    I mean a choir piece that only needs organ or a single instrumental addtion to be performed well . McMillaan's piece is way beyond budgets of almost all parish choirs - i.e stay away
  • probe
    Posts: 122
    I believe that MacMillan also has simpler music he wrote for a parish in Glasgow. I have not heard it live yet. Maybe try the St. Anne's Mass
    Thanked by 1Chant_Supremacist
  • GerardH
    Posts: 656
    He has plenty of accessible repertoire. O Radiant Dawn should be an Advent staple for every choir if it isn't already. I'm sure there's more to discover among the rest of the Strathclyde motets
    Thanked by 2IanW roy2
  • probe
    Posts: 122
    O Radiant Dawn is lovely, for a competent SATB. A local community choir sang that last Christmas in a concert.
    There are many learning tracks for MacMillan pieces on johnfletchermusic.org. I sang in the MacMillan St. John Passion in Dublin on Good Friday 2025. The NSCI commissioned the learning tracks and they were useful to get us started in what at first seemed a tough challenge. Although as with good contemporary music, as we rehearse, we get into the sound world of the musical phrases and rhythms and it does not seem so strange.
  • RomanticStringsRomanticStrings
    Posts: 352
    Sir MacMillan mentioned in a recent webinar that he was working on some more accessible music, I think. This is not likely that, though, considering the turnaround time that would have been required for this performance.

    Perhaps something available to more parishes is coming down the line from him still.
Add a Comment