MaCmillan: The confessions of Isobel Gowdie

Day 341

James MacMillan: The confessions of Isobel Gowdie

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Osmo Vänskä

This was the piece that established MacMillan as one of the leading composers of his generation. According to Wikipedia its first performance at a 1980 Prom it received an ovation the like of which had rarely been seen at a British premiere since the death of Benjamin Britten. I can see why. This was an extraordinarily accomplished piece which makes a huge impact. The opening and closing sections are largely for strings only and are clearly part of the long tradition of English (perhaps better to say British, given that MacMillan is Scottish) string music going back to Elgar but here most clearly part of the same world of Tippett. The sonority that MacMillan achieves with the string section is totally compelling. The middle section of the work is violent and totally raw in its energy and emotion. It is ferocious and at the same time extremely exciting. 

The music language is broadly tonal but within that framework MacMillan stretches the harmony without ever quite moving toward full atonality.  It does show what can be done within the tradition of late 20th century music without having to explore the wilder limits of the avant guard. This really was a very impressive piece and my only regret is that it has taken me so long to get round to listening to it.