CD Review
MacMillan: Who Are These Angels? / Miserere
- Composer
- MacMillan
- Artist
- Cappella Nova / Alan Tavener; The Sixteen / Harry Christophers
- Label
- Linn / Coro
- Catalogue
- CKD383 / COR16096
- Reviewed by
- Anne McAlister
These discs of James MacMillan’s choral music have been issued almost simultaneously. The only overlap is three of the Strathclyde Motets - but it is interesting to hear the difference in approach to these duplicated works. For example, O Radiant Dawn receives a positive, almost declamatory performance from The Sixteen, while Cappella Nova treat it much more reverently.
The most important work on the Coro disc is MacMillan’s Miserere, premiered by The Sixteen in 2009 and recorded here for the first time. It is a powerful and beautiful setting of texts from Psalm 51 (most famously set by Allegri) in which the sombre opening gives way to lilting melody and plainsong, culminating in a warm, glowing transformation of the opening sequence. The Tenebrae Responsories with their dark, lamenting music and explosive outbursts are dramatically conveyed, soprano Elin Manahan Thomas very effective in the final solo lament as she walks off into the distance. A selection of eight Strathclyde Motets flanks the choir’s 2002 recording of O Bone Jesu. It all makes for a superb disc.
Meanwhile, Alan Tavener and Cappella Nova bring us a host of new choral works including MacMillan’s second set of seven Strathclyde Motets. These cover a wide range of styles and techniques; for example, Os mutorum, sung by four female voices and accompanied by William Taylor on harp, consists of phrases that seem to hang suspended in time, while Qui meditabitur juxtaposes fluid ornamented passages with a repeated fortissimo chordal motif. The title track Who are these Angels, in which the choir is joined by the Edinburgh Quartet, evokes an intriguing atmosphere, especially at the end where the strings imitate the cries of seabirds. The disc ends with two organ-accompanied works: the short, simple Mass of Blessed John Henry Newman, and the forceful motet Tota pulchra es, performed here to stunning effect. As an added bonus, the booklet documents a fascinating conversation between Rebecca Tavener and James MacMillan.
A note on this page
Originally published by Anne McAlister, recovered from mmmusic's own archive and reproduced here as the critic wrote it.
Questions about this recording
Why are two different discs reviewed together here?
Cappella Nova's Who Are These Angels? (Linn) and The Sixteen's Miserere (Coro) were issued almost simultaneously, both of James MacMillan's choral music, with only three of the Strathclyde Motets overlapping between them.
What's the most important work on the Coro disc?
MacMillan's Miserere, premiered by The Sixteen in 2009 and recorded here for the first time, a setting of Psalm 51 (most famously set by Allegri) moving from a sombre opening into lilting melody and plainsong.
What's distinctive about the Cappella Nova disc?
It includes MacMillan's second set of seven Strathclyde Motets, plus the title track Who Are These Angels, in which the choir is joined by the Edinburgh Quartet, and two organ-accompanied closing works.
Is this recording still available to buy?
Yes, Linn's catalogue number CKD383 and Coro's COR16096 remain findable through classical retailers. We don't run an in-house shop, so we link out to Amazon and Discogs below.
