MacMillan's passion for rituals

West vs. East

Phôs for vocal ensemble, strings and brass was first performed in Salzburg in 2024. Briton Mark Simpson does not shy away from contemporary political and social themes, but here he moves on a more spiritual plane. In Stravinsky's short Symphony for Winds, a fascinating exploration of unusual harmonies, you hear only wood and brass. In Stravinsky's - Catholic - Mass there are echoes of the Western Renaissance, although in the singing style one can also hear influences of Russian Orthodox music.

MacMillan's 'Seven Last Words'

Seven Last Words from the Cross by Scotsman James MacMillan is a particularly contrasting work in which the ferocity of emotions alternates with reflective sections. The seven last sentences of Jesus are fragments of text from various gospels. Haydn also wrote music for them, while the "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani" (My God, why hast thou forsaken me?) is known from Bach, whose chorales occasionally appear as echoes here. MacMillan's "Eli" growls upward from the depths.