The Sixteen, Britten Sinfonia, Harry Christophers - James MacMillan: Stabat Mater (2017) Hi-Res

This new setting of the Stabat mater was commissioned by The Sixteen, whose director, Harry Christophers, contributes an enthusiastic booklet essay in which he numbers Scottish composer James MacMillan among "a trio of truly great composers of sacred music," the other two being Victoria and Poulenc. This will certainly come as news to Bach lovers, but the performance benefits from sheer commitment. You might think that MacMillan in full, high-drama string orchestra mode wouldn't fit the smooth Sixteen, but it all works. Opening the program with the Stabat mater plainchant was an intelligent stroke, anchoring the listener, as it were, before the fireworks to come. MacMillan divides the poem into four large sections, each of which has its own internal development contrasting limpid tunes with tumultuous passages featuring such devices as choral slides. The Sixteen handle these expertly, and their rapport with the strings of the Britten Sinfonia is strong, and this is especially important: the work is built to an unusually large degree on orchestral commentary on the text, almost like a giant Schubert song. Much is made of MacMillan's Catholic faith and its role in his response to sacred texts, but this is in essence a large, public setting of the Stabat mater, and as such it is brought off successfully here. The sound environment of the Church of St. Augustine's, Kilburn, London, is ideal for this project: clear yet resonant and imposing. If you like MacMillan, you're especially likely to find this setting very satisfying.