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James MacMillan: Tenebrae
Cappella Nova
Alan Tavener, Conductor
Linn Records CKD 301 (2007; 70'19'')
By now I'm sure that most Choral Journal readers are familiar with the music of James MacMillan. The Scottish composer burst onto the international scene in the 1990's with works such as The Confession of Isabel Gowdie, The Seven Last Words from the Cross, and The Tryst. Since that time, MacMillan has built a catalogue of more than 70 published works and nearly 50 recordings, firmly securing his place as one of the most prolific and sought-after composers working today.
The new release Tenebrae, by the Scottish chamber choir Cappella Nova conducted by Alan Tavener, is a superb addition to the catalogue of MacMillan recordings. The works presented on the recording-seven of the ten Strathclyde Motets, the introit "Give me Justice," the Missa Brevis and the three Tenebrae Responsories-represent some of MacMillan's most recent contributions. And yet the Missa Brevis has a retrospective aspect as well. MacMillan originally composed the work when he was just seventeen, which marks it as one of his earliest choral works, predating even his first published choral composition, his Beatus Vir, by some seven years. The result is a disc that inhabits, and finds artistic...