MacMillan: Mass and other sacred music

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Martin Baker, in his CD debut as master of music, strikes sparks from the Westminster choir in a set of gripping performances which still sound freshly minted. — BBC Music Magazine, September 2022 More…

Catalogue No: CDA67219
Label: Hyperion
Length: 65 minutes

Gramophone Magazine

June 2001

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MacMillan: A New Song

Work length4:49

$1.10

$1.50

Andrew Reid (organ)
Westminster Cathedral Choir
Martin Baker

MacMillan: Mass

Work length34:59

$7.70

$10.50

Jonathan Brown (bass), Andrew Reid (organ), Robert Macdonald (bass)
Westminster Cathedral Choir
Martin Baker

I. Kyrie

Track length6:21

$1.10

$1.50

II. Gloria

Track length6:06

$1.10

$1.50

III. Alleluia

Track length1:34

$1.10

$1.50

IV. Sursum corda and Preface

Track length2:27

$1.10

$1.50

V. Sanctus and Benedictus

Track length4:32

$1.10

$1.50

VI. Eucharistic Prayer II and Acclamations

Track length8:48

$1.10

$1.50

VII. Agnus Dei

Track length5:11

$1.10

$1.50

MacMillan: Christus Vincit

Work length6:09

$1.10

$1.50

David de Winter (treble)
Westminster Cathedral Choir
Martin Baker

MacMillan: Gaudeamus in loci pace

Work length6:40

$1.10

$1.50

Andrew Reid (organ)

MacMillan: Seinte Mari Moder Milde

Work length5:53

$1.10

$1.50

Andrew Reid (organ)
Westminster Cathedral Choir
Martin Baker

MacMillan: A Child's Prayer

Work length3:47

$1.10

$1.50

Westminster Cathedral Choir
Martin Baker

MacMillan: Changed

Work length3:11

$1.10

$1.50

Andrew Reid (organ)
Westminster Cathedral Choir
Martin Baker

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The major work on this recording is the Mass. This was commissioned by Westminster Cathedral and was first performed on the Feast of Corpus Christi in 2000. MacMillan has chosen vernacular text rather than the Latin Mass and builds on the tradition of modern vernacular choral settings espoused by Britten with his Missa Brevis, also written for Westminster Cathedral. Gaudeamus in loci pace is the first substantial organ work in MacMillan's output and appears to also have a connection with the Cathedral in that it was written for the Scottish organist Joseph Cullen, a former Assistant Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral. Many of the pieces on this recording have been commissioned by well-known choirs such as St Paul's Cathedral and King's College, Cambridge. The singing throughout is of the great standard we have come to expect from this choir. The use of soaring treble lines (such as in Christus vincit) is particularly special. This is the first recording of Westminster under their new Master of Music, Martin Baker. All of the works are premiere recordings and the disc is sure to be popular with followers of James MacMillan's music and The Choir of Westminster Cathedral alike.

Reviews

September 2022

Martin Baker, in his CD debut as master of music, strikes sparks from the Westminster choir in a set of gripping performances which still sound freshly minted.

2010

MacMillan's choral music is more often than not a direct response to his own Christian faith. The Mass recorded here was commissioned by Westminster Cathedral for the 'Glory of God in the Millennium Year of the Jubilee' and unlike MacMillan's two previous Masses, which were composed for congregational use, was specifically written for performance by a professional choir. It's through-composed and this provides a sense of structure, continuity and flow that greatly enhances its accessibility when heard out of context – on disc rather than celebrated. That MacMillan intended the Mass for practical use is apparent by his choice of vernacular rather than the Latin text. His often eclectic style is very much in evidence; the score glimmers with echoes of Howells and Duruflé, especially in the Kyrie and in his often quasi-orchestral organ writing, but in general it's MacMillan's individual voice that shapes this impressive and deeply felt setting. The Gloria contains some particularly effective music, not least some marvellously atmospheric organ writing, and the crepuscular Agnus Dei lingers in the mind long after the final notes die away. Of the remaining works on the disc, A New Song and A Child's Prayer (dedicated to the victims of the Dunblane tragedy) stand out as particularly fine examples of MacMillan's choral writing. As a bonus we're treated to the wonderfully translucent organ solo Gaudeamus in loci pace, beautifully performed by Andrew Reid. Performances throughout are exceptionally fine, the recorded sound radiantly atmospheric. A must.

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