MacMillan: The Confession of Isobel Gowdie, Tuireadh & The Exorcism of Rio Sumpúl

Featuring

Osmo Vänskä
Martin Fröst
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
James MacMillan

Did you know?

1/7

Composition History

Tuireadh (Gaelic for 'Lament'), a one-movement elegy by James MacMillan, was composed in response to the shocking explosion of the North Sea oil rig Piper Alpha.

Critical Reception

James MacMillan's The Confession of Isobel Gowdie received a triumphant ovation at its 1990 BBC Promenade Concert premiere, a reception rarely seen at a British premiere since Benjamin Britten's death.

Performer Biography

Martin Fröst, the clarinet soloist, has stretched the limits of traditional concert forms by collaborating creatively with dancers, mime artists, choreographers, directors, and light designers, inspiring contemporary composers.

Performer Biography

Osmo Vänskä, the conductor, began his career as a respected clarinettist with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra before winning the 1982 Besançon International Young Conductor's Competition.

Performer Biography

Martin Fröst, the clarinet soloist, won first prize at the Nordic Soloist Biennale in 1991 as the youngest instrumentalist ever, and was named 'Interpreter of the Year' by Opernwelt Yearbook in 1994.

Composer's Artistic Vision

MacMillan's The Confession of Isobel Gowdie was written as a 'Requiem' for Isobel Gowdie, a woman executed for alleged witchcraft in 1662, offering her the mercy and humanity she was denied.

Composition History

The Exorcism of Rio Sumpúl by James MacMillan was inspired by a 1986 helicopter attack by the El Salvadorian army on a village, where villagers performed a comic dance to exorcise the trauma.