MacMillan: The World's Ransoming, The Confession of Isobel Gowdie

Featuring

Sir Colin Davis
Christine Pendrill
London Symphony Orchestra
James MacMillan

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Composer's Artistic Vision

All three works in James MacMillan's triptych, including The World's Ransoming, relate to the events and liturgies of the Easter Triduum: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil.

Composition History

James MacMillan's The World's Ransoming is the first of three interrelated works commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, forming a triptych.

Performer Biography

Christine Pendrill, the cor anglais player, was the first woman elected to the London Symphony Orchestra's Board of Directors, a role she held for three years.

Composer's Artistic Vision

James MacMillan's The Confession of Isobel Gowdie is intended as a 'Requiem' for Isobel Gowdie, a woman executed for witchcraft in 1662, offering her the mercy denied in life.

Recording & Production

This album features two live recordings from the Barbican, London: The World's Ransoming from 2003 and The Confession of Isobel Gowdie from 2007.

Historical Context

Between 1560 and 1707, approximately 4,500 Scots were executed for witchcraft, a significant increase from pre-Reformation times, with many victims being women.

Compositional Technique

The World's Ransoming includes musical references to plainsongs for Maundy Thursday, Pange lingua and Ubi caritas, as well as a Bach chorale (Ach wie nichtig).