Album

Listeners familiar with Scottish composer James MacMillan through such acclaimed works as The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (1990) or the Seven Last Words from the Cross (1993) may suspect that his music is usually somber and more than a little dour; indeed, his religious and politically themed pieces are quite earnest, and have given some the feeling that it might do MacMillan good to lighten up. Well, he has, though perhaps not to the point where his music is genuinely lighthearted or funny, though that appears to be the intention in his variations for organ and orchestra, A Scotch Bestiary (2003-2004). These characterizations of animals, organized into two unequal movements—I. The menagerie, caged, and II. The menagerie, uncaged—have a sharp, satirical edge that keeps the listener alert for stylistic references and quotations. But there is little obvious in MacMillan's music, and unless one is fully aware of the humans he is mocking (i.e., types well-known in Scotland and presumably identifiable elsewhere) the musical jokes fall flat. Because of its veiled allusions and unduly harsh music—rarely tonal, and stridently dissonant in many spots—this piece is not a light zoological frolic in the vein of Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals, and buyers should beware. The Piano Concerto No. 2 (1999, 2003), which has been choreographed as a ballet, is an energetic work that evokes both Celtic dances and minimalism in an odd mixture of vigorous rhythms and hypnotic repetitions; the kinetic opening of the piece is balanced with soft reflections for the strings in the slow middle movement, and comic parodies in the closing movement. Because of its tunefulness and rhythmic vitality, this work is actually more fun than A Scotch Bestiary, and demonstrates that MacMillan can be quite witty after all. Wayne Marshall's virtuosic playing of both the organ and the piano is interesting to hear and compare, and the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by the composer, is vibrant, colorful, and focused in these excellent-sounding premiere recordings.

© Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

CD 1
James MacMillan Composer A Scotch Bestiary, for organ & orchestra Work Recorded 2004 33:27 Wayne Marshall Organ, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, James MacMillan Conductor
1	1.The menagerie, caged. The book is opened. Andante -	1:28			$0.99
2	1.The menagerie, caged. 1. Ode to a cro-magnon hyena. Adagio -	2:33			$0.99
3	1.The menagerie, caged. 2. Reptiles and Big Fish (in a small pond). Largo - Andante - Largo - Anda	0:42			$0.99
4	1.The menagerie, caged. A page is turned. Tempo I -	1:57			$0.99
5	1.The menagerie, caged. 3. Her Serene and Ubiquitous Majesty, Queen Bee. Senza misura. Prestissimo	2:10			$0.99
6	1.The menagerie, caged. Another page is turned. Tempo I -	0:57			$0.99
7	1.The menagerie, caged. 4. The red-handed, no-surrender, howler monkey. [] - Tempo di marcia -	1:36			$0.99
8	1.The menagerie, caged. 5. Uncle Tom Cat and his Chickens. Adagio -	2:00			$0.99
9	1.The menagerie, caged. Yet another page is turned. Tempo I -	0:41			$0.99
10	1.The menagerie, caged. 6. Scottish Patriots. [] - [] - Maestoso -	2:11			$0.99
11	1.The menagerie, caged. 7. The Reverend Cuckoo and his Parroting Chorus. [] -	1:34			$0.99
12	1.The menagerie, caged. 8. Jackass Hackass. Prestissimo possibile (moto perpetuo) -	1:41			$0.99
13	1.The menagerie, caged. The book is closed. Tempo I -	1:29			$0.99
14	2.The menagerie, uncaged. Andante - [] - Meno mosso - [] - Largamente - [] - Adagio - [] - Adagio	12:28			$1.99
James MacMillan Composer Piano Concerto No.2, for piano & string orchestra (In memoriam Edwin Muir) Work Recorded 2005 29:56 Wayne Marshall Piano, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, James MacMillan Conductor
15	1.cumnock fair. Fast	12:08			$1.99
16	2.shambards. quarter note equals c. 60	7:59			$1.49
17	3.shamnation. Allegro (Tempo di Reel)	9:49			$1.49