Scottish Ensemble and Dunedin Consort to Tour James MacMillan's SEVEN LAST WORDS FROM THE FROM THE CROSS

Seven Last Words from the Cross is James MacMillan's setting of the dying words of Jesus Christ. Commissioned in 1994 by the BBC, SE gave the premiere performance of the work on live television across the seven consecutive nights of Easter Week that year. More than two decades later SE revisits the piece in its 50th anniversary year in collaboration with another leading Scottish group, Dunedin Consort, in Inverness, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and London. The tour is supported by Resonate, a PRS Foundation initiative in partnership with Association of British Orchestras, BBC Radio 3 and Boltini Trust.

Audiences are invited to enjoy moments of aching intensity, heart-rending beauty and raw, keening desolation, as they are guided through an experience that somehow manages to feel both intensely personal, and magnificently universal. Vivid and alive with the composer's distinctive style, strings combine with voices to create a truly chilling, brutal, beautiful, transcendent piece of music that boldly reaches out to its listener, whatever their beliefs.

The engrossing intensity and sheer emotional weight of MacMillan's landmark work is one of its most precious qualities; across 45 minutes, the listener is offered not so much a depiction of a religious scene, but the sense of a transformative experience that lingers long after the final note sounds. To capture and honour its power, this hour-long concert centres around this singular work, offering it the space it requires and deserves.

Celebrating Scottish Ensemble's 50th anniversary

Founded in 1969, today Scottish Ensemble (SE) is celebrated in Scotland as one of its most pioneering musical ensembles, across the UK as its leading professional string orchestra, and internationally as a group creating innovative new musical experiences. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, SE explores the story of how - and why - a small Scottish ensemble has become the internationally-regarded group it is today.

At the heart of this story is a distinctive style and identity that was strong in 1969, and even stronger today. Characterised by an adventurous spirit and high energy, Scottish Ensemble has always been committed to unusual performance formats and spaces and passionate about cross-genre, cross-artform collaboration. Regularly working with a wide variety of other creative minds and partners, from classical soloists to guests from outside the musical sphere, Scottish Ensemble blurs the boundaries between genres and forms, opening up classical music to new audiences as it does so.

In 2020 Scottish Ensemble continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary with a season of forward-thinking collaborative productions, concerts and participatory events that both look to the group's history, and celebrate its present personality. Having begun in August 2019 this celebration continues through until June 2020, with a season bursting with collaborators including visionary theatre makers Untitled Projects, social enterprise Social Bite, playwright Pamela Carter, violinist Marianne Thorsen and a new European festival of music for strings in Glasgow. Read the full season announcement here.

Quotes

Jonathan Morton, Scottish Ensemble's Artistic Director, said:

Performing The Seven Last Words is always a special occasion. When unleashed in a live performance, the power contained within the story and the music tends to induce deeply moving emotional experiences in performers and audiences alike. More than twenty five years after Scottish Ensemble first performed this masterpiece by James Macmillan, we are delighted to bring this unique live experience to audiences in Scotland and London.

John Butt, Dunedin Consort's Artistic Director, said:

I've seldom had the opportunity to celebrate the strength of Scottish music so comprehensively. Obviously, I'm used to Dunedin Consort in all its various wonderful forms, but add to this Scotland's premier string ensemble to perform one of the finest works of Scotland's leading composer, and I feel a particular thrill to be working in such a vibrant community.

Full programme (Scotland)

Carlo Gesualdo

O crux benedicta

Erkki-Sven Tüür

L'ombra della croce

James MacMillan

Seven Last Words From The Cross

Full programme (London)

Carlo Gesualdo

O crux benedicta

Erkki-Sven Tüür

L'ombra della croce

James MacMillan

Seven Last Words From The Cross

James MacMillan

For Sonny

Arvo Pärt

Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten

Jacobus Gallus

Filiae Jerusalem

INFORMATION

Thu 26 Mar at 7.30pm

Inverness Cathedral

Book online: http://bit.ly/2WVt8tW

Call 01463 234 234

Fri 27 Mar at 8pm

Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh

Book online: http://bit.ly/2FkkgrI

Call 0131 668 2019

Sat 28 Mar at 7.30pm

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow

Book online: http://bit.ly/2ZyJdqR

0141 332 5057

Sun 29 Mar at 8pm

V&A, Dundee

Book online: http://bit.ly/2IN3svw

01382 434 940

Tue 31 Mar at 7.30pm

Milton Court, London

Book online: http://bit.ly/2Kt2oPu

020 7638 8891