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 ...
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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...
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