Master of Silence - June 28, 2016
Sir James MacMillan of Scotland is in town to perform a premiere of his European Requiem but before that he conducted an extraordinary program tonight. We were enticed into his influence by Fingal's cave then everything became more and more insistent, clear, and particular to his abstract style. His influences include Britten and Schostakovich. Two of the pieces were his compositions and they are truly magnificently unique works of art.
He is a sound painter, a sculptor, creating edges and textures, as well as dynamic ranges that I have not heard before. And always beginning and ending in pure silence that made my ears vibrate. His larger piece, Sinfonia, was like Pictures at an Exhibition in that the visual painting of abstract color forms was alive and present for me with the surprise and specificity of his tone painting.
I am so looking forward to his next concert. I chose the photo below because his left hand is a dancer. He conducts with his entire body and the left hand dances.
He is a sound painter, a sculptor, creating edges and textures, as well as dynamic ranges that I have not heard before. And always beginning and ending in pure silence that made my ears vibrate. His larger piece, Sinfonia, was like Pictures at an Exhibition in that the visual painting of abstract color forms was alive and present for me with the surprise and specificity of his tone painting.
I am so looking forward to his next concert. I chose the photo below because his left hand is a dancer. He conducts with his entire body and the left hand dances.
 |
| Sir James MacMillan |
Comments