Christopher Maltman baritone
London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis

When Sir Colin Davis was asked to select a composer to write a new work for his 80th birthday he chose James MacMillan. MacMillan had previously considered writing a passion and used the opportunity of the commission to produce a setting based on the Gospel of St John.

The result is a highly dramatic passion, fusing MacMillan’s own Catholic faith, compositional style and musical influences with the long tradition of settings for the passion of Christ in both the Catholic and Lutherean faiths. In addition to the choir and orchestra, MacMillan uses a small choir of professional singers to provide the narration and a solitary baritone soloist to portray Christus.

Concert reviews:

‘a blazing blockbuster, a piece as fiercely communicative as anything the 48-year-old MacMillan has written before … Davis gripped this new challenge with ease.'