![]() ![]() ![]() He brings a richness of tone and precision of intonation that wouldn’t be out of place in Berlioz’s Harold in Italie or Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante and applies them to MacMillan’s idiom. Power’s command of the solo part fits like a glove. The finale, with its robust, athletic opening and tragic central section, builds to a climax that recalls the Scottish folk music that MacMillan is so fond of drawing upon, before culminating in an ecstatic, driving coda. In the second, there’s a gorgeous gymnopedie-esque waltz marked by falling glissandos that are interrupted by an abrasive, almost mechanical gesture. The first movement broods darkly and soulfully. Best, as conventional as the Concerto might appear, it’s never dull. MacMillan’s writing is imbued with its typically strong sense of dramatic shape and brims with virtuosity that never feels excessive or gratuitous. Its three movements are each motivically tight, structurally familiar, and formally clear. His Concerto is, essentially, a traditional piece. MacMillan’s 2013 Viola Concerto, out now in its debut recording and featuring dedicatee Lawrence Power in the solo part, is a magnificent addition to the repertoire. It’s been a good last hundred years or so for the viola: from William Walton and Belá Bartók to Miklós Rózsa and, now, James MacMillan, the instrument has been well served in the concerto genre. James MacMillan’s Viola Concerto is a magnificent addition to the repertoire the debut recording of Magnus Lindberg’s song cycle Accused leaves a bit to be desired a fetching, brilliant gathering of orchestral music by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. ![]()
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