MacMillan: One Equal Music (2019)

Composer James MacMillan has become extraordinarily popular since coming on the scene in the early 1990s, and listeners can choose from various ways of performing and presenting his music. A newcomer on the MacMillan scene is the London choir the Elysian Singers under director Sam Laughton. One Equal Music (the title comes from John Donne, and the rainbow flag on the cover does not signify anything about gay rights) is the Singers' second MacMillan album, following on Cantos Sagrados. That release exposed more of the ... Read More

Composer James MacMillan has become extraordinarily popular since coming on the scene in the early 1990s, and listeners can choose from various ways of performing and presenting his music. A newcomer on the MacMillan scene is the London choir the Elysian Singers under director Sam Laughton. One Equal Music (the title comes from John Donne, and the rainbow flag on the cover does not signify anything about gay rights) is the Singers' second MacMillan album, following on Cantos Sagrados. That release exposed more of the political strain in MacMillan's music, but otherwise One Equal Music could serve as a strong choice for listeners wanting to sample MacMillan's music. These are mostly recent works, and they explore his response to texts. He is something like a less sentimental, less conventional John Rutter, and like Rutter, he is a wide reader and imaginative text-setter. The strongest influence is MacMillan's Catholic faith, and there are several Latin settings. However, there are also secular pieces,... Read Less