Known for his orchestral, operatic and choral works, James MacMillan (b. 1959) appeals across the spectrum of contemporary music making.James MacMillan appeals across the spectrum of contemporary music making and is particularly celebrated for his orchestral, operatic and choral pieces. This book, published in time to mark the composer's sixtieth birthday, is thefirst in-depth look at his life, work and aesthetic. From his beginnings in rural Ayrshire and his early work with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, through the international breakthrough success of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie,the continuing success of works such as the percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmaneul and his choral pieces, to his current position as one of the most prominent British composers of his generation, the book explores MacMillan's compositional influences over time. It looks closely at his most significant works and sets them in a wider context defined by contemporary composition, culture and the arts in general. The book also considers MacMillan's strong Catholic faith and how this has influenced his work, along with his politics and his on-going relationship with Scottish nationalism. With the support of the composer and his publisher and unprecedented access to interviews and previously unpublished materials, the book not only provides an appraisal of MacMillan's work but also insights into what it means to be a prominent composer and artist in the twenty-first century. PHILLIP A. COOKE is a Composer and Senior Lecturer and Head of Music at the University of Aberdeen. He has previously co-edited The Music of Herbert Howells for Boydell.

The Keening - Cumnock, Edinburgh and DurhamThe Tryst - Glasgow and the road to Isobel GowdieScots Songs - The Confession of Isobel Gowdie, Tuireadh and Veni, Veni, EmmanuelA Different World - Visitatio Sepulchri, Seven Last Words from the Cross and Inés de CastroChanged - Triduum and QuickeningRaising Sparks - 'Scotland's Shame', politics and A Scotch BestiaryA New Song - Mass and MacMillan's choral renaissanceAfter Virtue - Symphony No. 3, The Sacrifice and the St John PassionSerenity - Violin Concerto, Clemency and the St Luke PassionTu es Petrus - Bellahouston Park and the return to CumnockList of Works and RecordingsBibliographyIndex