From Amazon.com
At his best, James MacMillan manages to write music of religious or spiritual inspiration that is never saccharine, tacky, or insipid, and that both challenges and rewards the serious listener. In this respect, he resembles Messaien--though his style is somewhat less difficult--in that he has found a coherent musical language to express his concerns that works first and foremost purely as music. The two works recorded here represent his style well. They form the first two parts of an orchestral trilogy called
Tridium, said by the composer to be inspired by the story of Easter. This is heavy stuff, but what makes it all worthwhile is the fact that you don't have to know any of this to enjoy these works as two superb additions to the modern repertoire for English horn and cello, respectively. In this respect
The World's Ransoming really stands out, English horn concertos being very rare, and this one being superbly written for the solo instrument (and beautifully performed here). It's always rewarding to see a young composer writing ambitious scores such as these with such confidence, and being supported by excellent performers and a dedicated record label. Definitely worth a listen.
--David Hurwitz
