Search - Colin Currie :: MACMILLAN: Veni, Veni Emmanuel / Tryst

Strong Pieces, Performances

kamus | United States | 05/02/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"MacMillan shows his mettle (and his metal) in the prize winning "Veni, Veni" recorded here. 21st century classical music seems in good hands on the evidence of these pieces- like Ades, Davies, Corigliano and a few others, MacMillan has at his service the entire range of techniques, both tonal and atonal, from the musics of the past. His music is unafraid to express humour as well- a quality, all to often, absent in a lot of contemporary music. "Veni" is a percussion concerto and, although obviously a challenging piece, Currie gives an exciting reading which serves the piece well. "Tryst" is a piece for orchestra based on a melody that has apparently haunted Macmillan for some time- I wasn't quite as haunted though I did enjoy it enough to resolve to give it another listen. All in all, this is a satisfying collection of work by one of our most talented contemporary composers.
Recommended."