Page 173 - FINAL_The Sixteen Coverage Book 40th Anniversary Year

27 March 2019

The Sixteen and Harry Christophers CBE give world premiere of Sir
James MacMillan’s Symphony No.5 Le grand inconnu at Edinburgh

International Festival

The Sixteen and Harry Christophers CBE, with Genesis Sixteen and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, are to
give the world premiere performance of Sir James MacMillan’s Symphony No. 5 Le grand inconnu at the
Edinburgh International Festival on Saturday 17 August 2019 at the Usher Hall. Commissioned by the
Genesis Foundation for Christophers and the choir, the work is a meditation on the mystery of the Holy
Spirit and has been written specifically for double choir. This collaboration is a continuation of The
Sixteen’s close relationship with both the award-winning composer and the Genesis Foundation. To
complete the programme, MacMillan himself conducts his Symphony No.2 and the concert is being
recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Christophers and the choir also give the London premiere of
Le grand inconnu on 14 October 2019 at Barbican Hall with Britten Sinfonia.

The performance forms part of the International Festival’s celebration of MacMillan’s 60th birthday and is
also a part of The Sixteen’s anniversary marking 40 years since a group of singers and instrumentalists
brought together by Christophers gave their first concerts as The Sixteen.
Sir James MacMillan says: ‘I feel very proud that a focus on my music is taking place in my home country
and at a festival which I’ve loved since I was a teenager. The festival premiered my first opera Inés de
Castro in 1996 and I’m delighted that my latest work, my fifth symphony, will be unveiled in Edinburgh this
summer alongside other performances of my work. It is always a delight to be invited to write music for
Harry Christophers and his incredible choristers, particularly when they are celebrating a milestone
anniversary.’
Harry Christophers says: ‘James’ music has been a major part of The Sixteen’s journey and it is so special
that we get to give the world premiere of such an important work in his home country, in our 40th year.
Without the constant and abundant support of the Genesis Foundation and John Studzinski, the
contemporary choral repertoire would be much less vibrant so all our thanks to them for enabling this
concert.’

John Studzinski CBE, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation says: 'The Holy Spirit has rarely,
and arguably never successfully, been fully explored in a symphony. As the metaphysical part of the Holy
Trinity it represents a far bigger challenge for composers than a musical representation of an actual event
such as the crucifixion. But few subjects deserve to be expressed in the uniquely powerful and emotional
form of an orchestral symphony more than the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a form of initiation
that brings us closer to God and the gift of his love. The Holy Spirit resides is us all once we accept God in
our lives and is a deeply personal way of connecting to him and understanding his purpose for us. James
MacMillan is the world’s leading composer of sacred music whose commitment to God and to Christ his son
have informed his compositions from the beginning of his career. Everyone at the Genesis Foundation is
impatient to hear the results of his tackling this profound subject that’s central to belief and to watch as its
power is transmitted around the world in future performances and recordings.'

As part of the International Festival’s Queen’s Hall Series, Christophers and the Choir also perform their
programme A Golden Age, a selection of Italian and Portuguese Baroque music, on Thursday 15 August.
Whilst in the city, they also perform at a mass on Sunday 18 August at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral,
presided by Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols.

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