Page 182 - FINAL_The Sixteen Coverage Book 40th Anniversary Year

6 August 2019

Sir James MacMillan at 60: 'This piece is

exultant, mystical and joyful'

• Carol Main

credit: Hansvander Woerd

The Edinburgh International Festival marks the Ayrshire-
born composer's 60th birthday with a special series of

concerts

Even on the actual day of his 60th birthday, James MacMillan is working. Taking time out to
chat about the Edinburgh International Festival's celebration of his big 6-0, he puts on hold
writing the programme notes for his own Cumnock Tryst festival, which takes place in his
homeland of East Ayrshire.
But it's all in a day's work for a prolific composer in a year where he assumes an
exceptionally high public profile. 'It's been great so far,' he says, 'with some lovely events,
including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at Easter. Then there's the BBC Scottish
Symphony Orchestra at the Proms in August.' The BBC SSO play the work they premiered
there in 1990 and which was one of the first to propel MacMillan to fame. The Confession of
Isobel Gowdie has now had so many performances that no-one counts them anymore.
The Edinburgh International Festival, however, showcases his less frequently heard music,
along with the first performance of a highly significant new score. 'Although the choice was
basically the Festival's,' he says, 'we were pursuing the same line.' How that line manifests
itself is a range of music over five different performances.

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