Damian Thompson Damian Thompson

An intimate, lucid and unforgettable new James MacMillan work

How one of the smallest but brightest jewels in the MacMillan collection went a little way towards reconciling me to the loss of my sister

Carmel Thompson as a young girl, photographed by her father 
issue 09 July 2022
  • Comments

On Tuesday night I was at the world première of a motet by Sir James MacMillan and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more haunting piece of music.

It begins in half-light, with pinpricks from the organ so widely spaced that you could be listening to a forbidding tone row from the Second Viennese School.

GIF Image

Disagree with half of it, enjoy reading all of it

TRY A MONTH FREE
Our magazine articles are for subscribers only. Try a month of Britain’s best writing, absolutely free.

Read next

Trending

Mark Galeotti

Victory Day has been a good day for Vladimir Putin

It was almost like old times, but also a sign of the new. Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day parade passed off without a hitch, rumbling and squeaking with armour, untroubled by Ukrainian drones, and watched over by foreign leaders there in a sign of support. Yet the efforts made to ensure the parade ran smoothly, the

More on catholicism

Also by Damian Thompson

Latest

Comments

Join the debate, free for a month

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first month free.

Already a subscriber? Log in