MacMillan’s Stabat mater is performed in Ely Cathedral

11 November 2019

Two days after its North American premiere, James MacMillan’s Stabat mater was performed in the imposing surroundings of Ely Cathedral on 9 November 2019.

While the work received its world premiere in the Barbican, followed by a performance in the Sistine Chapel, this is the first time that the Stabat mater has been performed in a cathedral setting. For MacMillan, “beauty is at the heart of our Christian faith” and his Stabat mater has been profoundly shaped by his beliefs – it is his personal response to what is unquestionably the most powerful poem of the liturgy.

The work was performed by Harry Christophers and The Sixteen and Britten Sinfonia, who also gave the North American premiere of the work.

To find out more about MacMillan’s Stabat mater, as well as his other Genesis Foundation commissions, click here.

To watch the video recording of the performance in the Sistine Chapel, click here.