Stabat Mater commissions receive Scottish premiere at The Cumnock Tryst

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

On Thursday 2 October 2014 Harry Christophers and The Sixteen open the inaugural Cumnock Tryst festival in Scotland, performing the Scottish premieres of the three Genesis Foundation Stabat Mater commissions by Alissa Firsova,  Matthew Martin and Tõnu Kõrvits. The sold-out concert also includes James MacMillan’s Miserere and works by the Renaissance composer John Sheppard in the beautiful setting of St John’s Church.

The Cumnock Tryst festival was set up by James MacMillan with support from individuals and organisations including the Genesis Foundation in order to bring some of the world’s greatest musicians into churches and halls in James’s hometown of Cumnock.

The Stabat Mater commissions by the three composers received their world premieres in June 2014 at a free lunchtime concert at LSO St Luke’s as part of the Genesis Foundation’s 2014 Stabat Mater commissioning programme.  James MacMillan’s role in the Stabat Mater project was to mentor the three composers. Working alongside Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan, they workshopped the commissions with Genesis Sixteen, The Sixteen’s young artists’ ensemble, and held a workshop linked to The Sixteen’s wider educational work. Both events reflected the Genesis Foundation’s aim for the project; to commission choral works that can be sung by amateur choirs across the country and to generate a broader debate about the many meanings of the Stabat Mater.

The three Stabat Maters by Alissa Firsova, Matthew Martin and Tõnu Kõrvits are due for CD release on The Sixteen’s label CORO next month.

Although sold-out, further tickets for tomorrow’s concert may be released through the box office. For more details on the concert and the Cumnock Tryst click here.

To find out more about the Genesis Foundation’s Stabat Mater project click here.