It’s a brave thing, to compose a Christmas Oratorio when you’re not Bach: the comparisons between his genius and yours are likely to be awkward, and not many in the course of music history have been prepared to risk it. Saint-Saëns tried – congratulations are in order if you’ve heard the piece, it’s rarely done. And in the 1940s Britten toyed with the idea, but reconsidered when the text produced by Auden for the purpose turned out to be inappropriate.
But last month saw the UK premiere of a Christmas Oratorio by James MacMillan. Like the coming of the Saviour it addressed, the piece was long-expected: it had been delayed by Covid. A good turnout at the Festival Hall indicated the significance of the event. And what we heard – from the LPO and Chorus under Mark Elder, with soloists Lucy Crowe and Roderick Williams – was astonishing, not least for the sheer courage with which MacMillan approached a hard task.
