Ancrene Wisse (2002)

Stuart MacRae's 'Ancrene Wisse', for Soprano, Women's Voices and Orchestra, based on a 13th-Century text, demonstrated that at least one young British composer is capable of grasping the essence of new music…'Ancrene Wisse' is a significant addition to last year's outstanding Violin Concerto. It is completely fluent in the language of new music and communicated powerfully with a large and enthusiastic audience.

Among the weekend's premieres, Stuart MacRae's 'Ancrene Wisse' stood out for its brilliantly imaginative writing. An evocative score inspired by a 13th-century spiritual guidance manual, it sets Middle English texts for soprano (the pure-toned Julie Moffat) and female chorus, and the BBCSSO's performance evoked all its extreme contrasts.