1990
City of Culture & MacMillan’s The Confession of Isobel Gowdie
7 January
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Takuo Yuasa, performed Berlioz’s Te Deum at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow as one of the main opening events of Glasgow’s year as City of Culture.
22 August
No one who heard the 1990 Proms premiere (and BBC Commission by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra) will forget its impact - a bold new Scottish voice speaking with uncompromising emotional power. Inspired by the Scottish witch trials (15th–18th centuries), in which nearly 4,000 people were accused and tried, the work tells the story of Isobel Gowdie from the village of Auldearn, tortured and executed for alleged witchcraft. MacMillan describes it as the "triumph of good over evil...the Requiem that Isobel Gowdie never had."
Since its world premiere, the BBC SSO has performed Isobel Gowdie across Scotland and around the world, from Rome to Frankfurt and Birmingham, and has performed a total of nearly 40 compositions by Sir James MacMillan. Most recently, the work was performed again in 20 November 2025 at Glasgow City Halls, conducted by Martyn Brabbins, with the composer in attendance.
14 November
One of the major events of Glasgow’s year as City of Culture - and sold out months in advance – the American soprano Jessye Norman appeared at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Alexander Gibson. The occasion was selected by The Scotsman newspaper in its 2007 feature '20 Greatest Scottish classical musical events of all time'.
1990: The World Premiere of James MacMillan's The Confession of Isobel Gowdie
The SSO perform the Scottish composer's extraordinary piece at the Royal Albert Hall
