S44E07: Omnibus at the Proms: Sibelius's Violin Concerto and James MacMillan's The Confession of Isobel Gowdie

Synopsis

Witches are no longer burned at the stake, but 'witch-hunting tendencies can erupt in our own society'. So says James MacMillan whose work, inspired by the grisly events of 1662 - when Isobel Gowdie was burned as a witch - has its premiere at the Proms. Mark Wigglesworth, prize-winning conductor and a former student of MacMillan, introduces the programme. It also includes Sibelius's Violin Concerto, played by Korean Dong-Suk Kang with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jerzy Maksymiuk.