The Late Doctor James Hunter produced the first and only pop-promo to ever accompany James MacMillan’s fabulous music, starring Capella Nova and the BT Ensemble.
What actually happened, was the BBC commissioned James MacMillan to write a piece of music to celebrate Easter Time.
What came out of that enlightened commission was one of Sir James’s greatest masterpiecescalled: ‘Seven Last Words from the Cross’ a cantata for double choir and string orchestra.
The BBC then commissioned James Hunter, former BBC Scotland controller, to produce a film to accompany MacMillan’s wonderful music and Jim asked me to direct the photography.
What a priviledge; Jim and I spent many hours round the piano in his Bearsden homeworking out ideas and how to express visually, James MacMillan’s evocative music.
I always left Jim’s home thinking I was working on something very special and in my own mind called it ‘Seven Last Words from the Cross – The Movie’
We shot the entire film in a disused church in the Gorbals. Which gave us some greatatmospheric visuals.
The seven episodes would be broadcast on seven consecutive nights during Holy Week which this year is 29th.March – Sun. 5th. April.
I think Broadcasting the original film interpretation of Sir James’s magic music on the abovedates would be a fitting tribute to my former collegue Jim Hunter, who recently passed away.
