Album Review: Christopher Gordon - Macbeth
30 minutes ago
9 min read
Written: 25th October 2026
Originally commissioned as a full-length ballet for the Royal New Zealand Ballet and West Australian Ballet, Macbeth presents a suite drawn from Christopher Gordon’s acclaimed score, reimagined as a standalone listening experience. Featuring an extraordinary international cast of musicians, it blends progressive rock, contemporary orchestral writing and jazz into a cinematic soundscape. As a fan of rock and classical music as well as Shakespeare, this was an interesting and quite different album to receive for review. Christopher Gordon shared, “It has been an extraordinary and uplifting experience to work with such incredible musicians on this deep epic tale and I am thrilled that the album can finally go out into the world.”
Opening with The Battle Lost and Won, we are immediately drawn into a haunting, unsettling world where the Magic Fire Orchestra’s orchestral grandeur collides with the muscularity of progressive rock. Following a brief, ominous introduction that evokes the calm before the storm, the music erupts into a maelstrom of urgent, jagged strings, conjuring images of swords clashing in the heat of combat. Randy McStine, whose recent work with Steven Wilson complements an extensive catalogue of solo and collaborative projects, adds further firepower with some incisive lead guitar work. Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Steve Hackett) propels the music forward with his restless bass lines, while pianist Benjamin Kopp injects flashes of virtuosity, his fleet-fingered runs adding to the sense of pandemonium and unpredictability. Underpinning this instrumental interplay is the superb drumming of Gavin Harrison, whose rhythmic ingenuity needs little introduction to followers of progressive rock. The shifting time signatures and intricate interplay are a reminder that, while the orchestral elements provide much of the tension, this is no exercise in classical music with a rock accompaniment bolted on. Rather, the two disciplines are intricately entwined, each bringing something distinctive to the composition.
The piece draws on the opening act of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, echoing the witches’ famous declaration, “When the battle’s lost and won”, while reflecting the bloody conflict in which Macbeth distinguishes himself as a formidable warrior in King Duncan’s service. As an opening statement, it sets the scene for what is to come, demonstrating just how well these two musical worlds can work together. After all, the orchestra was arguably the original heavy metal band, and here its theatrical possibilities are amplified by the rhythmic complexity of progressive rock. It is a powerful and engaging opener that makes it remarkably easy to picture the unfolding conflict, while showing that the marriage of orchestral music and progressive rock can be a very fruitful one indeed.
This Night’s Great Business takes a rather different direction, embracing jazz, swing and big-band influences in a lively, almost brash passage that has an unmistakably dance-like quality. There is plenty of opportunity for the musicians to stretch their legs, with trumpet from Simon Sweeney, clarinet and alto saxophone from Mark Taylor, trombone from Anthony Kable and bass trombone from Colin Burrows all taking centre stage at various points. The playing is undeniably impressive, although, as a fan of progressive rock, I find the faster sections far less appealing, with their distinctly big-band character taking me well outside my musical comfort zone. However, that is very much a personal preference and there is no denying the technical ability on display.
The slower, more reflective middle section, with Jonas Reingold’s bass and Gavin Harrison’s swinging drum patterns, creates a markedly different mood altogether. There is a welcome change of pace here, allowing the music to breathe before the livelier jazz motifs return. The contrast between the two approaches proves effective, even if I find myself drawn more towards the subtler moments than the exuberance of the faster sections. The title comes from Lady Macbeth’s words to her husband after she learns that King Duncan will be visiting their castle: “This night’s great business” is the task she intends to take into her own hands. Having seized upon the witches’ prophecy as an opportunity to secure the crown, she begins plotting Duncan’s assassination, while Macbeth remains troubled by the moral consequences of murdering his king and guest. This movement captures that transition from ambition to conspiracy, with the contrasting musical moods reflecting the uneasy territory into which the Macbeths are venturing.
If It Were Done takes its title from Macbeth’s soliloquy as he considers whether to murder Duncan. “If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well / It were done quickly.” Macbeth recognises that killing Duncan would violate his duties as a subject, host and kinsman, while understanding that violence can have consequences extending far beyond the immediate act. Initially deciding against the murder, he is eventually persuaded by Lady Macbeth’s relentless questioning of his courage and determination. Played by a string octet (four violins, two violas and two cellos), there is a beautiful richness to the music as it moves through a range of emotions that mirror the scattered thoughts of its protagonist. The interplay between the eight musicians possesses an understated majesty. The stately second section particularly highlights the doubts running through Macbeth’s mind, while the shifts between the quicker passages, the deep, slow notes of the cello and the foreboding tones that haunt much of the composition are perfectly suited to this stage of the tragedy. One of the album’s most beautiful pieces, it captures Macbeth’s inner turmoil with subtlety.
Night’s Black Agents is comprised of three distinct segments. The first, Howled Out in the Desert Air, is a short but thoroughly entertaining heavy prog rock extravaganza featuring Marcel Coenen (Ayreon) on guitar, Jonas Reingold on bass, Gavin Harrison on drums and Christopher Gordon on synths. Coenen delivers an amazing guitar solo and it’s moments like this that will have prog rock fans most excited. There is a sense of desolation and isolation to the music, as though Macbeth’s ambition is separating him from his former self.
The middle section, The Night Is Long, brings in the Magic Fire Orchestra, with the interplay between the brass section and Joshua Hill’s well-judged timpani playing particularly effective. A palpable sense of menace hangs over the music, evoking the mounting psychological torment of Macbeth’s increasingly violent reign.
The final part, Night’s Black Agents, features Randy McStine alongside Reingold and Harrison in a very King Crimson-esque style. Taking its title from Macbeth’s words in Act III, Scene 2 - “Good things of day begin to droop and drowse, / While night’s black agents to their preys do rouse” - it reflects his preparations to have Banquo murdered and just how far he has travelled from the honourable warrior introduced at the beginning of the play. The music captures an uncomfortable situation that is already rapidly getting out of control. Across all three sections, there is a twisted malevolence that is beautifully realised, and the album is all the better for exploring this darker territory.
At over eleven minutes long, The Banquet is the centrepiece of the album and its most varied movement, moving between jazz, orchestral prog and intensely dark passages. It is among the play’s most dramatic turning points. Having arranged Banquo’s murder, Macbeth hosts a feast for the Scottish nobility, only to see Banquo’s ghost occupying his place at the table. His visible distress alarms the guests, who cannot see the apparition, while Lady Macbeth attempts to explain away his erratic behaviour. The scene juxtaposes the splendour of a royal banquet with Macbeth’s growing psychological disintegration as the consequences of his actions begin to overwhelm him.
Musically, the shifts in atmosphere make the narrative surprisingly easy to follow. There are passages where the arrival of Banquo’s ghost seems almost tangible, with unsettling sounds reinforcing the isolation of Macbeth as the only person who can see the apparition. The patient, extended central section is particularly effective, gradually building a sense of mounting unease, while the excellent Cantillation choir adds some beautifully eerie vocal textures. The music’s conclusion leaves Macbeth on the brink of losing control, capturing a man whose attempts to secure his throne have instead brought him to the edge of madness. It is an absorbing and deeply disquieting highlight of the album.
Bringing further variety to the album, Something Wicked This Way Comes takes its title from the Second Witch’s words as Macbeth approaches. “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” Having returned to the witches in search of further prophecies, Macbeth’s growing appetite for certainty only strengthens his arrogance and sets him further along the path towards his downfall. The music opens with Jonas Reingold’s exploratory bass, before the long bow strokes of the strings begin to draw out the tension. There is something wonderfully cinematic about the way the arrangement develops, with each new layer adding to the sense of anticipation. It gives the Magic Fire Orchestra ample opportunity to demonstrate its range, bringing genuine grandeur to the arrangement. The strings provide a sweeping backdrop, while the gradual expansion of the arrangement gives the music a real sense of forward momentum.
The return of the Cantillation choir adds another dimension, its voices becoming integral as the music builds towards a towering climax. The result is both dramatic and richly textured, capturing the magnitude of Macbeth’s encounter with the witches and the dangerous confidence their predictions inspire. For all the album’s impressive variety, this is one of its absolute highlights and, for me, its finest orchestral composition.
Out, Damned Spot finds Lady Macbeth overwhelmed by guilt as she sleepwalks, imagining that her hands are still stained with the blood of Duncan and desperately attempting to wash them clean. Once so determined to suppress her husband’s conscience and push him towards murder, she is now unable to escape the psychological consequences of their actions. Musically, Gordon takes a strikingly restrained approach, making this the album’s most sparsely orchestrated composition. A solo viola, exquisitely played by Richard Waters, carries the entire movement, its rich, expressive tones conveying a profound fragility. There is a forlorn, melancholic quality to the music, with the exposed arrangement allowing every subtle change in phrasing to register. Waters moves between delicate passages and more impassioned moments, capturing the turmoil beneath Lady Macbeth’s desperate attempts to regain control. Gordon shows considerable confidence in allowing the music to speak for itself, resisting the temptation to introduce additional layers or dramatic flourishes. The result is an intimate and deeply moving interpretation of one of the play’s most tragic moments, with the viola’s plaintive voice reflecting a woman who has finally been broken by the guilt she once seemed able to dismiss.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow takes its title from Macbeth’s famous soliloquy following news of Lady Macbeth’s death, with Michael Mills delivering the words in a deep, aggressive tone. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day / To the last syllable of recorded time; / And all our yesterdays have lighted fools / The way to dusty death. / Out, out, brief candle! / Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage / And then is heard no more. / It is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury / Signifying nothing. It is the only track on the album to feature spoken dialogue, and somehow this feels entirely fitting for its closing statement.
Musically, the introductory guitar solo from Greg Howe sets the scene, his fluid playing giving way to an arrangement in which rock and orchestra continually intertwine. The music conveys Macbeth’s further descent into despair, with Howe’s virtuosity providing an absorbing contrast to the sombre mood. Randy McStine adds more distant guitar textures, while Jonas Reingold and Gavin Harrison bring their own distinctive character to the rhythm section. The strings gradually gather strength, joined by the Cantillation choir, until the arrangement becomes cathedral-like in scale. The climax is all the more effective for the sudden halt that follows, leaving a moment of stillness before a final, chilling chord and harsh, scratching strings brings everything crashing down, a fitting musical counterpart to the collapse of Macbeth’s world. The sound gradually fades over the course of a minute until nothing but silence remains.
With Macbeth, Christopher Gordon refuses to treat progressive rock, orchestral music and jazz as separate entities that merely take turns in the spotlight. There are certainly moments where one discipline assumes greater prominence than the others, but the album's greatest strength lies in how naturally these different musical languages coexist and interact. Progressive rock enthusiasts will inevitably be drawn by the presence of musicians such as Gavin Harrison, Jonas Reingold, Randy McStine and Marcel Coenen, whilst those with a passion for orchestral music, ballet or Shakespeare will find just as much to admire.
Familiarity with the play undoubtedly adds an extra layer of appreciation, helping illuminate some of the narrative and emotional nuances embedded within the score, but it is by no means essential. As a purely musical experience, Macbeth stands comfortably on its own merits. Nevertheless, it certainly will not be for everyone. It is not always an easy listen, demanding concentration rather than immediate accessibility, yet those willing to invest the time will discover a richly layered work that gradually reveals more of itself. Drawing together progressive rock, jazz, orchestral music, ballet and literature into something genuinely cohesive is no small achievement. Gordon accomplishes this with remarkable assurance. Theatrical. Ambitious. Rewarding.
Macbeth is released on 30th October 2026
Christopher Gordon online
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