IT is the perfect match of two talented mavericks: Scotland's most outspoken composer and the other one of the country's most reviled footballers.
James MacMillan, who made headlines for his speech damning ''Scotland's shame'' of religious bigotry, has written a classical piece for Neil Lennon, the Celtic midfielder.
It is an act of admiration for the combative player who appears to be as universally hated by opposition fans as he is adored by fans of the Hoops.
Rather like the player, the piece is relatively short, lasting only three minutes, and was written for solo piano.
MacMillan, a Celtic fan, wrote the piece, For Lennon, in admiration for the Northern Irish player who has suffered sectarian abuse off and on the pitch for his commitment to Celtic, this year's Scottish Premier League champions.
In an interview for The
Herald magazine, the com-poser said of the player: ''He fights back. I admire him so much. So I wrote the piece for him and it's in my catalogue.''
He added: ''It's been played in Oxford and London, though nobody really knows. It was a gesture of solidarity.'' Officially published in 2002, it was premiered at a recital at Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge last year.
MacMillan has also written a piece entitled 25 May, 1967, after the date when Celtic became the first British side to win the European Cup. He dedicated it to Jim Craig, one of the Lisbon Lions.
Last night, Lennon said of the work dedicated to him: ''I'm totally surprised and a little bit flattered that someone with such standing in the world of classical music should dedicate anything to me. I'll be honest, I had never head of James MacMillan but I've heard he's quite a distinguished figure.''
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