Manchester Classical – Manchester Collective: The Body Electric
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Manchester Classical - Manchester Collective: The Body Electric
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
David Lang – Mystery Sonatas, mvt 1. Joy
J.S. Bach – Prelude from Cello Suite No.1 in G Major
Zoe Martlew – G-Lude
Missy Mazzoli – Vespers
J.S. Bach – Allemande and Sarabande from Cello Suite No.1 in G major
Julia Wolfe arr. Rakhi Singh – LAD
Rakhi Singh – violin (Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Manchester Collective)
Zoë Martlew – cello
This is a performance about the power of the soloist – and what happens when they go rogue.
It begins quietly enough. Intimate, resonant textures draw the listener in, before things start to unravel. Violin and cello face off in a heady battle of distortion, delay and reverb – flitting between chaos, calm and uneasy detente.
Any momentary peace is soon obliterated by Zoë Martlew’s G-Lude for solo cello and electronics. A cathartic howl from the deep, it’s all scrapes, screeches and gasps – a riotous homage to the Bach Prelude that also features in the set. The cello becomes unhinged, unfiltered, and unmistakably alive.
But the final word goes to the violin. In Rakhi Singh’s reworking of Julia Wolfe’s LAD – originally scored for nine bagpipes – the piece is reimagined for just one, very loud violin, channelled through a crunchy guitar pedal and absolutely not playing nice.
The mic, as they say, is dropped.
Part of Manchester Classical.
