The Wind + Live score by Erland Cooper featuring the Chorus of Opera North at RNCM

Johnny James, Managing Editor

The Wind + Live score by Erland Cooper featuring the Chorus of Opera North at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester 25 February 2022 Tickets from £18.00 — Book now

1928 film The Wind marked the end of an era. It was the last silent major motion picture from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the last effort by the great director Victor Sjöström, and the final silent film starring the brilliant Lillian Gish. She plays a young woman cast out from her sheltered Virginia home into the dust bowl of the Texan prairie, where an act of savagery – and the unrelenting northerly wind – pushes her mind beyond its limits.

The Wind is silent cinema at its most shockingly, primally potent, and is considered to be among the greatest ever made. At the RNCM on 25 February, it’s getting a newly commissioned soundtrack, courtesy of Scottish composer and artist Erland Cooper. Cooper’s score employs the live voice – the powerful sound of the 18 women of the Chorus of Opera North – enhanced by his own recordings and real-time processing of their performance.

Hailing from the archipelago of Orkney, the composer and multi-instrumentalist explores the natural world of landscape, memory, people and place. His sensitivity to the relationship between landscape and psychology has been a constant over the course of a diverse and collaborative career that’s taken in everything from folk and prog to field recordings and contemporary classical music. In a similar vein, director Victor Sjöström has a penchant for using the setting and landscape of his films to psychological effect, making The Wind the perfect choice for Cooper.

Cooper’s score breathes new life into the empty plains, sandstorms and intensely charged terrain, drawing out the drama, the physicality of place and the haunting poeticism of this forgotten masterpiece.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Opera North Projects in association with RNCM, are available now via the button below.

Part of the RNCM’s Spring Season.

The Wind + Live score by Erland Cooper featuring the Chorus of Opera North at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester 25 February 2022 Tickets from £18.00 Book now

Part of RNCM Spring Season 2024

Where to go near The Wind + Live score by Erland Cooper featuring the Chorus of Opera North at RNCM

Manchester
Restaurant
San Carlo Fumo

San Carlo Fumo may be part of a chain, but it doesn’t feel like it. Right at the top of Oxford Road, it’s lavishly decorated and specialises in cicchetti, or Italian small plates.

Utility Gift Shop
Manchester
Shop
Utility Gift Shop

Utility Gift Shop on Oxford Road is all about products that are new, unique, quirky and cool. High street shopping at its best.

exterior of Contact Theatre building
Manchester
Theatre
Contact Theatre

Following a major redevelopment, the iconic venue on Oxford Road will be reopening its doors to welcome the public back into the building this autumn. 

The Salutation pub in Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Salutation

This traditional boozer, surrounded by imposing flats and university buildings, was taken over by Trof (of the Deaf Institute fame). The Sally, as the regulars call it, hosts an energetic, arty crowd – and its recently expanded outside area is another good reason to visit.

Manchester
University
MMU Student Union

Manchester Metropolitan University Students’ Union building houses a bar and various other facilities for students and staff.

Manchester
Music venue
The Deaf Institute

The Deaf Institute is a vibrant gig venue and nightclub for which it is well worth taking a jaunt out of the Northern Quarter.

What's on: Music

Until
ActivityManchester
DJ Gym at Hatch

Learn some DJ and production skills with DJ Gym Manchester, based in the culturally infused surrounds of Hatch.

from £269
Until
MusicManchester
Open Deck at Band on the Wall

Bring your records for a spin at our Open Deck session this Saturday! If you’ve bought some new vinyl from a local record shop this week, just show your receipt at the bar to get yourself a free 9” pizza!

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in Manchester and the North

Affecting contemporary performances and fresh, relevant takes on enduring classics, we pick out shows that help us scrutinise the world we live in.

Teenage Dads
Music in Manchester and the North

Fresh concert seasons, forward-thinking festivals and a revolving door of amazing gigs. Things are looking bright as spring comes into view.