Manchester Collective: The Body Electric

Rakhi Singh violin (Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Manchester Collective)
Zoë Martlew cello

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

From the sublime to the electric, Manchester Collective explores the power of the soloist in a performance of stark contrasts.

Intimate, resonant sounds lull us into a false sense of security, before the violin and cello begin battling it out onstage. The pair end up drenched in delay, distortion and reverb; flitting between chaos, peace and order.

Gate-crashing the calm is Zoë Martlew’s ‘G-Lude’ for solo cello and electronics. A cathartic howl exploding from the quiet, it’s a celebration of the rough edges, complete with wild scrapes, screeches, thwacks and gasps. ‘G-Lude’ is a raucous homage to the Bach ‘Prelude’ also featured in this show.

Not content with letting the cello have the final say, Rakhi Singh’s arrangement of Julia Wolfe’s ‘LAD’, originally for nine bagpipes, is reinvented here for just one very loud violin – plugged into a crunchy guitar pedal.

Consider the mic dropped.

This concert is included in the Manchester Classical festival pass. For more information regarding day/weekend passes and the festival as a whole, please visit the Manchester Classical website.