There are an increasing number of groups looking to change the experience of going to a classical music concert and to make it more ‘user friendly’. The Manchester Collective are one such, coming from a place of inclusivity and political sensitivity. Their programmes are not designed to talk down to audiences, nor are they ‘educational’, but they choose to present what could be considered challenging work, unapologetically. This they do in an open and communicative manner which creates a theatrical atmosphere of artistic adventure.
This programme at the Queen Elizabeth Hall was a prime example of their mission, with two rare works by women and a variation on a familiar work by John Adams. This iteration of Shaker Loops, an early work by Adams designed for a string orchestra of any size, was augmented by a reading of three poems by the Manchester poet Christ Bryan. The hyperactive opening section burnt itself out before Bryan entered with his pungent words, spoken with simplicity and grace. It neither added to nor detracted from the musical experience, but integrated naturally into a convincing and satisfying performance.
The concert opened with a very warm and detailed account of Such different paths for string septet by Dobrinka Tabakova. Its unusual structure sees the music drifting in and out of focus, as if observing a world passing by. Tabakova’s musical language mixes together a wide range of style, including folksong, minimalism and a post-romantic richness. The result is attractive and wistfully mysterious, all of which was captured by the Collective.
Kaija Saariaho wrote her Terra Memoria, her second string quartet, in 2006, later arranging it for string orchestra; it was this latter version performed here, with total commitment. As in much of the composer’s work, it has an otherworldly quality, constantly striving for clarity in the mists. Moments of harsh reality, like sour memories, surface and then recede. In the hands of the MC it had potency and power, never shirking from the intensity or eerie mystery of the moment.