Manchester Collective and Abel Selaocoe | PHOTO: Mike Skelton
By Rhea Hagiwara
A sirocco is a wind that blows from North Africa into southern Europe. And Manchester Collective’s project in collaboration with South African cellist and singer Abel Selaocoe was indeed a breath of fresh air, not only as a chamber recital but also as an artistic experience as a whole.
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Complete with colourful lighting, a mysterious haze, and intimate heavy amplification, Sirocco came across like a seamless conversation between different cultures and various heritages: from Haydn and Purcell to Scandinavian folk tunes and African rhythms. Selaocoe, clearly the star of the show, used extended techniques such as harmonics and circular bowing, to present an astonishingly wide range of colours and timbres. He struck me with his serenity, charisma and warm sense of humour – qualities that emerged in full force as he spoke of the motivations behind the project, namely curiosity, improvisation and the need to preserve the voices of ancestors.
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But all five of the other performers in Sirocco each had a moment to shine. Standout moments included several improvisational fiddle sections from second violinist Simmy Singh, a meditative bass solo from electric bassist Alan Keary, and a powerful and joyful round of virtuosic percussion from Sidiki Dembele (his complete control and precision over the calabash drum was a personal highlight). First violinist Rakhi Singh took on the more traditionally classical melodies, and violist Ruth Gibson provided a warm and gentle line of harmony with her viola and backing vocals.
As one of the UK’s most innovative ensembles, it’s safe to say that Manchester Collective has managed to cement themselves firmly into the future of cross-cultural music. 