Marking their debut performance at Manchester’s prestigious
Bridgewater Hall, classical music group the Manchester Collective were joined
by the South African cellist, singer, and composer Abel Selaocoe and his band
Chesaba (comprising of Sealocoe on cello, Mohamed Gueye on percussion, and Alan
Keary on bass guitar) to present a programme which featured works from two big
name classical composers, newer classical works, and compositions and
improvisations from Selaocoe himself.
The concert opened with an improvisational piece between Selaocoe and his two band members. Selaocoe commenced the work by vocalising and then playing his cello, while Gueye used his array of traditional African percussion instruments to produce some fascinating rhythmic work. Keary then began to join in on the bass to fill out the rhythm as Selaocoe worked his cello and more vocalisations into the groove set by his fellow band members. The piece then effortlessly segued into a rendition of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Strings in G Minor RV156, as the Manchester Collective string ensemble delivered a sterling rendition of the joyful music of Vivaldi, with Selaocoe providing strong support on his cello.
Selaocoe then introduced himself (“I am an African. I’m also a classical musician”) and outlined that the concert had been called “The Oracle” as the set-list was focused on inspiration, starting with the improvisation and the Vivaldi piece before the whole ensemble led the audience to another musical ‘Oracle’: Picforth’s ‘In Nomine’ from the 16th century which had been merged into one piece with a more recent composition by Oliver Leith (‘Honey Siren II (Full Like Drips)’). The blending of old and new classical works was very much at the heart of what Selaocoe and the Manchester Collective were aiming to bring to life with this show and the seamless integration of one piece to another highlighted this aspect; the two pieces came together to form a single work with no discernable break between them.
Another improvisation from Selaocoe, Guyeye, and Keary swiftly followed; with heavy emphasis on Keary’s jazz-like bass work and Guyeye's fluid percussion work, this improvised piece strongly recalled the mid-1970's ‘jazz-rock fusion’ works of Miles Davis (particularly the live performances captured on the album ‘Pangea’). Selaocoe then introduced the final piece of the first half of the concert - one of his own compositions entitled ‘Camagu’. For this piece, Selaocoe played a ‘baby violin’ rather than his cello and treated the small violin like a ukulele. As the work progressed, Selaocole became more like a conductor, signalling to the ensemble when to stop and start, and then walking across the front of the performance area and encouraging the audience to clap and sing along with him - very much making the piece a collaboration between everyone in the Bridgewater Hall, not just the musicians on the stage!
After a brief interval, the musicians returned to perform a powerful rendition of Stravinsky’s ‘Concerto in D for Strings’. Like the Vivaldi piece at the top of the programme, this work by a highly regarded composer had new life breathed into it by the ensemble with the additional textures provided by Selaocoe and his band shining a new light on what can be done with works from the established ‘classical canon.’ This performance was (along with the Vivaldi) one of the highlights of the programme (and, to be clear, the programme was full of excellent renditions) as, in true Stravinsky stye, the musicians caught onto the changes in tone from manic bursts of strings to more reflective moments as the work neared its end.
Another composition by Selaocoe (‘Tshepo’), explored polyrhythms (again, Guyeye did impressive work on percussion) and drew upon music heard from three types of church in South Africa (as the title of the composition translates into ‘Faith’ in English). Again, Selaocoe encouraged the audience to sing parts along with him and, at times, Selaocoe had the presence of a preacher guiding his congregation on to explore the music with him and find their own faith within it.
Following on from ‘Tshepo’, the ensemble then performed two newer pieces of classical music - Mica Levi’s mesmerising ‘Love’ (from the soundtrack to the 2013 film ‘Under The Skin’), which featured synthesisers on top of the strings and brought an ‘Afro-futurist’ mood to the programme, which was then blended in with a traditional composition from Denmark called ‘Bridal Piece’ (or ‘Brudestykke’ to use its original Danish title). Much like how earlier pieces in the programme, when played together, fused the traditional classical music aesthetic with the African music form, the transition from a ‘futuristic’ sounding work, bathed in ambient synthesised drones, with a traditional work offered a fascinating listening experience for the audience.
The final work of the programme was another Selaocoe composition ‘Kea Mo Rata’. This piece once again gave Sealocoe the chance to demonstrate his expert cello playing and his impressive singing range (going from guttural to high vocalisations with ease) and concluded the concert with a joyous and uplifting work. As the ensemble took their bows to a standing ovation, it was anticipated that they would soon return to the stage after leaving to deliver an encore: this time, it was a newer work by Selaocoe called ‘Ka Bohaleng’ (or, ‘On the Sharp Side’) which will appear on his forthcoming debut studio album. As he had done with the earlier ‘Camagu’, Selaocoe encouraged the audience to become part of the performance, telling the audience to stand up, and clap and sing along with him. As the piece wrapped up and the ensemble left the stage for the final time, the atmosphere at the Bridgewater Hall was one of sheer joy.
While “The Oracle” was very much a collaboration between Selaocoe and the Manchester Collective, it would be fair to acknowledge that Selaocoe was very much the driving force of the concert. With a very charming, engaging stage presence, and rightly acclaimed musical and compositional skill, Selaocoe had helped to organise (along with the ensemble from the Manchester Collective) and deliver a strong concert where the quality never let up and music - be it from the past or present - was presented as a force for inspiration and joy.
on - 15.4.22
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