David Rawlins
Innovative stuff. The Ligeti was new to me and fits really well with the angular production of the Vivaldi. Next time more Paul Clark please!
‘Recreation’ is the debut EP from Manchester Collective, an ensemble fast establishing themselves as one of the most vital and compelling voices in British new music.
The record spans music written over 280 years – from sacred chorales by Bach through to new material by Paul Clark. Works by Ligeti and Vivaldi are brought together, painted onto the same canvas in brutal, vivid colour. There is joy to be found in these connections. It’s a record about change and transformation. We set out to create something full of life, but also dark and mysterious; like being in a forest where light and shade alternate.
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The record starts with a ‘Prologue’ – a first foray into the varied sound worlds to come. We open with a manipulated, produced performance of a Bach chorale, ‘Du großer Schmerzensmann’, sung by the string players of the Collective. Bach’s original score is disrupted by a range of electronic sounds and textures, and as the music draws closer and closer, it eventually melts into material from Vivaldi’s petrified ‘L’inverno’ (Winter) concerto via a passage of new music by Paul Clark.
In ‘First Day of Summer’, we hear the sensual and woozy material of Vivaldi’s ‘L’estate’ from the Four Seasons. A languorous, pleasurable opening is quickly overtaken by violence and activity, building to a furious conclusion that catapults the listener into the next track, ‘Métamorphoses Nocturnes: First Vignette’. This passage is an excerpt from György Ligeti’s String Quartet No. 1 – one of two sections from this work, separated by a bridging passage by Paul Clark. Ligeti’s music takes all the dark energy of Vivaldi’s most powerful material and doubles down on the sharp angles, puncturing pizzicati, and fragile solo lines, eventually culminating in a raging climax.
We come full circle with ‘Last Day of Summer’, a return to Vivaldi’s ‘L’estate’ concerto. This movement is feverish and frenzied; hyper-close microphone placement and unconventional production from Brendan Williams and Valgeir Sigurðsson has created a raw, intimate, electrifying sound. The record concludes with a flurry of fast notes, followed by the powerful gut punch of a final, unison G.
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‘Recreation’ is a mixtape. It’s picking up something warm, soft and familiar, and pricking your finger. There is real jeopardy in the playing, which is perpetually close to the edge of what is possible in sound and in colour. It’s dangerous music making, and we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it.
credits
released September 4, 2020
'Recreation' EP
Manchester Collective
Released by Bedroom Community
Brendan Williams - Production, Recording/Mix Engineer
Adam Szabo - Producer
Doug Hemingway - Assistant Recording Engineer
Valgeir Sigurðsson - Mastering
Helenskià Collett - Album Artwork
Rakhi Singh - Solo Violin/Music Director
Caroline Pether - Violin
Will Newell - Violin
Helena Buckie - Violin
Steve Proctor - Violin
Will McGahon - Violin
Ruth Gibson - Viola
Kimi Makino - Viola
Kay Stephen - Viola
Peggy Nolan - Cello
Will Hewer - Cello
Sam Becker - Double Bass
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FULL TRACK LISTING
01. Prologue
J. S. Bach - ‘Du großer Schmerzensmann’, BWV 300
Paul Clark - Vignette
Antonio Vivaldi - Violin Concerto in F minor, RV 297, ‘L'inverno’, I. Allegro non molto
02. First Day of Summer
Antonio Vivaldi - Violin Concerto in G minor, RV 315, ‘L'estate’, I. Allegro
03. Métamorphoses Nocturnes: First Vignette
György Ligeti - String Quartet No. 1, ‘Métamorphoses nocturnes’ (excerpt)
04. Interlude
Paul Clark - Interlude
05. Métamorphoses Nocturnes: Second Vignette
György Ligeti - String Quartet No. 1, ‘Métamorphoses nocturnes’ (excerpt)
06. Last Day of Summer
Antonio Vivaldi - Violin Concerto in G minor, RV 315, ‘L'estate’, III. Presto
Radical human experiences. Known for their experimental programming and daring collaborations, Manchester Collective bring a
combination of cutting edge contemporary music and classical masterpieces to a hungry, new audience.
Really interesting, brave new soundworlds in this album. I knew it would be good, but had no idea it would be as fresh and original as this. Thank you! John Hardy
Argentine composer and guitarist Francisco del Pino achieves a stunning art-song hybrid on the first album to be released under his own name. Bandcamp Album of the Day May 19, 2021