Straddling the worlds of classical and electronic music, the renowned Manchester Camerata will perform at Stoller Hall on Saturday 14th May with the pioneering Mancunion duo Space Afrika as the orchestra continues celebrating its 50th year.
This evening’s one off event features an audiovisual set by Space Afrika featuring music from their back catalogue and unreleased material as well. Space Afrika will also be joined on stage by an ensemble of Manchester Camerata musicians to perform new arrangements of their music. Concluding the programme, will also be a performance by the Camerata of Steve Reich’s revolutionary Music for 18 Musicians.
As self confessed “Manchester Ambassadors” whose music represents 20 years of life in the city dating back to their school days together in North Manchester- Space Afrika have gained considerable popularity following the release of their album Honest Labour. It topped Resident Advisor’s Album of the Year List in 2021. Honest Labour includes classical strings and vocal cameos, and is as a whole at the axis of musical composition and sound design. It was made from and is a companion to life under lockdown.
The duo’s music represents the forefront of the electronic music scene and reflects Black British city life. As Steve Reich’s work also reflects metropolitan life, this concert will fuse musical representations of urban life from both sides of the Atlantic.
With its highly unusual structure and harmonic landscape, Music for 18 Musicians is a cornerstone of minimalism and assimilates features from various other styles. Experiencing it live is a rare opportunity to hear an important modern composition.
Manchester Camerata have a long history of working with electronic artists and expanding the cultural and musical possibilities of the orchestra, dissolving perceived boundaries between genres. They’ve worked with avant-garde sound artist William Basinski and German electronic music producer Sven Helbig, in addition to their popular Haçienda Classiçal series with DJ Graeme Park and Peter Hook.
With its bold juxtaposition of classical and electronic music, this concert emphasises Manchester Camerata’s commitment to diverse programming as well as to supporting and working with local home-grown talent. Rarely does an orchestra combine classical with this kind of contemporary music; in doing so, the Camerata’s collaboration with Space Afrika for this special one off evening at Stoller Hall will draw parallels between these outwardly disparate styles, driving change across the classical music sector.
