Manchester Collective - 19 October

What fantastic playing by Manchester Collective last night. These were musicians of the highest
calibre, playing extraordinary music with the utmost skill and musicianship. They captured the
ethereal beauty of Ades’ string quartet, often using extended techniques (such as wide use of
harmonics, or playing very close to the bridge), pushing the sound capabilities of their instruments to the farthest limits. I don’t know about everyone else, but I was very glad of the short exploration of Thomas Ades’ quartet before the main performance. “Spectral”, “kaleidoscope”, “decay” and “disintegration” were words used to describe the music. And if you haven’t already listened again to Jorg Widmann’s 180 Beats per Second, it’s worth it to re-live the experience. Back on more familiar ground with Brahms’ sextet, I just sat back and enjoyed. It was gorgeous. here to edit.