Gorton Monastery is the home of Manchester Camerata and a wonderful place to visit to attend this concert as part of the Here We Are festival. A programme of music which explores different ways of listening, sound and time. Conducted by Christoph Altstaedt, with a guest performance on piano by Ethan Loch.
This was an interesting and thought provoking experience, bringing several completely different approaches to musical composition.
First was a lovely choral piece, Viderunt Omnes by Pérotin. The orchestra slowly walked through the space, took their places whilst singing and playing, which was novel and fun!
Next was a new composition, They Are Our Life, the result of a collaboration grown from the Music in Mind cafès that Camerata hold. Several carers and Alan Williams shared experiences of caring and constructed music and a written piece which was incredibly moving and inspiring, it covered all aspects of the caring experience including hospital experiences, loss, joy and the healing power of music. A really lovely experience to hear and greatly appreciated by the audience.
There was also an improvisation piece, In C by Terry Riley, which involved a constant beat tapped out on a xylophone with the orchestra able to improvise and follow each other to create a unique version of the work. It was unfortunate that some of the audience found the tone and repetitive nature of the beat very challenging indeed and it was a difficult listen after a couple of minutes. Possibly a different venue with softer acoustics may have worked for a better experience.
Charles Ives’ The Unanswered Question was a more gentle experience and the finale, Beethoven Piano Concerto Number 3 was just stunning, the pianist Ethan Loch played exquisitely as always and the piece was greatly enjoyed and appreciated. Another lovely evening with Manchester Camerata and a warm welcome from Monastery staff as always.
Team Camerata host the UK’s Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia. Their Music in Mind Music Cafès use music therapy principles to support carers and people who live with dementia, improvising and collaborating to enable self expression.
Many thanks to Manchester Camerata and all involved in organising such a wonderful programme and evening.
Christine Ince for Canal St Media