Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
Friday 9 October 2026 RNCM, Manchester A joyful and exhilarating meeting of cultures ★★★★★ Last Friday’s concert by Manchester Collective and the Sidiki Dembélé Ensemble brought together two cultures: British classical music and traditional West African music. Born in Abobo, near Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Sidiki Dembélé is a percussionist and composer. Rakhi Singh, the Collective’s …
Continue reading "Manchester Collective x Sidiki Dembélé: Constellations – Live Review"
Tuesday 30 June 2026 Aviva Studios, Manchester ★★★★ The music of four titans of contemporary classical music, including a new piece from Cassie Kinoshi that was remarkable in more ways than one Manchester Collective. Image © Mike Skelton Tuesday evening’s concert by Manchester Collective at Aviva Studios in Manchester was titled ‘Patterns in Repeat’ with …
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Manchester was the place to be for superb performances in 2025 The Year in Classical Music Sometimes going abroad reminds you how good things are at home. In the spring of 2025, I went to the Shostakovich Festival in Leipzig, featuring world-class performers such as the Gewandhausorchester and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. So it was …
Thursday 27 November 2025 Stoller Hall, Manchester **** Samantha Fernando's new piece Wintering celebrates winter's withdrawal from daily life Wintering with Samantha Fernando © Mike Skelton On an unseasonably warm winter's night, Manchester Collective returned to their home city for the second leg of their Wintering tour. The ensemble's co-artistic director, Jasmin Kent Rodgman, introduced …
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Sunday 5 October 2025 RNCM, Manchester **** A tribute to the variety of sounds that strings make, and the human connections that music brings Manchester Collective Some concerts are about the music only, the sheer joy of music-making. Others have an external framework, which may be emotional, intellectual, musicolgical, or even spiritual; or a mixture …
Continue reading "Manchester Collective – Shaker Loops – Live Review"
Sunday 29 June 2025 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester For a review of day one of the festival click here and for the opening night click here Musicians from the Hallé, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, RNCM, The Chorus of ENO and Hallé Choir. Image © Alex Burns Manchester Collective: The Body Electric The title of Sunday afternoon’s …
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Friday 27 June 2025 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester For a review of day one click here and for day two click here Jonny Greenwood performs Reich with the Hallé The first Manchester Classical music festival took place two years ago, in June 2023. The festival won the RPS (Royal Philharmonic Society) 'Series and Events' award in …
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25 April 2025 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** Refractions: A Unique Concert Journey Beyond Genres A refracted image of Clark and Rakhi Singh This Blog has sometimes considered the definition of music beyond the convention that it must contain melody, rhythm, or harmony. Ambient music like Steven Wilson’s Ghosts on Magnetic Tape, which he recorded under …
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A Memorable Year for Music: Highlights from Manchester and Beyond The BBC Philharmonic with Chief Conductor John Storgårds. Image © Chris Payne. Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the death of my father, John Charles Holmes, under whose benign and loving influence I developed a lifelong passion for music. He was the choirmaster and …
Continue reading "Review of the Year – 2024 – Classical Music"
Sunday 17 November 2024 Stoller Hall, Manchester ***** Cellist Abel Selaocoe and Manchester Collective stand on the shoulders of ancestors to create an evening of joyous, life-affirming music Ruth Gibson, Simmy Singh, Rakhi Singh, Abel Selaocoe, Sidiki Dembele, Alan Keary 'Home is where one starts from.'T.S. Eliot East Coker (Four Quartets) In his poem East …
Continue reading "Manchester Collective – Sirocco – Live Review"