As the first in a new series of interviews and explorations, the SPOTLIGHT ON for March focuses on brand new chamber music icons The Manchester Collective.
Formed to challenge the stereotype of chamber music, the Manchester Collective comprises some of the most exciting musical talent from a new generation of international instrumentalists. I had the pleasure of interviewing artistic director and general manager of the Collective, cellist Adam Szabo about the fascinating origins of this new ensemble and what they have planned for the future.
How was the Manchester Collective formed?
Adam Szabo: I have played a lot of chamber music with Simmy Singh, who was one of the co-founders, and the music director is actually Rhaki, Simmy’s sister, so I guess us three, as co-founders, are reasonably closely linked [to the start of the Manchester Collective].
Rhaki comes from a really wonderful chamber music pedigree. She used to be first violin of the Barirolli String Quartet and she’s currently co-leader of the Manchester Camerata, so it was really wonderful to have her involved with the group from a very early stage. The one thing that we all agreed on from the very beginning is that although there is an incredible richness in the orchestral culture of the Northwest of England, there is not the same kind of breadth of world-class, medium-sized live chamber music. These are the kind of pieces you normally only get chance to hear at festivals; bigger than a string quartet but smaller than a chamber orchestra. So we wanted to form an ensemble that would bring this sort of tip-top repertoire from tip- top players to this region of England, and to people that might not get to see it otherwise.
We all really enjoy playing the music and I think it’s an exciting time for us to be doing it. Traditional concert experiences can be found alienating by new audiences and actually, what we’ve found is that it’s everything but the music that’s alienating. You can sit anyone in front of a symphony orchestra or a string quartet and they still give reactions of wonder, intrigue and amazement, and understand the physical and artistic feats of these performances. What they don’t necessarily love is paying £35 to go to a gig at Bridgewater Hall, not being able to talk, and not necessarily understanding the context of the works that are being performed. So we’re trying to have people more closely involved with the repertoire that we perform and to make them feel like they’re part of the experience as much as we are.
PART 2 TO FOLLOW THURSDAY 23rd MARCH.