November 24th and 25th, Amsterdam Concertgebouw Kleine Saal in the series Tracks: I’ll be playing with Austrian hang drum player, Manu Delago. Apart from a small set at 3am in my Barbican all-nighter they will be our first performances together, so I’m really looking forward to sharing that stage and acoustic with such a fine musician. Our programme is quite a journey. From solo Bach, Kodaly and Sollima on the cello, to solo material of Manu’s on the hang drum; new versions of well known classics like The Swan from Carnival of the Animals (sounds SO cool with a hang drum!), to unusual new arrangements of movements from Monteverdi’s Vespers – also, very magical in this sounds combination – the whole thing will run without a break. The effect should be a deep immersion in the beauty of sound and musical shape in the great acoustic of one of my favourite halls. There is a loose theme of nature – the pieces are ones that evoke for me the elements of water, earth, air or fire, and the hall will be dressed up like you’ve not seen it before – I can’t really give anything away now, but it will be very striking! If you have never heard a hang drum before, it is simply one of the most beautiful instruments in the world (along with the duduk, and the cello – pure soul), and you can check out a track of Manu’s here.
Matthew Barley/Cellist
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Without music, life would be an error.
Friedrich Nietzsche
2 Comments
Dear Barley,
I really wanted come to your concert with Manu Delago last week, but unfortunately I could not make it. My question is: is there a audio or video recording of your collaboration? Or are you both playing again in The Netherlands any time soon? I am just thrilled to hear what I believe must be a beautiful musical combination and experience.
Looking forward to good news 🙂
Manuela
Hi Manuela,
There has been a video made for our private use, but we may put a couple of tracks on YouTube in the New Year…keep an eye on the website! Best wishes, Matthew