Amsterdam with Manu Delago

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.