Manchester Collective: Black Gold

The ensemble dreams up a world of elemental soundscapes in works by Luke Mombrea, Sasha Scott and James Tenney, with Bach as the calm at the eye of the storm. Rock, fire and oil. The elements drip, crash and thunder against each other in ‘Black Gold’. Feel the ground tremble as Manchester Collective morph into a bass-heavy ensemble. Sliding rhythms and revving engines from James Tenney’s ‘Glissade’ rip open a chasm from which Luke Mombrea’s atmospheric ‘Black Gold’ emerges. Tracing the history of a disastrous oil well fire, Mombrea’s audiovisual piece takes us from rising Californian mountains to the rumblings of industry – until we’re plunged into the inferno. Fragmented photographs and textural projections by visual artist Nate Mohler complete the story. Sitting between these tectonic pieces is a new commission by composer Sasha Scott, who’s known for her shattering, glitchy music. Providing catharsis is a selection of contemplative Bach chorales and a cinematic vista from Hildur Guðnadottir. Much loved for her TÁR, The Joker and Chernobyl scores, her piece ‘From the Other Place’ is a masterclass in restraint and expanse before we plummet back towards the shattered earth. Manchester Collective is a Southbank Centre Resident Artist for Classical Music: Autumn/Winter 2026/27. This performance is supported by the Cockayne Foundation