Aurora and Manu Delago unite for an evening inspired by themes of light, colour and the natural world.
Environ Us is the brand-new orchestration of Percussionist, handpan player and composer Manu Delago’s 2021 audiovisual album Environ Me. Weaving together field recordings of the natural world, his trademark percussive sounds and electronic manipulation, the album was a lockdown project sparked by Delago’s desire ‘to create awareness for our immediate surroundings’. The potency of Delago’s message is only increased by his new orchestration. Each track represents a different element and contains its own inspired and individual concept, varying from the use of wildlife, fire and water to man made steel, gears, Velcro and more, some of which took over a year to create. At times peaceful and appreciative, at times urgent and angry, Environ Us is a dynamic and poignant exploration that harnesses the best of Manu Delago’s adventurous spirit and singular vision.
But first, Aurora’s strings embark on a journey exploring our relationships with light, with animations by Ola Szmida. Beginning with Icelandic composer Anna Thorvalsdottir’s Illumine, the first half of this concert will explore circadian rhythms, a traditional Indian Raga Bhairavi played by Debasmita Bhattacharya, and music by Purcell. Aurora’s strings will then be joined by Manu Delago and Debasmita Bhattacharya as they split light into seven parts in Delago’s euphoric work, Newton’s Rainbow, for Hang, Sarod and strings.