Manu Delago & Aurora Orchestra: Newton's Rainbow

Percussionist, handpan player and composer Delago’s audiovisual album Environ Me weaves 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 Thorvaldsdottir’s Illumine, the first half of this concert explores circadian rhythms, a traditional Indian raag played by Debasmita Bhattacharya, and music by Purcell. Aurora’s strings are then joined by Manu Delago as they split light into seven parts in Delago’s euphoric work Newton’s Rainbow.