WEATHER

Oxford & London
27—28 May 2027

DATES & TICKETS

 
1. WEATHER © Chris Payne.jpg

Urgent, haunting and unforgettable.

A breathtaking expedition through four landscapes, WEATHER is an artistic record of threatened habitats, where live music meets audiovisual installation.

You’ll be transported from an East Asian rainforest to the world’s oldest desert; from an Icelandic glacier to a sunken medieval town off the English coast. Each singular in their beauty, each bearing the scars of extreme weather events.

At the heart of this hour-long odyssey is Michael Gordon's cult piece ‘Weather’ for string orchestra and electronics. Inspired by chaotic weather patterns, embracing both danger and calm, here it is brought to life by the boundary-pushing Manchester Collective.

From Cabaret Voltaire to David Attenborough’s Frozen Planet, seminal sound artist and field recordist Chris Watson has had a storied career. Out of his rich archive, the slow bubbling of melting ice, merciless desert winds and the morning cries of tropical birds animate the space around us.

Completing our voyage, two screens envelop the stage with panoramic vistas captured by Watson’s long-time collaborator and filmmaker Carlos Casas.

The world around us is irrevocably changing. But what if we got it right? Before the performance, join us for a panel discussing how we can reimagine our collective future in the face of the climate crisis.

★★★★ “This work, noisy, sobering, dizzying, offers no easy conclusions. Nor is it one to forget” – The Observer

2027 Dates

27 May – Oxford – Schwarzmann Centre
28 May – London – Southbank Centre

Check times, ticket prices and access info via the booking links – updated as and when tickets go on sale. Get notified about new shows and tickets.

Programme

Michael Gordon Weather

Approximate run time: 70 minutes
Pre-show discussion details to be announced

Creative Team

Manchester Collective String orchestra
Rakhi Singh
Creative and music direction
Chris Watson Sound installation
Carlos Casas Film installation

Main image: Mark Allan

 

Part of

26/27

 
Manchester Collective – WEATHER at RNCM, Manchester. Photo by Chris Payne (5).jpg
 

The restless dedication of the players was physically infectious

OBSERVER, SHAKER LOOPS

“Love and commitment shone through the entire performance”

BACHTRACK, SHAKER LOOPS