JADAR

★★★★☆

Candlelight Concerts have so far tackled the music of everyone from Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran to Bridgerton and Hans Zimmer. The idea entwines a classical evening of orchestral music with a gorgeous candlelit backdrop and an exciting twist on much beloved songs. This performance had the sensationally talented string quartet String Infusion playing Coldplay classics. (The irony of watching a Coldplay show after the parodic Gwyneth Goes Skiing, which referred to Chris Martin as “the colour beige personified”, was not lost on me).

Out of all of their shows, I felt Coldplay would work rather well with the classical style due to the arrangements of ‘Fix You’ and ‘Viva La Vida’. However, they surpassed my expectations, creating variations and accentuation that paired perfectly, adding a pinch of flair to each piece.

Occasionally, I was left craving a little more ornamentation from the musicians, but I also understood that they had to stick closely to the pieces for the audience’s sake.

Audience members seemed entranced by the stirring melodies throughout the show, although it did get a little rowdy when people were invited to sing along during the final two numbers, with shouting and a rather discordant chant from a couple of audience members.

The formula was clear with one violinist playing the majority of the main melodies and the other instruments providing accompaniments and building harmonies, but for Coldplay, this worked ideally.

Despite this, the richness of the deep cello, paired with the emotive viola and violins made for a luxurious soundscape, especially surrounded by the gorgeous Manchester Cathedral. Its arches and columns, ornamental decoration, stained glass windows, and the myriad of haunting candles (surprisingly realistic plastic ones you could purchase at the end), made it the perfect venue for something so creative. The antiquated building and the classical instruments moving into modernity with innovative performances. 

However, the venue’s novelty and charm didn’t come without a few faults. Chairs were painfully stiff (I’d recommend a pillow for anyone that’s a bit fidgety like me), the pillars obscured a little bit of the view, and the lack of tiering made it difficult to see the stage in its entirety without sitting on the edge of the seat (if you were a little farther back).

While the performers were easy to see, the magical candlelight set up became a little obscured by bobbing heads in the crowd occasionally making me feel the need to find something else to look at. Perhaps a taller stage or a tiering system, like The Hallé, may have resolved this better, but it’s obviously not something I would expect to see a Cathedral to install.

Despite this, the charm of the venue and music really did win me over; all gripes and grievances were ultimately belittled by a rather magical experience. The novelty never wore off, and it was a refreshing take to hear classical instruments playing the music that I’ve grown up listening to, my mind echoing Chris Martin’s voice, despite there being no vocals. Even during the rowdy segment, the show demonstrated society’s love of music of all forms, with clapping in unison, singing and chants continuing throughout the encore.

It may be slightly flawed in execution and in need of a few more twists of charm, but the overall experience and its unique take on modern music is simply stunning. It’s an unmissable delve into architectural and musical history.

Candlelight: Tribute to Coldplay on Strings returns to Manchester Cathedral on October 16 and November 15.

Photo: Katie Bray @ JaDar