Like clockwork, every year there are new recordings of the classical greats. White-knuckled musicians squeeze drops of new meaning from the centuries-old manuscript, each recording a fresh attempt to inch closer to the composer’s original intentions.
South African cellist Abel Selacoe’s take on Bach is a genuinely innovative and necessary addition to the body of recordings owing to his reimagining of the composer in a global cross-over context.
He explains, during the show, that when he first learnt the cello, it was infused with his own lived experience, “I put every bit of my culture inside.”
Selacoe hails from Sebokeng, a township in South Africa. He studied classical cello in Johannesburg then moved to the UK in 2010 to further refine his craft at Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music.
He easily proves his talent as a classical-trained cellist, with a straight rendition of a Bach Suite, faithful to the original score as if to say: I know the rules now watch me bend them.
“We still played Bach but we played it in an African way.” He laughs.
His music weaves an intricate portrait of his cross-cultural identity, via gospel-inspired harmonies, jazz inflections, throat-singing of the Xhosa people, and township rhythms.
He’s joined by his band, the talented Bantu Ensemble, made up of percussion, bass, and piano, as well as a small string ensemble. They have no trouble filling the room, creating a rich and textured soundscape. Selacoe sings in Zulu and Sotho, and his voice rises above the ensemble, effortlessly switching between velvet falsetto, feverish chanting, and resonant throat singing.
Be it a rendition of South African hymns or Marin Marais, each song is delivered with passion and joie de vivre. He often encourages the audience to sing along, clap and dance. However, the regular audience participation and switching from ethereal soundtrack-worthy slower numbers to more upbeat ones breaks any emotional build-up from the music. As a result, I often feel one step away from what could be a truly immersive and emotional experience.
The concert closes with Selacoe’s own composition, Ka Bohaleng / On The Sharp Side. It’s a riveting performance, where Selacoe and his ensemble truly shine. Impassioned staccato flairs and Selacoe’s ever-impressive throat-singing work together to create an ecstatic finale.
