Thank goodness I’m getting older. The days, weeks and months fly. And so do the years.

Most of the time this freaks me out and delivers me into my latest existential crisis. But sometimes it works to my advantage and it feels like no time at all since the last Manchester International Festival, whereas it used to feel an age.

Hurray for ageing!

Let’s get to the point. As with every single event I’ve attended as part of the Festival over the years, this felt special, innovative and a showcase of talent.

I knew what we were in for immediately when I saw Manchester Camerata’s involvement. Already rubber-stamped as great, my interest was firmly piqued.

Hearing the opening strains of Afrodeutche’s beautiful melodies and voice, I was set.

Henrietta Smith-Rolla, is a British-born Ghanaian-Russian-German composer, producer and DJ based in Manchester.

Under alias DJ AFRODEUTSCHE, she merges contemporary classical, techno, house and electro. As a DJ she hosts shows on BBC 6 Music and NTS, as a composer and producer she blends and layers genre upon genre.

As a performer she is simply mesmerising.

Co-commissioned by Manchester Camerata as part of UNQUIET, and Factory International for Manchester International Festival, this new composition took us on a journey of love, what it means to love and be loved.

As Afrodeutsche explained to the audience, a recent diagnosis of autism had led to a new chapter of self discovery on this theme.

Brought to life by internationally renowned conductor Robert Ames, the result is an ethereal collection of haunting melodies, with beats and an energy which ebbs and flows as the piece reaches its climax and conclusion.

Did I mention all this was taking place at the home of Factory International, Aviva Studios?The venue doesn’t officially open until October but the audience was treated to a preview of the space and what a space it is. Downstairs is open plan and vast, the ‘Hall’ intimate with the feel of a theatre/studio hybrid.

I look forward to its official ‘coming out ‘ later this year.

The staging of the show itself was ‘candle’ lit in the beginning, replaced with accompanying imagery and videos projected onto the vast screen behind.

As befitting of the work of the wonderful Manchester Camerata, it was a meeting and a fusion of the classic with the contemporary. Sight and sound came together to provide a pulsating, sensory experience which made you feel. Really feel.

Imagery of people, places, machinery, movement, dance, filmed footage and the abstract, hypnotised the eyes, but only ever served to enrich but never distract from the music.

Exquisite.

To read more about Afrodeutche’s work, visit here.

For a full rundown of all the exciting events making up this year’s Manchester International Festival and more about Factory International, visit https://factoryinternational.org/mif23/