THE DECOR of the coffee bar on the edge of Manchester’s Northern Quarter where I meet Rakhi Singh merges salvaged wood, raw concrete and metal ducting — all textures which can be found in the crystalline intensity and jittery, staccato brutalism of Written in Fire, the violinist’s collaboration with pioneering electronic composer Sebastian Gainsborough, aka Vessel.

Written in Fire borrows from Leos Janacek’s string quartet Intimate Letters and a “memorised” performance of the Czech composer’s piece precedes its premiere at Kings Place in London next Thursday.

It was created during a two-year residency at Snape Maltings where, says Singh, the absence of wi-fi proved invaluable. “It gave us time to think. We talked a lot to begin with about what we wanted. It’s not a remix. It’s how Janacek makes us feel today, a very personal reaction to a piece which is incredibly engaging and physical and demanding.