Fancy catching the Halle perform at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall in February? Here’s what they have coming up:
Sibelius, Poulenc, Dvorăk, Janáček
Thursday 9 February, 7.30pm
Programme:
Sibelius The Oceanides
Poulenc Concerto for organ, strings and timpani
Dvořák Legends: selection
Janáček Taras Bulba: Rhapsody for Orchestra
Conductor Cristian Măcelaru; Featuring Jonathan Scott, Organ
In the first concert during a two-week spell with the Hallé, the outstanding Cristian Măcelaru conducts an intriguing programme of works, three of which were inspired by mythology and legend. Sibelius’s The Oceanides is one of the most vivid and atmospheric musical seascapes ever written, while Dvořák’s Legends are charmingly reflective counterparts to the Czech composer’s Slavonic Dances. Janáček’s great Taras Bulba is based on Gogol’s account of a legendary Cossack hero. It builds to a magnificent climax, organ and brass combining to stunning effect. Jonathan Scott and The Bridgewater Hall organ also star in the first half with Poulenc’s hauntingly beautiful concerto, a work its composer described as his ‘bestseller’.
Pre-concert Event, 6.30pm – The Hallé in Ancoats:
In 2013 the Hallé acquired and refurbished a Grade II listed, deconsecrated church in the heart of Ancoats Conservation Area. Now named Hallé St Peter’s, the building is rooted firmly in the Concert Society’s foundations. The orchestra rehearse and record in the venue which also offers rehearsal space for the Hallé’s choirs and youth orchestra. The Hallé has embarked on the next exciting phase of its growth with a second stage of building beginning in 2017. This will include an impressive extension creating additional rehearsal and breakout spaces as well as a café, for both the Hallé and the local community. Come and hear more about this exciting step in the Halle’s history.
Tickets from £13.50 (Including booking fee)
From Broadway, with love…
Saturday 11 February, 7.30pm
Concert includes…
Porter Every Time We Say Goodbye from Seven Lively Arts
Porter Let’s Misbehave from Anything Goes
Bernstein/Sondheim Something’s Coming from West Side Story
Richards/Leigh Young At Heart
Drake It Was A Very Good Year
Schonberg/Boubil Sun And Moon from Miss Saigon
Lloyd Webber All I Ask Of You from The Phantom Of The Opera
Duke/Latouche Takin’ A Chance On Love from Cabin In The Sky
Mancini Moon River from Breakfast At Tiffany’s
Conductor Larry Blank; Featuring Matthew Ford, Vocalist and Emma Williams, Vocalist
Larry Blank’s soaring arrangements of Broadway musicals are in demand all over the world. As music director, conductor and arranger, he works his musical magic to bring Broadway to The Bridgewater Hall. He is joined by tonight’s star vocalists Matthew Ford and Emma Williams in a programme packed with American musical classics with a definite touch of romance.
Tickets from £13.50 (including booking fee)
Opus Concerts: Fauré, Mozart, Prokofiev
Wednesday 22 February, 2.15pm; Thursday 23 February, 7.30pm; Sunday 26 February, 7.30pm
Fauré Dolly Suite
Mozart Piano Concerto No.9, ‘Jeunehomme’
Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet: selected movements
Conductor Cristian Măcelaru; Featuring Heejae Kim, Piano
Cristian Măcelaru forms a dream team with Heejae Kim, winner of the prestigious Terence Judd-Hallé Orchestra Prize at the 2015 Leeds International Piano Competition. She performs Mozart’s ‘Jeunehomme’ concerto, a work the legendary pianist Alfred Brendel described as ‘one of the greatest wonders of the world’. Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet is an inspired take on the plight of The Bard’s ‘star-crossed lovers’. It simply oozes great melodies and extraordinary orchestral textures. Fauré’s charming Dolly Suite was originally a series of musical gifts for the young daughter of the composer’s mistress. Its delightful Berceuse was used as the signature tune to the long-running BBC radio programme Listen with Mother.
Tickets from £13 (including booking fee)
The Halle Orchestra. Image credit to Russel Hart.
