The Hallé's 2024-25 season in Manchester

≥ CONCERTS IN MANCHESTER

KAHCHUN WONG PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR SIR MARK ELDER CONDUCTOR EMERITUS THOMAS ADÈS ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

FEATURING:

MARTA GARDOLI ´ NSKA

HONEY DIJON

STEPHANIE CHILDRESS

ALBAN GERHARDT

MARIAM BATSASHVILI

RODERICK WILLIAMS

NITIN SAWHNEY

LE GATEAU CHOCOLAT

PHILIP GLASS

DELYANA LAZAROVA

ROBERTO RUISI

ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO

CÉDRIC TIBERGHIEN

HAN-NA CHANG

ZEB SOANES

ELDBJØRG HEMSING

NODOKA OKISAWA

COLIN CURRIE

TIANYI LU

PAVEL KOLESNIKOV

A very warm welcome to the Hallé’s 2024-25 Manchester season, an historic and significant moment even by this great orchestra’s standards. This season Kahchun Wong joins us as our new Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, succeeding Sir Mark Elder, who becomes Conductor Emeritus.

Innovation has always been central to the Hallé since its foundation back in 1858 by the revolutionary Sir Charles Hallé, with a belief that music is for everyone and has the power to change lives. As you will read over the next few pages, Hallé’s trailblazing work has been fostered and developed by other musical legends through the ages: Hans Richter, Hamilton Harty, John Barbirolli and, most recently, Mark Elder. Now that baton passes to Kahchun Wong following an electrifying debut back in spring 2023, where a natural rapport and alchemy with the orchestra created a performance that transcended the brilliant into something magical – our next Principal Conductor had arrived!

As Kahchun says, this relationship has continued to deepen with recording sessions and concerts, including a celebrated tour of Spain in January 2024. We eagerly look forward to this season and our amazing Manchester audiences getting to know Kahchun and enjoying the fruits of this burgeoning partnership. Musically, this season could be considered one of the Hallé’s most ambitious yet, demonstrating a rich diversity of music and artists which really has something for everyone. We revisit some of the great classics by Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler, Stravinsky and Vaughan Williams in illuminating performances which we hope will feel newly minted. As an orchestra that premiered works by these composers, we celebrate the very latest music from living composers including Thomas Adès, Unsuk Chin, Huw Watkins, Tan Dun and James MacMillan. We welcome back great artists such as Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Delyana Lazarova, Pavel Kolesnikov, Roderick Williams and Dame Sarah Connolly,

Image by Alex Burns Hallé Concerts Society

and there are debuts for Mariam Batsashvili, Stephanie Childress, Nodoka Okisawa, Eldbjørg Hemsing, Marta Gardoli´nska and more.

New initiatives from last season continue: the hugely popular hour-long ‘Rush Hour’ concerts starting at 6pm and ‘The Hallé Presents …’ featuring unique collaborations which this year include, Honey Dijon, Nitin Sawhney and the incomparable Angélique Kidjo who joins us as part of a three-day Philip Glass Festival.

Thomas Adès continues his acclaimed role as our Artist-in-Residence – don’t miss him conducting The Rite of Spring – and Associate Pops Conductor, Stephen Bell leads another tantalising and varied season of Pops concerts. Assistant Conductor Euan Shields and Leader Roberto Ruisi are central and feature throughout the season.

Finally, Sir Mark Elder returns in his first year as Conductor Emeritus to conduct Strauss’s momentous Alpine Symphony and the world premiere of Huw Watkins’ Concerto for Orchestra, written especially for Sir Mark and the Hallé musicians.

These musical adventures would not be possible without our generous supporters Siemens, CMS, Brother, PZ Cussons, The Edwardian and many other corporate supporters, trusts and individual patrons. The vital support of Arts Council England, the National Heritage Lottery Fund, Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Music Commission also enables us to deliver our vast Hallé Connect ensembles and education programme across Greater Manchester and internationally. We are lucky to have a Mayor and Leader who value culture in this way, and crucially a loyal and ever-growing audience here in the North West.

We look forward to seeing you during this exciting and historic season.

David Butcher Chief Executive

Join us before and after many of our concerts for additional events ranging from discussions focusing on an aspect of the programme to performances by Manchester-based students. These events are free to concert ticket holders.

Our concerts include a number of pieces that form part of the ‘Model Music’ Curriculum for Key Stages 1 to 3. Pieces from the curriculum are marked with this graphic followed by the relevant school year.

We are delighted that a number of our concerts are broadcast by our partners at BBC Radio 3. Find out when you can hear these concerts by visiting bbc.co.uk/sounds

‘… the cultivation of orchestral music in Manchester has been my chief delight …’ charles hallé

SIR CHARLES HALLÉ FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR 1858–1895

FREDERICK COWEN PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR 1896–1899 DR HANS RICHTER PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR 1899–1911

MICHAEL BALLING PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR 1912–1914

‘I recognise with pride and pleasure that our orchestra … give the very best of their power and ability.’ hans richter

SIR THOMAS BEECHAM MUSICAL ADVISOR 1914–1920 AND 1933-1939

SIR HAMILTON HARTY PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR 1920–1933

SIR MALCOLM SARGENT CONDUCTOR-IN-CHIEF 1933-1942

‘I have been entrusted with a very great mission … this great orchestra shall not, under my guidance, achieve less honour in the future than it has done in the past.’ john barbirolli

SIR JOHN BARBIROLLI PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR 1943–1970

JAMES LOUGHRAN cbe PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR 1971–1983

‘I particularly want the Hallé to be fully a part of the music of the City ... to interest itself in the music produced here.’

james loughran

STANISLAW SKROWACZEWSKI PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR 1983–1992

KENT NAGANO PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR 1992–2000

‘Working with these extraordinary musicians and performing for our wonderful audience has been the centre of my life for nearly twenty-five years ... I much look forward to many exciting concerts in the years to come.’ mark elder

KAHCHUN WONG

PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC ADVISOR

The Hallé has, for over 160 years, been not only a jewel in Manchester’s musical crown, but an orchestra that has been hailed as amongst the best in Britain and beyond. Manchester has always been, and remains, an outward-looking international city, and we hope this appointment will enhance and expand that reputation.

andy burnham, mayor of greater manchester

Image by Tom Stephens, Hallé Concerts Society

Dear members of the Hallé community,

It brings me great joy to be finally here with you. Before going on further, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Sir Mark Elder for the incredible honour of following in his footsteps at this esteemed institution.

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of immersing myself in the Hallé world. From six intense days at Hallé St Peters recording Britten’s The Prince of the Pagodas for our label, to a most memorable tour of Spain at the start of 2024, it already feels like our journey together is well underway.

Our repertoire this season is rich and diverse. I will be conducting Mahler’s First and Second Symphonies; a special tribute to Bruckner’s 200th anniversary with a performance and live recording of his completed Ninth Symphony; Beethoven’s Ninth with the wonderful Hallé Choir and works by Benjamin Britten, Stravinsky, James MacMillan, Malcolm Arnold, Shostakovich, Tan Dun, Unsuk Chin and Akira Ifukube. I’m particularly excited about collaborating with our exceptional Principal Trumpet, Gareth Small, who will be the soloist in the Arutiunian Trumpet Concerto in April.

As well as welcoming back Sir Mark as Conductor Emeritus, it is such a pleasure for us to be working with our Artist-in-Residence Thomas Adès, our Assistant Conductor Euan Shields and our Associate Conductor, Hallé Pops Stephen Bell, alongside so many other prestigious and talented artists to perform such exciting and varied concerts in Manchester.

I look forward to sharing this season with you.

Kahchun Wong Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor

Thu 26 Sept, 7.30pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

KAHCHUN WONG CONDUCTS MAHLER’S ‘TITAN’

In his first concert in post as the Hallé’s new Principal Conductor, Kahchun Wong conducts this powerful opening to the 2024–25 season.

BRITTEN The Prince of the Pagodas: Suite 30’ arranged by colin mattheWs and kahchun Wong

MAHLER Symphony No.1, ‘Titan’ 53' Y7

Kahchun Wong conductor

6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM

Kahchun Wong and composer Colin Matthews in conversation.

concert sponsored by

Today, Mahler’s ‘Titan’ Symphony is celebrated as one of the most daring first symphonies ever written, thanks to its willingness to break with convention and its evocative exploration of the human experience. It is difficult to imagine now that Mahler’s First Symphony was, largely, illreceived at its first few performances, despite undergoing several extensive revisions by the composer. As a previous winner of the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition, Kahchun Wong has a particularly close affinity to Mahler’s works. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience Kahchun’s unique relationship with the last, great Romantic symphonist.

Benjamin Britten was commissioned to write the music for The Prince of the Pagodas, a ballet that at its 1989 revival saw a then-20 year old Dame Darcey Bussell in her first principal role. Tonight, we hear a masterful selection from the ballet, arranged by Kahchun in collaboration with Composer Emeritus of the Hallé Colin Matthews.

[Kahchun Wong] will no doubt set Manchester alight when he succeeds Sir Mark Elder at the Hallé. Indeed, he will turn heads and move hearts wherever he goes. bachtrack

Image by Angie Kremer

Sat 28 Sept, 7.30pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £18 to £50 Concessions and discounts available.

TOP OF THE CLASSICS

Immerse yourself in a night of extraordinary melodies and timeless classics.

GLINKA Ruslan and Ludmila: Overture Y3

FAURÉ Pavane Y1

GRIEG Holberg Suite: Praeludium Y5

KHACHATURIAN Spartacus: Adagio

BEETHOVEN Symphony No.5: Allegro con brio

ELGAR Salut d’Amour

BORODIN Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances

MOZART The Magic Flute: Overture

COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Deep River Y8

PRICE Symphony No.3: Juba Dance

MENDELSSOHN Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave) Y2

SHOSTAKOVICH The Gadfly: Romance

PACHELBEL Canon Y3

WALTON Crown Imperial

Stephen Bell conductor • Zeb Soanes presenter

Associate Conductor Hallé Pops, Stephen Bell and Zeb Soanes, Classic FM presenter, take us on a journey through iconic masterpieces by renowned composers. There will be thrilling overtures, passionate adagios, energetic dances, soulful spirituals, tender romances and pieces so famous that you won’t be able to help humming along. This ‘Top of the Classics’ concert promises to be an unforgettable evening.

concert sponsored by

Image by Bill Lam, Hallé Concerts Society

Sun 29 Sept, 3pm

the bridgeWater hall

Tickets (including fees)

Family £49

Adults £23

Children (17 and under) £13

Arrive any time from 1.30pm for free fun family activities in the foyer. Try your hand at word searches, puzzles and colouring, all inspired by today’s concert.

Concessions and discounts available. concert sponsored by FROM 1.30PM

FAMILY CONCERT: MARVELLOUS MUSICAL MYTHS AND LEGENDS

Explore wonderful stories of myths and legends through music, in a fun and interactive concert for all the family.

The concert includes:

JOHN WILLIAMS Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Hedwig’s Theme

JOHN POWELL How to Train Your Dragon

SIBELIUS Lemminkäinen’s Return

MASON BATES Anthology of Fantastic Zoology: A Bao A Qu

COPLAND Billy the Kid

STRAVINSKY The Firebird

ALAN SILVESTRI The Avengers: main theme

Euan Shields conductor • Tom Redmond presenter

Join presenter and broadcaster Tom Redmond, conductor Euan Shields and the Hallé for a fun-filled interactive family-friendly concert full of fantastic creatures and characters.

Listen in awe to The Firebird, cast spells with Harry Potter, saddle up with Billy the Kid, save the day with The Avengers and ride our dragons to Berk – all in an afternoon’s work for the heroic Hallé!

RUSH HOUR

RUSH HOUR: FIRE RITUALS

Stravinsky’s score for ‘The Firebird’ proved to be his breakthrough work, described as nothing less than ‘a work of genius’ by Rachmaninov.

TAN DUN Violin Concerto: Fire Ritual 30'

STRAVINSKY The Firebird: Suite 23' Y1

Kahchun Wong conductor • Eldbjørg Hemsing violin

The Firebird was revolutionary in many aspects, thanks to its fearless exploration of orchestral colours and effects. Alongside complex choreography, it featured a ballerina in the titular role, who – quite unlike the more typical, graceful female characters of the day – was strong, rebellious and powerful.

Preceding this work is Tan Dun’s explosive Violin Concerto: Fire Ritual – A Musical Ritual for Victims of War. Featuring Eldbjørg Hemsing, for whom the piece was written, it is constructed as a dialogue between humanity and nature, to acknowledge conflicts of past and present, and to work towards peace.

Thu 3 Oct, 6pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £18 to £23

Concessions and discounts available.

AFTER THE CONCERT

Join us for more music performed by students from the Royal Northern College of Music. concert sponsored by

The Hallé’s lunchtime Chamber Series at Hallé St Peter’s provides a unique opportunity to hear players and guest artists perform in more intimate surroundings. See, hear and feel the give and take, the quickness of response, the sense that every musician is an individual who at every moment is listening to and empathising with one another.

Fri 4 Oct, 1pm hallé st peter’s

Tickets (including fees) £16.50

Full-time students £8.50

CHAMBER SERIES: MENDELSSOHN OCTET

Roberto Ruisi and friends open the season with Mendelssohn’s Octet in E flat. Written when the composer was only 16, its energy, charm and bubbling counterpoint make it one of the most enjoyable and beloved pieces of chamber music – whether for the performer or the listener.

chamber series sponsored by

Images by Alex Burns and Tom Stephens Hallé Concerts Society

Thu 10 Oct, 7.30pm

Sun 13 Oct, 4pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

DVO ˇ RÁK’S CELLO CONCERTO

The Hallé’s string section shines in this shimmering programme, directed by Tianyi Lu – Principal Conductor of the St Woolos Sinfonia.

ANDRÉE Andante Quasi Recitativo for Strings 5'

DVO ˇ RÁK Cello Concerto

BRAHMS Symphony No.3

Tianyi Lu conductor • Alban Gerhardt cello

40'

33'

Elfrida Andrée was a pioneer: the first Swedish woman to conduct a symphony orchestra and to graduate as an organist, becoming Gothenburg Cathedral’s organist when she was just in her mid-twenties. Andante Quasi Recitativo for Strings opens the programme and is intensely emotive and brimming with melodic richness.

Alban Gerhardt, ‘one of the finest cellists around’ (The Guardian), will then perform Dvoˇrák’s celebrated Cello Concerto. It is a joyous piece, showcasing the rich middle register of the instrument, which the composer had always favoured. Brahms’s triumphant yet troubled Third Symphony, proclaimed by Hans Richter to be the ‘Brahms Eroica’, concludes the programme.

Image by Marco Borggreve

Sat 19 Oct, 7.30pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £18 to £50 Concessions and discounts available.

LE GATEAU CHOCOLAT: BASS DIVA

Le Gateau Chocolat, a one-of-a-kind artist and icon, joins the Hallé for a deep dive into the world of Divadom.

Stephen Bell conductor • Le Gateau Chocolat vocalist

From Schubert to Shirley Bassey, and with countless divas in between, Le Gateau Chocolat premieres a new concert, serving Queer Black excellence with their incredible bass vocals and powerful performance, alongside original orchestrations of deified Diva classics.

... ceiling-lifting baritone rich and silky as a Lindor truffle and resonant as a bell. the stage

Sat 26 Oct, 7.30pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

BRUCKNER’S NINTH SYMPHONY

Enigmatic and unfinished, Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony combines the unshakeable faith and creeping doubt of a composer reaching the end of his life.

BRUCKNER Symphony No.9

four movement version With fourth movement revised by dr john a phillips 88'

Kahchun Wong conductor

6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM

Kahchun Wong and guests in conversation.

concert sponsored by

Bruckner said of his final symphony, ‘And now I dedicate my last work to the majesty of all the majesties, the beloved God, and hope that he will give me so much time to complete the same.’ For all Bruckner began composing his Ninth Symphony almost a decade before his death, sadly it was ultimately left unfinished, interrupted by the reworking of nearly all his previous symphonies. Most performances of the piece today are of Bruckner’s completed three movements. Tonight we will present a four movement version with the reconstructed fourth movement by Bruckner specialist Dr John Phillips. Kahchun believes this to be the most comprehensive approach and truest to Bruckner’s vision.

This Singapore-born ball of energy and charm is a name to watch. Many in the capacity audience hastened to their feet as the final imperative chords thundered out. the observer on kahchun Wong

Fri 1 Nov, 1pm hallé st peter’s

Tickets (including fees) £16.50

Full-time students £8.50

CHAMBER SERIES: EAST MEETS WEST

Hallé oboist Virginia Shaw has a second passion – the Japanese Sho¯. Made of bamboo pipes, this mouth organ is said to mimic the call of the phoenix – a legendary sound indeed! East meets West in music for oboe and string quartet by Takemitsu, and in pieces for Sho¯ by the late Belgian composer, Wim Henderickx.

Image by Tom Stephens, Hallé Concerts Society

chamber series sponsored by

Thu 7 Nov, 7.30pm

THE VERA CLEGG MEMORIAL CONCERT

Sun 10 Nov, 4pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

SAINT-SAËNS’ SECOND PIANO CONCERTO

Pavel Kolesnikov, ‘a poet of the piano’ (Bachtrack), joins Nodoka

Okisawa to perform Saint-Saëns’ celebrated Second Piano Concerto.

RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin 17'

SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No.2 24'

TAKEMITSU Three Film Scores for String Orchestra 12'

POULENC Sinfonietta 29'

Nodoka Okisawa conductor • Pavel Kolesnikov piano

Saint-Saëns wrote his Second Piano Concerto in three weeks, leaving very little time to prepare for its premiere. With its dazzling stylistic changes, it has grown to become the most popular of the composer’s piano concertos.

Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin started life as a suite for solo piano but was later orchestrated by the composer and it is this arrangement that the Hallé will present. It is a delicately intimate work with each of its six movements dedicated to friends of the composer who had died in the First World War.

Following the Ravel we hear Takemitsu’s Three Film Scores for String Orchestra which features his music from Jose Torres (1959), Black Rain (1989) and Face of Another (1966). The programme concludes with Poulenc’s rhythmic and satirical Sinfonietta.

Thu 14 Nov, 6pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £18 to £23

Concessions and discounts available.

RUSH HOUR : SHOSTAKOVICH’S NINTH

Delyana Lazarova, internationally acclaimed conductor, takes to the podium to conduct Shostakovich’s triumphantly defiant Ninth Symphony.

BOULANGER Psalm 130: De Profundis (Out of the depths) 25' SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.9 27'

Delyana Lazarova conductor

Hanna Hipp mezzo-soprano • tenor from the rncm Hallé Choir mattheW hamilton choral director

AFTER THE CONCERT

Join us for more music performed by members of the Halle Youth Ensembles.

concert sponsored by

Ostensibly, Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony was his tribute to Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. Under the surface, however, was a bold critique of Soviet leaders and the chaos ensuing even after the war ended. The final movement uses The Dance of the Bones (a favourite of Stalin’s), a sardonic signpost to the decreasing food supplies in post-war Russia at the time.

Preceding this is Lili Boulanger’s ominous setting of Psalm 130, widely believed to be a reaction to the outbreak of World War One. Delyana Lazarova, winner of the inaugural Siemens Hallé International Conductor’s Competition, directs the massed forces of the Hallé, Hallé Choir, a rising star from the RNCM and the stunning Hanna Hipp.

RUSH HOUR

Sun 17 Nov, 6pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £33 to £68

Concessions and discounts available.

TOP GUN MAVERICK – IN CONCERT

Experience the Academy Award® winning blockbuster on the big screen, with Lorne Balfe, Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer’s epic score performed live-to-picture by the Hallé, conducted by Ben Palmer.

After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialised mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: ‘Rooster’, the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka ‘Goose’.

Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

Thu 21 Nov, 7.30pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

ADÈS AND SIBELIUS

Stephen Waarts, enjoyed by audiences globally for his ‘expressive fire and tonal vitality’ (Süddeutsche Zeitung), joins Hallé Artist-in-Residence

Thomas Adès to perform in Rautavaara’s final opus.

SIBELIUS Symphony No.7

RAUTAVAARA Deux Sérénades

22’

14’

THOMAS ADÈS Aquifer uk premiere 20’

THOMAS ADÈS Air – Homage to Sibelius

SIBELIUS Symphony No.5

Thomas Adès conductor • Stephen Waarts violin

6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM

String players from the Hallé and violinist Stephen Waarts discuss the evening’s programme. concert sponsored by

13’

30’

Finnish composer Rautavaara’s Deux Sérénades is a delicately poignant work in two movements: the first, ‘For my love’, is rich with emotive, yearning melodies; the second, ‘For life’, is more contemplative, until a suddenly frantic finish. Thomas Adès’ Aquifer is brimming with fluid motifs and rhythms that expand and withdraw as the water would in its namesake geological structure. Stephen Waarts will perform Adès’ Air – Homage to Sibelius, a transformative work first premiered earlier this year. Book-ending tonight’s concert are two Sibelius symphonies, his Fifth and Seventh. The latter, like Air, was composed in one single movement, yet it is no less full of rhythmic variety.

I know that music transforms our nervous system ... The music reached a hand inside me and rinsed my nervous system, restored my strength, set me free from that time and place. I think the greatest gift of art is to free us from time and place.

thomas adès on sibelius ’ s symphony no.7

Thu 28 Nov, 7.30pm

Sun 1 Dec, 4pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

BEETHOVEN’S SEVENTH SYMPHONY

Composed towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony possesses a triumphant, bordering on boisterous, sense of ‘a return to life’.

ARNOLD Four Scottish Dances

28 NOV, 6.30PM

1 DEC, 3PM

IN THE STALLS FOYER

Pre-concert performance with Colin Currie and students from Chetham’s School of Music.

10'

JAMES MacMILLAN Veni, veni Emmanuel percussion concerto 28'

BEETHOVEN Symphony No.7 36'

Kahchun Wong conductor • Colin Currie percussion

Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony is filled with stirring dance rhythms and magnificent dynamic colour; the score calls for the first recorded use of fff (fortississimo: louder than fortissimo, as loud as possible). It has also been featured extensively in popular culture: for example, its second movement provides the background music to King George VI’s stirring World War II speech in The King’s Speech (2010).

Preceding the symphony, Kahchun Wong will conduct Arnold’s Four Scottish Dances, evocative of traditional Scottish folk tunes. Colin Currie, ‘at the summit of percussion performance today’ (Gramophone), will join the platform to play in James MacMillan’s celebrated Veni, veni Emmanuel, a percussion concerto that proved to be the composer’s breakthrough work.

Thu 5 Dec, 8pm the bridgeWater hall

... A CONTEMPORARY MUSIC SERIES AT THE BRIDGEWATER HALL.

MUSIC THAT BREAKS BOUNDARIES AND SHOWS THE ORCHESTRA IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT.

FEATURING NITIN SAWHNEY, HONEY DIJON AND A WEEKEND DEDICATED TO THE MUSIC OF PHILIP GLASS.

Full price tickets (including fees) from £23 to £43

Concessions and discounts available. concert sponsored by

NITIN SAWHNEY IN CONCERT

A special evening lies ahead when the internationally renowned composer, musician and producer, Nitin Sawhney cbe, makes his Hallé debut.

Nitin Sawhney guitar & keyboard

Aref Durvesh tabla

• Chris Cameron conductor

• Eos Counsell violin

Shapla Salique and YVA vocalists

Having previously worked with orchestras across the world including Metropole Orkest, Britten Sinfonia and London Symphony Orchestra, Mercury Prize nominee and Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement recipient, Sawhney is inspired by music from around the globe as he responds to multiculturalism, politics and spirituality. The wealth of artists he has worked with includes Sir Paul McCartney, Anoushka Shankar, Akram Khan, Pink Floyd and Jools Holland. He has released over 20 albums and written around 70 film and TV scores, including Netflix’s Mowgli and the BBC’s award-winning Human Planet series. Together with the Hallé, this multi-talented artist will perform tracks from his albums Prophesy, Beyond Skin, Immigrants and his latest release, Identity.

Image by Ray Burmiston

Sat 7 Dec, 1pm hallé st peter’s

concert sponsored by

Tickets (including fees) £16.50

CHAMBER SERIES: LET THE HALLÉ HORNS RING

Full-time students £8.50 chamber series sponsored by

Sat 7 Dec, 6pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

The members of the Hallé horn section present a mixed programme of originals and arrangements: the Hindemith Sonata for four horns and the Bozza Suite are both staples of the horn quartet repertoire, while the rest of the programme features arrangements with a nod to the festive season.

MESSIAH

Under the masterful baton of John Butt, a cast of stellar soloists and the Hallé Choir combine in this timeless musical representation of the life and death of Christ.

HANDEL Messiah

John Butt conductor • Jessica Niles soprano

concert sponsored by

159' Y3/7

Alexander Chance counter-tenor • Toby Spence tenor • Roderick Williams baritone

Hallé Choir mattheW hamilton choral director

The legend goes that during the London premiere of Handel’s Messiah in 1743, King George II stood up at the opening of the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus, thus obligating the rest of the audience to do the same. Whether he was emotionally moved, needed to stretch his legs (or, in fact, was even in attendance at all), is debated to this day, but the tradition of standing remains. Tonight’s annual performance of the work features a quartet of celebrated international soloists, flanked by the forces of the Hallé Choir.

Image by Bill Lam, Hallé Concerts Society

Sat 14 Dec, 7.30pm

THE BRIDGEWATER HALL

Tickets (including fees)

Full price £13

Concessions £10.50

Students and under 18s £6

HALLÉ YOUTH ORCHESTRA

This dazzling programme showcases the next generation of talented musicians as the Hallé Youth Orchestra takes to the stage.

Programme includes:

SIBELIUS Symphony No.1 38'

Euan Shields conductor

Euan Shields, winner of the 2023 Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition and Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra, enters his second year in post. This concert will showcase the flourishing relationship between him and these outstanding young instrumentalists. Supported by professional musicians, the Youth Orchestra offers members the chance to experience the buzz of contributing to a large ensemble.

Sibelius’s First Symphony announced the arrival of one of the all-time great symphonists. A tantalising opportunity to hear a youthful interpretation of this Romantically-influenced work, deeply affecting and imbued with melodic freshness. supported by

... absolutely blown away by the sound, the vibrancy, the musicianship and the passionate commitment from every one of them. hallé youth orchestra parent

BE PART OF THE HALLÉ

The 2024-25 season sees the start of a new era for the Hallé as we welcome our Principal Conductor, Kahchun Wong. You can be a part of it!

Our family of supporters have opportunities to join and experience a range of exclusive events throughout the season:

Watch rehearsals, see first-hand our inspiring education and community work, involve yourself in our archive, take your seat in the audience at our award-winning Workplace Choir Competition and attend social receptions with Hallé staff and players.

To join our Patron or Chair Endower programmes, visit halle.co.uk/support-us

MERRY AND BRIGHT

CHRISTMAS WITH THE HALLÉ

Sun 1 Dec, 11.30am

HALLÉ CHRISTMAS FAMILY CONCERT

THE ADVENTURES OF PIPPA THE CHRISTMAS BAT

Euan Shields conductor

• Lucy Tuck actor

• Jon James producer

Halle Youth Training Choir

Fri 13 Dec, 7.30pm

CHRISTMAS AT THE MOVIES

Stephen Bell conductor

• Sumudu vocalist

Winners of the Hallé Workplace Choir Competition

• Hallé Ancoats Community Choir

Sat 14 Dec, 3pm

• Sun 15 Dec, 3pm and 7.30pm

HALLÉ CAROL CONCERTS

Stephen Bell conductor

• Hallé Choir

• Hallé Youth Choir

• Hallé Children’s Choir

Sat 21 Dec, 4pm

• Sun 22 Dec, 11am and 1.30pm

THE SNOWMAN With MIMI AND THE MOUNTAIN DRAGON

Olivia Clarke conductor

• Members of Halle Choir and Halle Youth Training Choir

Sun 29 Dec, 7.30pm

THE MUSIC OF QUEEN

Stephen Bell conductor

Nicole Raquel Dennis, Alice Fearn, Rob Houchen and Trevor Dion Nicholas vocalists

Sat 4 Jan, 3pm

VIENNESE NEW YEAR

Eduardo Strausser conductor

• Alexandra Lowe soprano

MANY THANKS TO OUR CHRISTMAS CONCERT SPONSORS

CHRISTMAS FAMILY CONCERT

CHRISTMAS AT THE MOVIES

CAROL CONCERTS AND QUEEN

CAROL CONCERTS

THE SNOWMAN

Thu 16 Jan, 7.30pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

MAHLER’S RESURRECTION SYMPHONY

Dame Sarah Connolly dbe and Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, 2021’s BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, lend their voices to this performance of Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony.

MAHLER Symphony No.2, ‘Resurrection’ 80'

Kahchun Wong conductor

Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha soprano • Dame Sarah Connolly mezzo-soprano

Hallé Choir mattheW hamilton choral director

Hallé Youth Choir stuart overington director

6.30PM IN CIRCLE VIEW FOYER

Choral Director Matthew Hamilton and members of the Hallé Choir discuss tonight’s programme.

Mahler’s Second Symphony was one of his most successful works during his lifetime. Inspired in part by the death of his colleague and friend Hans von Bülow, the symphony is the composer’s tribute to his life-long ideals of the beauty of resurrection and the afterlife.

It was at Bülow’s funeral that Mahler heard the Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock hymn Die Auferstehung (The Resurrection), the refrain of which is ‘Rise again, yes, you shall rise again my dust’. These words, combined with Mahler’s own verses, provide the text for the symphony’s fifth and final movement, written for soloists and chorus combined, and probably the greatest depictions of redemption and renewal in all music. Under the baton of Kahchun Wong, this promises to be a truly memorable experience.

Images by: Andrew Crowley (Dame Sarah Connollly) • Vera Alma Vacek (Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha) concert sponsored by

Sarah Connolly is perfectly attuned to Mahler’s music and consistently identifies with the words in an ideal fashion. musicWeb international

... a sumptuous, plush sound, and floats high notes with almost indecent ease.

Hear a few of them live and it’s as if you’ve died and (sins allowing) gone straight to Heaven.

the times on masabane cecilia rangWanasha

Thu 23 Jan, 7.30pm

Sun 26 Jan, 4pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

TCHAIKOVSKY’S FATEFUL FOURTH

Roderick Cox – a ‘trailblazer … a conductor who will be amongst the vanguard’ (Minnesota Star Tribune) conducts Tchaikovsky’s fateful Fourth Symphony.

CHRISTOPHER CERRONE The Insects Became Magnetic 12'

MOZART Piano Concerto No.21 26'

TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No.4 44' Y9

Roderick Cox conductor • Giorgi Gigashvili piano (Winner of the 2024–25 terence judd-hallé aWard)

After Christopher Cerrone’s The Insects Became Magnetic – a piece first prompted by the noise of computer speaker feedback and the idea that something beautiful could come from an otherwise uncomfortable sound – Roderick Cox is joined by the 2024–25 Terence Judd-Hallé Award winner, Giorgi Gigashvili for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.21, which was completed a mere four weeks after his Piano Concerto No.20. Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, ranked as one of his best, provides an emotive and impassioned finale.

Sat 25 Jan, 1pm

hallé st peter’s

Tickets (including fees) £16.50

Full-time students £8.50

CHAMBER SERIES: GIORGI GIGASHVILI

Hallé wind players join Giorgi Gigashvili for two of the greatest pieces of piano and wind chamber music. Mozart wrote to his father about his Quintet: ‘I myself consider it to be the best thing I have written in my life.’ Poulenc’s quirky Trio alternates passages of deep feeling and lyricism with others that almost evoke circus music.

chamber series sponsored by

Save 15% on the full ticket price when you book five or more concerts from The Bridgewater Hall’s classical season, including Hallé concerts.

Buy tickets for 16 or more concerts and save 25%.

The Hallé also offers many concessions and discounts to students, under 30s, ‘Our Pass’ holders, senior citizens, claimants and disabled patrons.

We also offer a limited number of tickets for each concert on the day, priced at £13 (including booking fees).

Sat 1 Feb, 7.30pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £18 to £50

Concessions and discounts available concert sponsored by

GAME ON!

A mesmerising celebration of symphonic game music.

Andy Brick conductor • RNCM Chamber Choir

Witness the return of awesome symphonic game music to The Bridgewater Hall. The epic universes of The Witcher 3, World of Warcraft, Ori, The Elder Scrolls, Assassin‘s Creed, Guild Wars 2, BioShock and many others will unfold before your eyes. Featuring concert premieres of stunning, adrenalin-fuelled symphonic music from an unprecedented line-up of blockbuster video games, ‘Game ON!’ combines unrivalled arrangements with incredible, never-before-seen HD video.

Sun 2 Feb, 4pm

the bridgeWater hall

Tickets (including fees)

Full price £13

Concessions £10.50

Students and under 18s £6

SIDE-BY-SIDE

THE HALLÉ AND HALLÉ YOUTH ORCHESTRA

Two generations of Hallé musicians join forces to perform a dramatic duo of pieces, each offering a contrasting view of the afterlife.

THOMAS ADÈS Selection from Inferno Suite 15'

R. STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration 25'

Euan Shields conductor

Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra, Euan Shields will guide the combined forces of talent and experience as members of the two orchestras sit side-by-side in what will be a moving and memorable performance, for both audience and musicians.

Adés’ Inferno Suite, extracted from his celebrated score for The Dante Project, is a wrathful work, exploring Dante’s nine circles of Hell through eight incandescent sections. Contrastingly, Richard Strauss’s Death and Transfiguration is more contemplative than contemptuous; it represents the final reminiscent thoughts of a dying artist, before being granted transfiguration ‘from the infinite reaches of heaven’. supported by

Sat 8 Feb, 7.30pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £18 to £50 Concessions and discounts available.

FINLANDIA

Immerse yourself in this captivating Scandinavian voyage through the music of the frozen North. SIBELIUS

Beguiling melodies and evocative masterpieces are central to this concert, with works from musical giants. From Sibelius’s rousing, patriotic tone poem Finlandia to Alfvén’s celebratory Swedish Rhapsody, there is much more in between. Experience the virtuosity of pianist Joseph Moog as he performs Grieg’s lush and evocative Piano Concerto, infused with folk influences and memorable melodies; lose yourself in the melancholic strains of Sibelius’s Valse Triste; journey through the day with Peer Gynt and feel the magic of the Northern Lights in Christine Hals’s Calling the Aurora from Frozen.

It was Brian Eno, a pioneer of electronica, who described the music of Philip Glass as ‘a viscous bath of pure, thick energy’. Glass, a master of developing complex and ever-shifting sonic layers from simple, repetitive structures, has since established himself as one of the most influential composers alive today, and one of the first proponents of the minimalism movement. Over the course of three days, in collaboration with the RNCM, the Hallé brings you a festival celebrating his best-loved works.

Image by Steve Pyke

ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO SINGS IFÉ SONGS

Thu 13 Feb, 7.30pm

the bridgeWater hall

PHILIP GLASS

Robert Ames conductor • Angélique Kidjo vocalist

Angélique Kidjo – singer-songwriter, Grammy Award winner, activist – has a star-studded career spanning five decades. Tonight, she steps onto The Bridgewater Hall stage alongside Robert Ames, a skilled interpretor of Glass’s work and ‘a super connector in modern music’ (The Guardian), to perform the UK premiere of Ifé Songs – written especially for her. The composer said of the work: ‘Angélique, together we have built a bridge that no one has walked on before.’

Days and Nights in Rocinha is a thrilling tribute to the Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood. In true Glass style, it begins softly, slowly building and developing with increasingly complex percussive rhythms until it reaches a glorious climax.

Glass’s Eleventh Symphony – sometimes reflective, sometimes fizzing with rhythmic textures, always fascinating – closes the programme.

Full price tickets (including fees) from £23 to £43 Concessions and discounts available.

HALLÉ ST PETER’S CHAMBER SERIES

GLASSWORKS

Fri 14 Feb, 1pm hallé st peter’s

Programme includes:

PHILIP GLASS

Glassworks

Colin Currie conductor

Musicians from the Hallé and RNCM

40'

Following the success of his larger-scale orchestral and stage creations, Philip Glass wanted to write something that would be more accessible to a wider audience.

He composed Glassworks, a work in six movements, in 1981. Intending it to be – aptly, for the decade – ‘Walkman-suitable’, he released both an LP and a tape cassette of the piece. Each had its own separate mix: the LP was intended for home listening and the cassette – with a headphone-specific mix – was intended for personal tape players.

Glass’s efforts paid off, and the work was an instant success. Chamber piece it may be, but it is no less rich and varied in its rhythms and textures, using members of all instrument families to create a shimmering, anthemic sound.

Tickets (including fees) £16.50

Full-time students £8.50

LIFE: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

Sat 15 Feb, 8pm

the bridgeWater hall

PHILIP GLASS

Frans Lanting’s LIFE: A Journey Through Time 60'

Colin Currie conductor

‘Lanting’s majestic photographs dance lightly across a huge screen over the orchestra, while some of Glass’s most elegant music pulses underneath ... It’s a celebration of nature in all its glory.’

The Washington Post

The LIFE Symphony was created by Frans Lanting in collaboration with Philip Glass to celebrate the splendour of life on Earth through music and images. With Lanting’s stunning photography projected on the big screen and Glass’s hallmark evolving textures mirroring the ever-changing landscape of life, this one-hour immersive audio-visual experience is an emotionally-charged journey through time, from the Big Bang to the present.

Full price tickets (including fees) from £23 to £43 Concessions and discounts available.

Images

Thu 20 Feb, 7.30pm

Sun 23 Feb, 4pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

A CELEBRATION OF VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Upon hearing the opening of Vaughan Williams’ Fifth Symphony, Andrew Manze was ‘instantly captivated by its magic’. (Presto Music)

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

The Wasps Overture 9' Y1

Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis 15'

The Lark Ascending 13' Y9

Symphony No.5 39'

Andrew Manze conductor • Roberto Ruisi violin

He conducts the Hallé’s performance of Vaughan Williams’ Fifth, alongside several of the composer’s much-loved pieces. Andrew Manze is well known as a leading interpreter of Vaughan Williams, a composer with whom he has a particularly close affinity, and has released a critically acclaimed cycle of the composer’s symphonies. He will be joined by Roberto Ruisi, Leader of the Hallé and sought-after soloist in his own right, for The Lark Ascending. The piece was considered revolutionary in the years following its composition thanks to its rhythmic flow and musical imagery: the solo violin as the songbird and the orchestra as the rolling landscape beneath it.

Roberto Ruisi brings formidable technical virtuosity to his role as well as the kind of sweetness and lyricism which now distinguish the orchestra’s strings as a whole. THE ARTS DESK

Thu 27 Feb, 7.30pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50 Concessions and discounts available.

PROKOFIEV’S TRIUMPHANT FIFTH

Han-Na Chang conducts one of Prokofiev’s most popular works, his ‘symphony on the greatness of the human soul’.

R. STRAUSS Don Juan 17'

HERZ Cello Concerto 20'

PROKOFIEV Symphony No.5 46'

Han-Na Chang conductor • Raphaela Gromes cello

6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM

Hallé Chief Executive David Butcher and Raphaela Gromes in conversation. concert sponsored by

Much of the music of German-Jewish Maria Herz survives via manuscripts alone.

Composed during the early- to mid-twentieth century, amidst rising antisemitism, only five of her more than thirty orchestral works were actually published in her lifetime. It is largely thanks to her grandson, Albert Herz, that we can enjoy Maria Herz’s music in modern times. Tonight, star cellist and champion of female composers, Raphaela Gromes will join conductor Han-Na Chang – herself a prestigious cellist – to perform Herz’s Cello Concerto.

Don Juan, based on the trials and tribulations of the legendary Renaissance-era Spanish libertine, begins the programme. It was one of Richard Strauss’s triumphs, catapulting the then-24 year old composer onto the international stage. Finally, the programme concludes with Prokofiev’s defiant and triumphant Fifth Symphony , a masterpiece that he described as being ‘a culmination of an entire period of work ... a symphony on the greatness of the human soul.’

RUSH HOUR

RUSH HOUR: RACHMANINOV’S THIRD SYMPHONY

The Hallé Rush Hour series continues with a contrasting pair of pieces, conducted by Euan Shields.

TAKEMITSU A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden

RACHMANINOV Symphony No.3

Euan Shields conductor

13'

40'

Thu 6 Mar, 6pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £18 to £23

Concessions and discounts available.

Takemitsu’s A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden is a contemplative, peaceful work, evoking the solitude of a stroll through one’s garden. Arising from a dream, Takemitsu described it as a ‘shifting panorama of scenes in which the main motif representing the so-called “Flock” descends into the harmonious tone-field called the “Pentagonal Garden”.’

Rich, dramatic and emotionally intense, Rachmaninov’s Third Symphony is considered one of his finest creations. A roller-coaster of passion, with moments of darkness and introspection particularly in the brooding first movement and the hauntingly beautiful second movement, the symphony also features moments of exuberance in its finale of dance rhythms.

AFTER THE CONCERT

Join us for more music performed by members of the Halle Youth Ensembles.

Thu 20 Mar, 7.30pm

THE ABRAHAM MOSS MEMORIAL CONCERT

Sun 23 Mar, 4pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

BRAHMS’S SYMPHONY NO.1

A programme of carefully considered firsts, including a symphony bursting free of the shadows of the past.

IFUKUBE Japanese Suite for Orchestra 19'

LISZT Piano Concerto No.1 19'

BRAHMS Symphony No.1 45'

Kahchun Wong conductor • Mariam Batsashvili piano

Brahms, a lifelong perfectionist, had always maintained he would never write a symphony, seemingly convinced it would never measure up to the likes of Beethoven’s. It is therefore understandable that Brahms may have dragged his feet a little; it took almost 15 years to finish his First Symphony. Beethoven’s influence is nonetheless present, particularly in the fourth movement which is deliberately reminiscent of the ‘Ode to Joy’ melody from the finale of the great master’s ‘Choral’ Symphony.

Following Ifukube’s Japanese Suite for Orchestra, an imaginative arrangement of the composer’s earliest work, Piano Suite, we welcome Mariam Batsashvili. Mariam first gained international recognition at the 2014 Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Utrecht. Tonight she performs Liszt’s First Piano Concerto. Written over a staggering 26 years, this masterwork remains an audience favourite. Her technical prowess and ability to negotiate Liszt’s showy grandeur is a given, but her sense of his inner world, his wistful, nonchalant poetry – sets her apart as one to watch.

THE OBSERVER ON MARIAM BATSASHVILI

Sun 23 Mar, 7pm

the bridgeWater hall

Tickets (including fees)

Full price £13

Concessions £10.50

Students and under 18s £6

HALLÉ YOUTH ENSEMBLES CELEBRATION

The Hallé Youth Ensembles Celebration showcases the talent of the youngest members of the Hallé family.

Hallé Children’s Choir shirley court director

Hallé Youth Choir stuart overington director

Hallé Youth Training Choir mattheW roughley director

Hallé Youth Orchestra euan shields director

A highlight in the Hallé’s calendar, join us in celebrating our wonderful youth ensembles, including the Hallé Children’s Choir, Youth Training Choir, Youth Choir and Youth Orchestra. Experience this explosion of talent in a varied, uplifting and family-friendly performance.

A joyful evening for all involved.

The Hallé is very grateful to the Oglesby Charitable Trust, The Zochonis Charitable Trust, Kirby Laing Foundation, The 29th May 1961 Charity, D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, The Anthony and Elizabeth Mellows Charitable Settlement, The Nugee Foundation, Q Charitable Trust, The Radcliffe Trust, The Thistle Trust and The Victoria Wood Foundation for their continued support of the Hallé Youth Ensembles. supported by

Hallé Connect brings together our education and community work and our family of ensembles.

The Hallé choirs welcome over 700 people, aged 8 upwards, on a weekly basis to sing with inspirational choral leaders. Our youth choirs, open to all by audition, are free to join and our adult choirs range from the world-renowned Hallé Choir (auditioned symphony chorus) to workplace choirs, the Choral Academy and the Ancoats Community Choir.

The Hallé Youth Orchestra is also free to join and is open, by audition, to any talented young instrumentalists aged 13–19 years. For more information about Hallé Connect’s education and community work, see page 66. For full details on all aspects of Hallé Connect, visit halle.co.uk/connect

Thu 27 Mar, 7.30pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

THE RITE OF SPRING

The Hallé’s Artist-in-Residence, Thomas Adès conducts this cosmic programme spanning time and space.

THOMAS ADÈS Dawn: a chacony for orchestra at any distance 8'

THOMAS ADÈS America: A Prophecy uk premiere • hallé commission 15'

SAARIAHO Oltra Mar

STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring

Thomas Adès conductor • Kelley O’Connor mezzo-soprano

Hallé Choir mattheW hamilton choral director

6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM

Hallé Chief Executive David Butcher and Marie Schreer

Principal Second Violin in conversation.

hallé neW commissions concert sponsored by

22'

36' Y5

Two pieces this evening were commissioned at the turn of the millennium. The first is Adès’ America: A Prophecy – an apocalyptic piece incorporating Mayan verse and Spanish flamboyance. Tonight we hear the UK premiere of the expansion of this powerful work which features celebrated American mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor and the Hallé Choir. The second is the late Saariaho’s Oltra Mar – a work in seven movements, exploring themes of love, death and time.

These are bookended by Adès’ luminous, daringly hopeful Dawn: a chacony for orchestra at any distance and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Though riotous at its 1913 premiere, The Rite of Spring is now cemented as one of the most influential pieces of the 20th century – a surging, thunderous tribute to renewal.

Sat 29 Mar, 1pm

hallé st peter’s

Tickets (including fees) £16.50

Full-time students £8.50

CHAMBER SERIES: ADÈS ALCHYMIA

Artist-in-Residence Thomas Adès’ most recent major chamber work Alchymia is the centrepiece of a concert for clarinet and string quartet, featuring Sergio Castelló López and Roberto Ruisi. Written in 2021 and ‘woven from threads leading out of the alchemical world of Elizabethan London’, each of Adès’ four movements takes a simple idea and transmutes it into something rich and strange.

Sat 5 Apr, 7.30pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £18 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

THE MUSIC OF STAR WARS

Feel the force of the Hallé as we bring you John Williams’ music from Star Wars to the stage of The Bridgewater Hall.

JOHN WILLIAMS Music from Star Wars Y9

MICHAEL GIACCHINO Rogue One Suite

Stephen Bell conductor • Tom Redmond presenter Hallé Choir mattheW hamilton choral director

Join conductor Stephen Bell, presenter Tom Redmond, the Hallé and the Hallé Choir as they bring to life John Williams’ iconic music to the Star Wars saga and experience the thrilling intensity of Giacchino’s Rogue One Suite.

This concert is a must-see for Star Wars fans and music lovers alike, offering a unique opportunity to experience the unforgettable scores of these legendary movies performed live. Don’t miss out on this stellar musical adventure from a galaxy far, far away ... concert sponsored by

Thu 10 Apr, 7.30pm

Sun 13 Apr, 4pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

SHOSTAKOVICH’S SYMPHONY NO.5

Kahchun Wong and the Hallé first met in a thrilling performance of Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony – see the magic that started their journey together.

PROKOFIEV Symphony No.1, ‘Classical’ 15'

ARUTIUNIAN Trumpet Concerto 17'

SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.5 48'

Kahchun Wong conductor • Gareth Small trumpet

Much of Shostakovich’s extraordinary output was profoundly marked by politics and the judgements of censors. His monumental Fifth Symphony, one of the greatest and most powerful of twentieth-century orchestral works was, supposedly, ‘A Soviet artist’s response to just criticism’. It is now known that this popular symphony was composed as a work of defiance so subtle that noone realised at the time.

thu 10 apr sponsored by

sun 13 apr sponsored by

Gareth Small, the Hallé’s very own renowned Principal Trumpet, joins Kahchun Wong to play in Arutiunian’s virtuosic Trumpet Concerto. Optimistic in nature, alive with sinuous melodies reminiscent of the composer’s native Armenia, it is a favourite amongst trumpeters, and audiences, providing ample opportunity for the soloist to – for lack of a better phrase – show off a bit.

Prokofiev composed his First Symphony, dubbing it ‘The Classical’, as a reinterpretation of the styles of the composers of the classical period. It is light and airy like Mozart, grandiose like Haydn, and an altogether mischievously joyful work.

RUSH HOUR

RUSH HOUR: BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH

Stephanie Childress, praised for her ‘elegant self-possession’ (Bachtrack) and ‘lithe vitality’ (The Guardian), conducts a contrasting duo of symphonies.

BRITTEN Simple Symphony

BEETHOVEN Symphony No.5

Stephanie Childress conductor

16'

31'

Thu 17 Apr, 6pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £18 to £23

Concessions and discounts available.

One of the most compelling young musicians working today, Stephanie Childress opens the programme with Britten’s Simple Symphony. Developed from a selection of his earlier works and melodies of which he was particularly fond, this includes the second movement, ‘Playful Pizzicato’ which echoes the opening notes of the theme tune to the long-running BBC radio show The Archers.

Beethoven’s thundering Fifth Symphony closes the programme. Also known as ‘The Fate Symphony’ – that instantly-recognisable opening motif was characterised by the composer himself as fate literally knocking at the door – it is one of the most popular and frequently-sampled pieces of music worldwide.

AFTER THE CONCERT

Join us for more music performed by students from the Royal Northern College of Music.

Sun 27 Apr, 1pm hallé st peter’s

Tickets (including fees) £16.50 Full-time students £8.50

Thu 1 May, 7.30pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

CHAMBER SERIES: HALLÉ YOUTH CHOIR

Now recognised as one of the country’s leading mixed-voice youth choirs, the Hallé Youth Choir was established in 2003 for young singers from across the North West and beyond. This is a rare opportunity to hear these talented young voices perform a varied programme of music from around the world, within the amazing setting of Hallé St Peter’s.

FROM THE NEW WORLD

Marta Gardoli´nska, Music Director of the Opéra national de Lorraine, conducts this programme of conflict and resolution.

COPLAND Appalachian Spring: Suite 23'

BARBER Violin Concerto

6.30PM IN THE STALLS FOYER

Performance by members of the Halle Youth Ensembles.

concert sponsored by

25'

DVO ˇ RÁK Symphony No.9, ‘From the New World’ 40' Y3

Marta Gardoli´nska conductor • Alena Baeva violin

With its beautifully broad ranges of tonal colour, tinged with the trials of the American Civil War, it is easy to see why Copland’s score for Appalachian Spring earned him a Pulitzer Prize. Following this work, Alena Baeva will step onto the platform to perform Barber’s Violin Concerto, a piece which similarly vacillates between contentment and conflict.

The ‘New World’ Symphony was one of the triumphs of Dvoˇrák’s musical career, and has been adored by audiences ever since. Aptly it accompanied Neil Armstrong on his first trip to the moon, and in a rather more down-to-earth context, the symphony’s second movement was used in the 1973 Ridley Scott-directed ‘Hovis’ advert.

Sat 10 May, 7.30pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50 Concessions and discounts available.

AN ALPINE SYMPHONY

Sir Mark Elder, Hallé Conductor Emeritus, returns to conduct this exploratory programme: a symphony detailing an ascent through the foreboding landscape of the Alpine mountains and a world premiere.

HUW WATKINS Concerto for Orchestra World premiere 20'

R. STRAUSS An Alpine Symphony 47'

Sir Mark Elder conductor

6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM

Sir Mark Elder and Huw Watkins in conversation.

Richard Strauss’s colossal ‘An Alpine Symphony’ is one of his largest, non-operatic works, calling for no fewer than 125 players. Traversing 22 sections, reflecting the scenes encountered on the ascent and return, it was largely inspired by the composer’s childhood experience of climbing mountains with friends. From the serene sunrise to the ominous storm, Strauss masterfully employs orchestral colours to depict nature’s majesty and challenges.

Long-term collaborator with the Hallé and Sir Mark, Huw Watkins has been praised throughout his career for his versatility and musical integrity. Following the success of two previous symphonies written for the Hallé (his Symphony No.2 ‘proved a modern symphony can be optimistic, easy to grasp – and subtle’ The Daily Telegraph) we hear the world premiere of his Concerto for Orchestra. Written knowing the Hallé so well, expect shimmering orchestration, luminous textures and rich melodic ideas.

hallé neW commissions concert sponsored by

‘... the Alpine Symphony, its prevailing grandeur thrown into relief by the delicacy of those passages where Strauss turns his colossal orchestra into the most refined of chamber ensembles. Elder was in his element in what proved to be a monumental account of the work’ THE GUARDIAN

Thu 15 May, 7.30pm

Sun 18 May, 4pm

the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE

Alexandre Bloch, Music Director of the National Orchestra of Lille, takes to the podium in this programme celebrating French music from the 19th and 20th centuries.

FARRENC Overture in E flat 7'

RAVEL Piano Concerto in G 20'

BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique 49'

Alexandre Bloch conductor • Cédric Tiberghien piano

Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique has long been a favourite since its premiere in 1830. It was first performed at the Paris Conservatoire, where Louise Farrenc was enrolled in the previously all-male composition class, at the age of just 15. Her powerful and vivacious Overture in E flat, written a few years after the Berlioz, opens this programme.

Ravel intended his G major Piano Concerto, which ended up being his penultimate creation, to be ‘a brilliant work, clearly highlighting the soloist’s virtuosity’. With internationally-acclaimed pianist Cédric Tiberghien at the keyboard, it seems certain his wishes will be fulfilled.

After his wonderful performances of Beethoven with the Hallé in 2024, former Terence Judd-Hallé Award winner Tom Borrow returns to perform the piano quintet by César Franck. One of the composer’s major works, the three large-scale movements have a dark and turbulent emotional power, unified by a motif that recurs throughout. concert sponsored by chamber series sponsored by

Sat 17 May, 1pm

hallé st peter’s

Tickets (including fees) £16.50

Full-time students £8.50

CHAMBER SERIES: TOM BORROW

See the Hallé label’s complete catalogue at halle.co.uk

Kahchun Wong’s debut studio recording with the Hallé – Britten’s Prince of Pagodas – is released in September 2024 on the Hallé’s award-winning recording label.

Thu 22 May, 8pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £23 to £43 Concessions and discounts available.

HONEY DIJON

‘Witnessing the Chicago DJ Honey Dijon behind the decks can be as close to a spiritual experience as you can get on the dancefloor.’ the guardian

Tommy Evans conductor • Honey Dijon dj

7pm IN THE STALLS FOYER

Join Manchester DJ SEZBENNY (aka Hallé flautist Sarah Bennett) for a pre-concert DJ set.

Born and raised in Chicago, the home of House Music, Honey Dijon – musician, DJ, producer – has captivated dancefloors across the globe, inspired the fashion circuits of London, Paris, Berlin and New York, and graced the stage at Glastonbury. She now brings her forward-thinking blends of style and genre to this unique performance with the full forces of the Hallé. Anticipate a night of thrilling House, anthemic celebration and unapologetic joy.

Honey Dijon is a wizard when it comes to making feel-good dancefloor symphonies. nme

Sat 24 May, 7.30pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £18 to £50

Concessions and discounts available. concert sponsored by

SUMMER CLASSICS

Luxuriate in the warmth of the orchestra and immerse yourself in a symphony of seasonal melodies.

MENDELSSOHN A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Overture 12'

VIVALDI The Four Seasons: Summer 10'

CAMILLE PÉPIN The Sound of Trees: Apaisé, boisé 4'

BRIDGE Summer 10'

DEBUSSY Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune 12' Y4

GERSHWIN Porgy and Bess: Summertime

5' Y8

PIAZZOLLA The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires: Summer 8'

BEETHOVEN Symphony No.6, ‘Pastoral’: Storm and Shepherd‘s Song

Agata Zaja˛c conductor

Roberto Ruisi violin • Petroc Trelawny presenter

15' Y2

Under the baton of Agata Zaja˛c and presented by Petroc Trelawny, this concert promises an harmonious journey through the essence of summer. Orchestral favourites include the enchanting overture to Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the pastoral beauty of Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, Debussy’s languid L’après-midi d’un faune and Gershwin’s sultry Summertime from his folk opera Porgy and Bess. Savour the virtuosic skills of Hallé Leader Roberto Ruisi in Summer, first from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and then from Piazzolla’s interpretation, The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

Images by Alex Burns, Hallé Concerts Society

Thu 29 May, 7.30pm the bridgeWater hall

Full price tickets (including fees) from £17 to £50

Concessions and discounts available.

ODE TO JOY

Kahchun Wong is joined by a host of acclaimed British soloists and the full forces of the Hallé and Hallé Choir for this triumphant season finale.

UNSUK CHIN ˇ Su 21'

BEETHOVEN Symphony No.9, ‘Choral’ 65' Y7

Kahchun Wong conductor

Wu Wei sheng

Nardus Williams soprano • Susan Bickley mezzo-soprano

Nicky Spence tenor • William Thomas bass

Hallé Choir mattheW hamilton choral director

Rapturously received by the audience at its 1824 premiere, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony remains a firm favourite today. By this time, Beethoven was profoundly deaf and had to be gently turned to face the audience to accept their adulation, which was shown by the waving of hands, hats and handkerchiefs as well as multiple standing ovations.

Internationally-renowned Sheng player Wu Wei opens the programme with a gorgeous performance of Unsuk Chin’s ˇ Su. Composed especially for him, it is a shimmering example of the wide range of tonal colour offered by this ancient instrument. concert sponsored by

Sat 7 Jun

the bridgeWater hall

SINGERS START 10.30AM

PUBLIC PERFORMANCE 6.30PM

PARTICIPANTS

Tickets (including fees) £35.50

Students, under 26s, claimants, disabled/companion £20.50

AUDIENCE

Tickets (including fees) £16.50

Students, under 26s, claimants, disabled/companion £8.50

SING WITH THE HALLÉ: HAYDN’S THE CREATION

Experience the thrill of singing alongside one of the world’s most renowned musical institutions in a day of inspiring choral music.

In 2025, we will be exploring one of the most iconic and uplifting choral works in the repertoire, Haydn’s The Creation. The day will be led by the Hallé’s fun and motivating Choral Director, the exceptional Matthew Hamilton.

Everyone is welcome to participate and no previous experience is required. Or simply come along at the end of the day to hear the performance.

Complete novice. Thoroughly enjoyed the day. Matthew is an amazing conductor and choirmaster. The soloists were superb and the orchestra brilliant. come and sing With the hallé participant

Hallé Connect brings together our education and community work and our family of ensembles. Each year, Hallé Connect directly reaches over 75,000 people of which over 40,000 are children and young people.

Hallé musicians work in various settings across the whole community, throughout Greater Manchester and beyond, bringing music to those who may not normally attend the concert hall, releasing creativity and raising aspirations through accessible and practical projects.

Some highlights include ...

THE ORCHESTRA THROUGH THE AGES

GCSE & A-LEVEL SET WORKS

Fri 18 Oct

The Hallé’s Set Works concert, created in collaboration with teachers and music educators, is a dedicated and unique resource for GCSE and A-level music students. Featuring a number of orchestral pieces from the AQA, OCR, WJEC and Edexcel syllabi, the concert is a guided tour of music from the Renaissance through to the 21st century, demonstrating the development of the symphony orchestra with a brief historical and musical analysis of some key pieces.

ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY?

HALLÉ FOR YOUTH (for Key Stage 2 and 3)

Tue 4 and Wed 5 Mar (Key Stage 2)

Thu 6 Mar (Key Stage 3)

Bring your school to hear the mighty Hallé live in concert at The Bridgewater Hall! Join us in the week of World Book Day to explore music inspired by texts you know and love, and to discover new stories you have not yet encountered. All schools will receive free resources in advance of the concert to have fun in your music classes, make Model Music Curriculum links and prepare the children for the concert experience.

UNDER THE SEA

KEY STAGE 1

Thu 12 Jun

Led by a friendly presenter, younger audience members will experience a range of live orchestral music that they can interact with in different ways such as listening, clapping, singing and dancing. In addition to the concert itself, all schools will receive free resources in advance of the concert to explore cross-curricular links with the music and help prepare the children for their visit to the Hallé.

RELAXED CONCERTS

AT HALLÉ ST PETER’S

Wed 30 Oct, 5 Feb, 2 Apr and 7 May

Relaxed concerts present high-quality music-making in a safe, inclusive and enjoyable environment, designed to welcome audiences with a range of needs, including physical, sensory and communication impairment. The concerts, lasting around 4550 minutes, include short and varied pieces introduced by our musicians. There are opportunities to join in and even to dance!

‘ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN…’ COME AND PLAY WITH THE HALLÉ

(for Key Stage 2)

Tue 17 Jun and other dates to be announced

‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ Neil Armstrong on landing on the Moon, 20 July 1969

Explore amazing worlds in space through music from across the galaxies, and play along with the world famous Hallé! Working with schools through our many Music Education Hub partners, Come and Play with the Hallé is a specially-designed concert for Key Stage 2 schoolchildren learning a musical instrument via the Whole Class Ensemble Teaching Programme. Schools that are interested in taking part should contact their local Music Service or Music Hub in the first instance.

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Hallé musicians work in a variety of education and community settings, including schools, universities, hospitals and care homes, engaging people through music in their own locations in a relaxed and enjoyable way.

For more information about the Hallé’s Ensembles, see page 49. For full details on all aspects of Hallé Connect, visit halle.co.uk/connect

THE BRIDGEWATER HALL

LOWER MOSLEY STREET, MANCHESTER, M2 3WS

The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester’s international concert venue, was built to give the best possible space for music. The Hall hosts over 300 performances a year including classical music, rock, pop, jazz, world music and much more. Home to the Hallé’s main concert season, the Hall provides a wonderful atmosphere and acoustic to hear our music. For the latest information on visiting The Bridgewater Hall, including travel and parking, food and drink and security arrangements, go to bridgewater-hall.co.uk/your-visit which has full and regularly updated details.

GETTING TO THE BRIDGEWATER HALL

Metrolink tram passengers should alight at Deansgate-Castlefield or St Peter’s Square.

The nearest railway stations are Deansgate and Oxford Road. If travelling by car, please allow plenty of time for your journey. For satellite navigation, the Hall’s postcode is M2 3WS. The nearest car parks are Q-Park First Street, NCP Manchester Central, NCP Great Northern and NCP Oxford Street.

DISABLED PARKING

A wheelchair-user drop-off point is located on Lower Mosley Street outside the Hall. This is not a parking space, even for blue badge holders. Double yellow lines at the rear of The Bridgewater Hall on Great Bridgewater Street allow parking for blue badge holders for up to 3 hours, except during the hours of 6am–8am and 4pm–6pm.

HALLÉ ST PETER’S

BLOSSOM STREET, MANCHESTER M4 6BF

Situated at the heart of Ancoats, Hallé St Peter’s and the Oglesby Centre provide a home for the Hallé’s rehearsals and recordings, its choirs and Youth Orchestra, as well as a space for education workshops and small performances.

EVENTS

Hallé St Peter’s is a very versatile venue. The elegant interior provides a beautiful backdrop for weddings, parties, corporate events, meetings, conferences, receptions and much more. Hallé at St Michael’s, our nearby sister venue, also provides a great space for events. For more details on how you can hire these Hallé Venues, contact us at hallestpeters@halle.co.uk

CAFÉ COTTON

An independent café, restaurant and bar, based in the Oglesby Centre at Hallé St Peter’s, Café Cotton is open to the general public seven days a week, offering great coffee, delicious homemade food and cakes to eat in or takeaway. Walk-ins welcome and to make a reservation, visit cafecotton.net

Book your tickets at: halle.co.uk

Box Office, The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3WS

0161 907 9000 supervisors@bridgewater-hall.co.uk

Mastercard, Visa and Delta are all welcome. The Bridgewater Hall applies a booking fee of £3 per ticket to telephone and online transactions.

No fees apply to tickets bought in person or as part of a subscription.

PERSONAL FLEXIBLE SUBSCRIPTIONS

Save 15% on the full ticket price when you book five or more concerts from The Bridgewater Hall’s classical season, including Hallé concerts. Buy tickets for 16 or more concerts and save 25%.

FIXED SUBSCRIPTIONS

You can also save money if you purchase a fixed subscription before the start of the season. Contact the Box Office to get full details on which concerts are included in the fixed subscriptions and the level of discount available.

CONCESSIONS AND DISCOUNTS

The Hallé offers many concessions and discounts to students, under 30s, ‘Our Pass’ holders, senior citizens, claimants and disabled patrons. We also offer a limited number of tickets for each concert on the day, priced at £13 (including booking fees). We offer group discounts, saving up to 25% depending on the size of your group.

For more information visit halle.co.uk

DISABLED PATRONS

The Bridgewater Hall is fully accessible and welcomes disabled patrons. By letting us know your access requirements, we will, where possible, be able to seat you appropriately. For full information visit bridgewater-hall.co.uk or e-mail supervisors@bridgewater-hall.co.uk.

Tickets cannot be refunded, but may be exchanged for Hallé concerts within the same season, subject to The Bridgewater Hall’s terms and conditions - visit bridgewater-hall.co.uk

All offers are subject to availability, you may be asked to show appropriate identification.

All artists and programmes are correct at the time of going to press, but may change in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Keep up to date at halle.co.uk and via our social media channels.

All prices and tickets, including discounts and concessions, are subject to availability. Prices and fees may change and you may only use one discount per ticket. For licensing reasons everyone, including babes in arms, must have a ticket for concerts. Other than for family concerts, we recommend that younger audiences members be at least of primary school age.

Major Sponsors

Many thanks to our family of Workplace Choirs: BAE Systems • BASF plc

• BDO LLP • Bolton NHS Foundation Trust Carol Kendrick Centre • The Nightingale Centre • The Oasis Centre • RSM • Siemens plc • Stockport Council

It is due to the generosity of our sponsors, patrons and every loyal supporter that we are able to perform the concerts in this brochure. We send our sincerest thanks to Arts Council England, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the City of Manchester.

Get involved, join the Hallé online

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The Hallé Concerts Society is a Registered Charity Number 223882

Hallé Concerts Society, The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester M1 5HA

Hallé St Peter’s, 40 Blossom Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 6BF

Hallé at St Michael’s, 36-38 George Leigh Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 5DG

General enquiries: info@halle.co.uk • 0161 237 7000 halle.co.uk