FORGOTTEN HISTORY: Halle - Caught on Camera

Barkouf review – Offenbach’s lost operetta is a quirky shaggy dog story

Opera Rara revive the 1860 work in which a dog is appointed Sultan. A fine cast, the Hallé and ENO chorus, and impeccable rhyming narration from Alistair McGowan, ensure things fizz

The Guardian - UK · Oct 5

Hallé/Wong review – MacMillan’s new symphony centres a great concert hall’s birthday celebrations

James MacMillan’s sixth symphony proved an intricate, intriguing and forward-looking work. It was well paired with Stephen Hough’s exuberant ‘Emperor’ piano concerto and a Liszt rarity

The Guardian - UK · Sep 25

Hallé/Chauhan/Helseth review – Muhly paints doom with Helseth’s gleaming trumpet

Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Receiving its UK premiere in a programme with Britten and Walton, Nico Muhly’s trumpet concerto is inspired by the instrument’s biblical – sometimes apocalyptic – associations

The Guardian - UK · Mar 13

The week in classical: BBC Proms week one review – hallelujahs all round

First Night fireworks with Elim Chan and co, a triumphant farewell from Mark Elder, and a ravishing love triangle kicked off a re-energised Proms

The Guardian - UK · Jul 27, 2024

Prom 4: Hallé/Elder review – a farewell eclipsed by the quality of the music-making

Mark Elder has led the Hallé for 24 years, championing the company’s choirs, in great voice here in a striking James MacMillan work, and bringing cerebral discipline and striking emotional truth to Mahler’s Fifth Symphony

The Guardian - UK · Jul 22, 2024

James Loughran obituary

Conductor who won the inaugural Philharmonia competition and recorded Brahms with the Hallé and Beethoven with the London Symphony Orchestra

The Guardian - UK · Jul 4, 2024

Elgar: Symphonies Nos 1 & 2 album review – warmth, refinement and conviction

These performances are as fine as any currently available on disc, and a testament to the deep musical relationship that Mark Elder’s has built over 24 years as director of the Hallé

The Guardian - UK · May 23, 2024

Hough/Hallé/Elder review – Americana, jazz and virtuosity in debut for piano concerto

Stephen Hough’s new, nostalgia-themed work enjoyed its European debut with Mark Elder and the Hallé very much on form in their final months together

The Guardian - UK · May 16, 2024

Hallé/Adès review – an exhilarating and magnificent partnership

The Hallé’s playing was triumphant as Thomas Adès oversaw a challenging programme including a rare Tippett masterpiece and new work from Oliver Leith, while the conductor’s own piece was an immense statement

The Guardian - UK · Apr 7, 2024

BBCSO/Kahchun Wong review – hints of musical adventure to come

The Singaporean conductor, soon to head the Hallé, chose a Shostakovich symphony for his London debut, along with two Japanese pieces forming a timely tribute to the late Seiji Ozawa

The Guardian - UK · Feb 11, 2024