Music and voice in harmony

Halle Orchestra, Bridgwater Hall, Manchester.
THE splendid Halle Orchestra joined ranks with around 200 voices and the Bridgewater Hall’s magnificent pipe organ to bring a truly awesome concert to Manchester.

The huge instrument is the jewel in the crown of one of Europe’s finest concert halls and was the first of its kind to be installed in Britain for almost a century.

So it was a real treat to hear it brought to life under the hands of organist Jonathan Scott in yesterday’s concert which promised to bring “The Greatest Choruses In The World.”

As usual this world-class orchestra which has its home just a few miles away from Oldham, delivered a faultless programme of music, with the Halle Choir and the ever popular Halle Children’s Choir, filling the hall with voices.

Conductor Timothy Redmond brought a theatrical twist when he turned from musician to thespian, quoting pieces from Shakespeare’s wartime epic, “Henry V” in-between pieces from Oldham-born William Walton and what is widely believed to be the finest of his 14 film scores.

The concert explored well-known pieces from English, German, Norwegian and Italian composers. From Hubert Parry’s Coronation Anthem “I was Glad” to Mozart’s Requiem, the music was familiar to all.

There was a fair share of music instantly recognisable from adverts, like Old Spice and Hovis bread, while the choir did a wonderful job with Handel’s magnificent “Zadok The Priest”.

And the children’s choir brought the house down with Jonathan Dove’s compilation of seaside songs, written especially for young voices as choral postcards, including “Donkey Riding”, “Rio Grand” and “Keel Row”.