Thursday 8 October 2026
The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
★★★★★
The Hallé continues its magnificent season with the debut of conductor Nodoka Okisawa in two 20th-century Russian masterpieces
It’s a great time to be living in Manchester, not just because of the consistently lovely weather (!), but also because of its thriving music scene. Over the last 30 years since the Bridgewater Hall opened, Stoller Hall, The Lowry, Aviva Studios and Co-op Live have all opened their doors. Manchester’s classical music scene continues to thrive, with world-class ensembles including The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Manchester Collective, Kantos Chamber Choir and Manchester Camerata. Last Thursday evening, The Hallé Orchestra, Manchester’s oldest performing group, continued celebrating the hall’s thirtieth anniversary with a concert of two 20th-century Russian classics.
The concert began with Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3, with the Russian pianist Pavel Kolesnikov. At the start of the piece, Kolesnikov played poetically, with an even, delicate touch and a lovely flow. The orchestra, under the baton of Japanese conductor Nodoka Okisawa, whose movements were small and precise here, played with warm precision. A nostalgic moment came when the piano and solo bassoon played together, followed by an emotionally stirring one when the pianist and orchestra came together a little later. In the cadenza, Kolesnikov’s swirling hands built to an ecstatic climax as he covered the whole keyboard, then played a stunning syncopated version of the opening theme with immense power. A liquid piano passage with solo woodwind and horn was mesmerising, as if time had briefly stopped.
The second movement, which segued into the third, began with an extended orchestral introduction, melancholy and sorrowful, beautifully shaped by Okisawa. Kolesnikov’s subtle cadenza opened a new vista, calming the mood with simple, limpid textures. The orchestra, now calmed, joined the piano in a gentle chromatic theme. Powerful piano chords broke the spell. The orchestra decorated Kolesnikov playing, then finally asserted itself: a true meeting of minds. A brief, romantic cadenza, with gorgeously melting harmonies, led a lovely horn chorale with warm violas. Kolesnikov’s robust, bell-like theme was accompanied by the scurrying orchestra, Okisawa bringing out the fierce dotted rhythms here. From the dense textures, a sudden flash of sunlight rose from the piano as the key changed, then was overtaken by Wagnerian horns. Kolesnikov’s playing in the next mini-cadenza danced joyfully, with jolly woodwind interpolations. After a melodic and harmonic journey, a huge climax with a romantic melody, reminiscent of the composer’s Piano Concerto No. 2, pulled at the heartstrings. The orchestra and piano raced to a stunning ending, drawing a huge roar from the audience. Kolesnikov’s encore was Chopin’s Nocturne in D Flat Major, his playing beautifully even and expressive, as the whole hall sat in awe of his virtuosity.
The second half featured Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. Okisawa, making her debut with The Hallé at the Bridgewater, has a reputation as a Prokofiev specialist, and is currently working through an ambitious Prokofiev cycle with the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. On the evidence of this performance, particularly the stunning first movement, that reputation is well deserved. She was more demonstrative than in the piano concerto, moving animatedly on the podium with sweeping gestures. She began with a stately tempo, with rich brass and ecstatic high strings. She brought out the symphony’s militaristic nature with a brass fanfare, evoking a burst from Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony, but before reaching full Shostakovichian anguish, the orchestra backed away. The strings delivered gorgeous ensemble, then stunning pizzicato. Okisawa brought out subtle details rarely heard on recordings, and a moment of supreme optimism emerged with majestic gravity, the orchestra sounding superb.
The second movement began with playful woodwind and piano, then Okisawa brought out the intensity of the piece. She handled the architecture perfectly, creating an inner driving pulse even when the tempo slowed. The orchestra were working incredibly hard, at the very top of their game. A military side drum wasn’t as fierce as Shostakovich would have made it; it was playful and sprightly, and the woodblock added a feeling of levity. A brief shadow of Shostakovich ominously threatened as the orchestra accelerated to a phenomenal crescendo. Then there was a sudden moment of jollity, like Jupiter in Holst’s The Planets. The third movement began as a lugubrious waltz, with passionate upper strings echoing the composer’s Romeo and Juliet; unsurprisingly, as Prokofiev recycled material from his ballet. The hall’s superb acoustics made the sound bright, warm, detailed and coherent, accentuating the visceral thrill of hearing a superb orchestra playing live. The performance reached a dramatically anguished climax, with flutes crying out, before the orchestra sank back into shimmering music from Romeo and Juliet, ending with a final wrenching melody. Okisawa brought out the chamber-music subtlety at the start of the final movement, and the woodwinds shone with excellent solos, while the horns shone throughout. There was a fiercely rhythmic section, leading to a joyful conclusion, reminding us that Prokofiev wrote that the symphony praised ‘the free and happy man – his strength, his generosity and the purity of his soul.’
Performers
The Hallé Orchestra
Nodoka Okisawa conductor
Pavel Kolesnikov piano
Repertoire
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 3
Chopin Nocturne in D Flat Major (encore)
Prokofiev Symphony No.5
Now read on…