Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
Thursday 24 February 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** 'A mature work from a highly accomplished composer' - Jonny Greenwood's new violin concerto performed by Daniel Pioro and The Hallé Jonny Greenwood. Photo credit Sharyn Bellemakers/The Hallé Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has been a classical composer for the last twenty years. His film scores, including There Will …
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Saturday 21 February 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** Love is a fragile thing: superb performances of Albarn Berg, Sergey Prokofiev and Cassandra Miller by Lawrence Power and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Composer Cassandra Miller, Viola Player Lawrence Power and Members of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Credit: Chris Payne On The Cure's comeback album Songs of a …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – Romeo and Juliet – Live Review"
Thursday 20 February 2026 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester **** Exploring the Cosmos: The Hallé's Stellar Concert The Hallé orchestra, Choir and Youth Choir. Image credit Sharyn Bellemakers/The Hallé On Thursday evening, it was a pleasure to see a full stage (The Hallé orchestra under the baton of Kahchun Wong, on a specially extended stage), full …
Thursday 12 February 2026 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** The Hallé and Kahchun Wong shine in Beethoven's heroic symphony Cellist Jan Vogler with members of The Hallé. Credit: Alex Burns/The Hallé For a second at the start of Thursday evening's Beethoven-themed concert, it felt as if the opening piece was his Coriolan Overture. In fact, …
Continue reading "The Hallé – Beethoven’s Eroica – Live Review"
Saturday 7 February 2026 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester **** French-tinged minimalism, sparkling Ravel and Rachmaninoff's final orchestral statement Elisabeth Brauß and members of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Image © Chris Payne Saturday evening's concert by the BBC Philharmonic was their first under the baton of Adam Hickox. He's the son of Richard Hickox, who died nearly …
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Saturday 24 January 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** An unforgettable exploration of Bartók's psychodrama Jennifer Johnston as Judith, Christopher Purves as Duke Bluebeard and conductor Anja Bihlmaier. Image © Chris Payne It's unusual for one concert in an orchestra's season to follow on from the next, unless they are part of a programmed series, such …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – Bluebeard’s Castle – Live Review"
Saturday 17 January 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester **** A serene Beethoven piano and two unresolved American orchestral classics from Ives and Adams Alim Beisembayev (at the piano), John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic. Image credit Chris Payne. Saturday evening's concert by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, under their Chief Conductor, John Storgårds, featured two pieces by …
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Manchester was the place to be for superb performances in 2025 The Year in Classical Music Sometimes going abroad reminds you how good things are at home. In the spring of 2025, I went to the Shostakovich Festival in Leipzig, featuring world-class performers such as the Gewandhausorchester and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. So it was …
Friday 5 December 2025 RNCM, Manchester ***** The strings of the BBC Philharmonic shine in music by Bartók and Tchaikovsky The Strings of the BBC Philharmonic directed by Zoë Beyers. Image © Chris Payne/BBC Last Friday's concert at the RNCM in Manchester was directed from the violin by the Leader of the BBC Philharmonic, Zoë …
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Sunday 30 November 2025 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** Manchester's oldest orchestra become the city/region's newest cultural ambassadors Akiko Suwanai, Kahchun Wong and members of The Hallé. Credit: Alex Burns/The Hallé At the beginning of the second half of Sunday afternoon's concert, Kahchun Wong, Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor to the Hallé, announced that he and the …
Continue reading "The Hallé – Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto – Live Review"