Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
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 The Hallé Orchestra and Pavel Kolesnikov It’s a great time to be living in Manchester, not just because of the consistently lovely weather (!), but also because of …
Continue reading "The Hallé – Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 – Live Review"
Tuesday 29 September 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester The Sixteen bring peace and stillness to the opening concert of the Bridgewater Hall's 30th International Concert Series ★★★★ The Sixteen and conductor Harry Christophers. Credit: Johnny Millar/The Bridgewater Hall Harry Christophers and his chamber choir The Sixteen first performed at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall in February 1998, eighteen …
Continue reading "The Sixteen: Angel of Peace – Live Review"
Thursday 23 September 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ★★★★★ Celebrating 30 years of The Bridgewater Hall with the world premiere of a stunning new symphony by Sir James MacMillan Sir James MacMillan, Kahchun Wong and members of The Hallé. Credit: Alex Burns, The Hallé On Wednesday 11 September 1996, the Bridgewater Hall opened its doors for …
Continue reading "Hallé Orchestra Opening Night: Built for the Hallé – Live Review"
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 1 November 2025 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** Exploring Powerful Women in the Music of John Adams, with Astonishing Playing from Violinist Leila Josefowicz Leila Josefowicz and The Hallé © Sharyn Bellemakers Saturday evening’s concert at the Bridgewater Hall was the closing event of a three-day festival celebrating the work of the contemporary American composer …
Continue reading "The Hallé – John Adams Conducts the Chairman Dances – Live Review"
Friday 25 October 2025 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester A magical musical journey from sorrow to joy ***** A recording of the English composer Edward Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ from his Enigma Variations (1899) introduced Friday night's concert. This felt appropriate in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, which has often hosted orchestral concerts that have included Elgar’s masterpiece. There’s a quintessentially …