Halle Orchestra

As Sir Mark Elder’s tenure as Hallé Music Director (which began in 2000) reaches its grand finale, our programme acknowledges a core Hallé tradition of English music. 

He is joined - as he was in his first season as the orchestra’s Music Director - by Sir Stephen Hough, an undisputed 'keyboard colossus' (The Guardian) who performs Brahms’ monumental First Piano Concerto. 

Beginning life as a sonata for two pianos, Brahms’ composition grew in ambition over several years. The final work is an absolute tour de force, which is now one of the best-loved and most frequently performed piano concertos in the world. 

This celebration culminates with Butterworth’s orchestral rhapsody A Shropshire Lad, his heartfelt postlude to his songs setting A.E. Housman’s poems, and Elgar’s affectionate Enigma Variations. 

These masterly vignettes of Elgar’s 'friends pictured within' is the work that best encapsulates Sir Mark’s magnificent legacy with the Hallé. 

Pre-Concert Talk

Before the concert there will be a pre-concert talk for £5 (£2.50 for Orchestral Package bookers). If you'd like to attend, you can book this directly via Box Office. More details about the talk to follow!