Thurs 15th LIVE in Concert - Halle from the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

[kuligin]

Thank you Sapere for your very interesting comments, I thought the Elgar was played magnificently and there was not the slightest sign of tiredness or lack of commitment whatsoever. It is not an easy Symphony in many ways sometimes when the momentum drops I feel is it all going to stagnate, not last night. Yet another splendid performance by Halle/Elder

I thought the girls choir was the best part of the Holst, a very curious piece overall , the use of chant not integrated so far as I could hear from a first hearing, and not a work I feel I want to explore, perhaps Holst is a composer I just do not "get " most of the time just one ot two works like the songs accompanied by violin (?op30) move me, I am not even a fan of the Planets

[Chris Newman]

I enjoyed (playing in) tonight's concert! I thought the choir sounded good too, but for me the Holst piece would not be a "desert island choice" I'm afraid .


Anyway, it's a shame Elgar's music is not better known internationally, particularly in non-English speaking countries. (I'm not British by the way )

Thank you, Sapere Aude, for the fascinating insight into a beautiful concert. You can all be proud of your current work. Five years ago I went to Prague, mainly to hear and see operas at a price that does not require a mortgage. I arrived one afternoon and thought I would pop along to the Rudolfinum and see what was on and whether there were any tickets for that night. Imagine my surprise when the concert was the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Sir Colin Davis playing Haydn's Symphony 102 and Elgar's Symphony No 1 and I got a single ticket. The hall was packed and the concert was a repeat of one done the previous evening. The reception was ecstatic; like a really good Prom. About three weeks later (unfortunately when I had come back to Britain) Gennadi Rhozdesvensky conducted a performance of The Dream of Gerontius in the Obecni Dum. There are audiences there.

[EdgeleyRob]

Thanks for the post Sapere Aude and well done to you and your fellow musicians for a beautiful concert (I listened today on I player).
It's a while since I've heard the Holst piece which surely should be programmed more often!

[Sapere Aude]

Does it have strings?

Yes, 4 of them!

It's a violin.