Hallé Orchestra and Mark Elder from the Bridgewater Hall

[amateur51]

Exactly! I couldn't have said ( written ) it better myself.

Thirded!

[3rd Viennese School]

I came in half way through the Fantasy and I played "spot the composer". It sounds familiar but is it? (I did hear the fantasy when it was on the Proms)

Tchaikovsky Fantasy is one of the works I came up with.
As for how good it is- I've only hear dit properly once- but remember it isn't a piano concerto!

Would have liked to hear the Borodin 2 -quite liked this one back in the day when I first heard it.

Enjoyed the 1812 but I did think it was being played too fast. Still good though! (its twinned with Serenade for Strings which Tchaikovsky thought was a lot better)

3VS

[pastoralguy]

Mrs. PG and I were at this concert. It was our first trip to the Bridgewater Hall and we very much enjoyed the surroundings and the performance. We thought the orchestra played well - they certainly didn't look tired. In fact, they were a more enthusiastic collection of musicians than our own RSNO can be.

The hall itself was only slightly more than half full (I suspect it would have been more had the first piano concerto been on the programme) but the audience seemed enthusiastic and it was nice to see all these young children enjoying themselves. (AND being made to feel welcome by both musicians and audience!)

We're really looking forward to a return visit.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The Halle sounded poor. And the broadcast balance sounded more akin to the old Decca Phase Four balance with the woodwind being panned forward of the strings. The piano sounded recessed and dead.....or was that the pianist?..

I wonder whether the broadcast balance was the problem rather than the Halle. I can't imagine this orchestra playing these works badly. And Mr & Mrs Pastoralguy (who were actually there) clearly thought highly of the concert.

[Sir Monty Golfear]

I wonder whether the broadcast balance was the problem rather than the Halle. I can't imagine this orchestra playing these works badly. And Mr & Mrs Pastoralguy (who were actually there) clearly thought highly of the concert.

Of course!....it was very difficult to get into the music because of the balance. Reminds me of the situation with the Colston Hall Bristol , with Rachmaninovs 1st PC, and Stephen Hough......that was a similar balance.the BBC engineers used to be outstanding on many occasions on live broadcasts.mwhat seems to have gone wrong?.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

.the BBC engineers used to be outstanding on many occasions on live broadcasts.mwhat seems to have gone wrong?.

I recall a time at the Proms when there was a BBC sound engineer listening to the concert through headphones to check how it compared with the live sound. No such refinements now. Anything goes.

[pastoralguy]

I wonder whether the broadcast balance was the problem rather than the Halle. I can't imagine this orchestra playing these works badly. And Mr & Mrs Pastoralguy (who were actually there) clearly thought highly of the concert.

Of course, our experience of the concert was that it was an occasion (Preceded by a trip to the Lowry followed by a super meal at a VERY good Italian restaurant close to the hall!) as opposed to simply listening at home on the wireless. We have downloaded the concert onto mini-disc so it'll be interesting to listen purely as a listening event.

We loved the hall (with very helpful staff) and the bust of the late, great, Sir John outside was super.

Lovely experience.

[pastoralguy]

I see Sir Mark is talking to Andrew McGregor tomorrow moring on CD Review.