Hallé Orchestra programme for 2012/13 season

[Stanfordian]

I'm looking at the Hallé Orchestra's programme for the 2012/13 season and I am greatly disappointed. It all seems rather predictable to me. The usual suspects Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Schubert, Brahms, Dvorak and Tchaikovsky are represented with their highly predictable works. The only really interesting aspect is the inclusion of Britten’s music to celebrate the centenary of his birth. . Little in the way of variety, virtually nothing to set the pulse racing. With the odd exception there is a lack of the world’s finest soloists, together with a list of mainly run of the mill guest conductors. The most interesting Hallé concert for me is Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg but only act 3 is to be played. I can see only 2 or 3 concerts that take my fancy; usually there is a lot more than that. The final indignity is that most concerts seem to last just over a derisory hour and almost all last for less than a miserable hour and a half. Many orchestras in the last few years have been playing a glut of Stravinsky ballets and the BBC Philharnmonic seem a year or two late with their Stravinsky ballet music in their forthcoming season's programme.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Ah, a Halle Meisteringer. it is a great pity there's no Act 1 & 2. The first time I heard the opera was at a Halle concert performance in the late 60s. Apparently, our friend Smittims was there too.

[Petrushka]

Just had a look:http://issuu.com/thehalle/docs/seaso...13?mode=window

Doesn't appear to be all that bad to me but do agree about the short measure of some here. This does seem to be a growing tendency and one usually excused by elderly or infirm conductors but, apart from Stan the Man's Lutoslawski/DSCH 5 concert (best of the lot for me) not sure anyone else can use that excuse.

I used to attend Halle concerts in the late 1970's and this latest seasons offering is better than in those days.

[Simon B]

Disclaimer: Baseless speculation and personal opinion follows...

IMO, at the root of this lie pressing ££ constraints which seem to particularly affect the Hallé. It shouldn't be forgotten that the whole setup nearly folded in 1998 - the Hallé came within a whisker of going the way of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta.

I can't find the source, but when things started going South financially for all arts orgs in the last few years, the Hallé openly stated that one consequence would be reduced engagement of big name soloists. Their programming has in any case tended to be on the smaller-scale/conservative side (i.e. much of it requires few extras and aims at bums-on-seats) for a long time, especially since the 1998 existential crisis.

Anecdotally, attendances in Manchester have taken a battering since 2008 - for the Hallé/BBCPO/Camerata/visiting orchs, the lot. This probably makes things very tight for the Hallé.

At the same venue, the 2012/13 BBCPO programme looks a lot more interesting to me than the last few seasons. Bit of a return to what used to be a sort-of niche - stuff for large forces, including some rarities. There's a complete Bartok Wooden Prince, Schmidt 4, Cassella 3, chunks of Gotterdammerung (presumably with the proper orchestration not a nasty cut-down-for-bleeding-chunks aberration), Petrushka/Firebird/Rite etc...

[Stanfordian]

Just had a look:http://issuu.com/thehalle/docs/seaso...13?mode=window

Doesn't appear to be all that bad to me but do agree about the short measure of some here. This does seem to be a growing tendency and one usually excused by elderly or infirm conductors but, apart from Stan the Man's Lutoslawski/DSCH 5 concert (best of the lot for me) not sure anyone else can use that excuse.

I used to attend Halle concerts in the late 1970's and this latest seasons offering is better than in those days.

The Halle/Stanisław Skrowaczewski concert catches my eye too. The other one that I like the look of is Mark Elder's Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn with mezzo Angelika Kirchschlager and Jacques Imbrailo. I also agree spot on with Simon B that the BBC Philharmonic programme looks better this year and a lot more interesting than their own did last year. This season I have been really impressed with the concerts from the Bridgewater Hall's own 'International Concert Series' and also those concerts from the excellent Manchester Camerata. With the recent success of the Halle/Elder concert of Elgar's The Apostles I think they have missed a trick not continuing the success of the Elgar theme by not programming some of the Elgar oratorios/cantatas: The Black Knight; Caractacus; The Light of Life; King Olaf; The Spirit of England.

Maybe I've been spoilt in the last few weeks by the wonderful music and orchestras that I heard at the Dresden Music Festival; namely the Vienna Philharmonic/Daniel Barenboim; NDR Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Hengelbrock; Mahler Chamber Orchestra/Leif Ove Andsnes and Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/Ingo Metzmacher and two operas at the Dresden Semper opera with the Staatskapelle Dresden in the pit.

[Black Swan]

I really agree with all the comments. I've found that I have let my attendance drop since the Mahler season. I don't find the programs really very interesting and as another poster has said tend to go the the Bridgewater for the International Series.

John

[Vile Consort]

Some rather tempting fare from the BBC Phil next season, though I am rather put off by the prospect of the concert being introduced from the platform.