The Hallé – Elgar’s Symphony No.1 at The Bridgewater Hall

Wagner – Lohengrin: Prelude to Act I
Sofia Gubaidulina – Offertorium
Elgar – Symphony No.1

Conductor
Sir Mark Elder

Featuring:
Baiba Skride, violin

Establishing the mood of the concert’s first half, Wagner’s first act prelude to Lohengrin, evokes the descent of the Holy Grail from Heaven in a rapt and gradual crescendo. Its spirituality links perfectly with Offertorium, chosen to celebrate the 90th birthday of Sofia Gubaidulina, one of the greatest Russian composers of the post-Shostakovich generation. For Sir Mark it is an ‘exciting, dramatic and powerful work’, derived from the theme of J. S. Bach’s Musical Offering. Making her Hallé debut, the Latvian violinist, Baiba Skride, has performed the work with leading orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic and Boston Symphony. To conclude, Elgar’s First Symphony which is deeply associated with the Hallé since its premiere in 1908 conducted by Hans Richter, to whom Elgar dedicated it with the inscription ‘true artist and true friend’.

Tuning Up - 6.30pm in the auditorium David Butcher, Hallé Chief Executive, introduces the Hallé autumn season, with Head of Artistic Planning, Anna Hirst and Hallé musicians. - Free to concert ticket holders Your safety and well-being The safety and well-being of our audiences and players is the Hallé and The Bridgewater Hall’s first concern. In keeping with Government expectations and recommendations, we are strongly advising everyone to continue to wear face coverings, where possible. The Hall will continue its thorough cleaning regime between performances, and we expect hand sanitizer to continue to be widely available. We urge you to consult The Bridgewater Hall website here which has full and regularly updated details. Security Patrons should note the measures in place for admission to The Bridgewater Hall. Please visit here for details.