Season off to a polished start

THE Halle swept into its 2014-15 Pops season on Saturday with a classical extravaganza featuring some of the most popular music from composers over the last two centuries.

The razor-sharp orchestra flitted between Sibelius, Grieg, Tchaikovsky and Debussy, adding a touch of the modern era from John Rutter, and from Oldham’s William Walton.

Rutter’s “Suite for Strings,” which originate in old English folk songs and Massenet’s beautiful “Meditation” from the composer’s most successful opera “Thais,” give the orchestra’s leader, Paul Barritt, a platform to showcase his skills as a violinist.

He delivered with aplomb, as a hushed audience listened intently to the evocative work - for me the highlight of the concert.

Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” was another success in a concert than ran from slow, sweet and lyrical to loud, brash and larger than life.

Conductor Stephen Bell brought the new season’s Pops concerts into life with a flourish, and promised much more to come over the next few months.