Simply stunning spectacle

HALLE ORCHESTRA, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
ROUSING, inspiring, jaw-dropping in its excellence... the adjectives were as high as the crowd when the majestic Halle Orchestra delivered a simply stunning Last Night of The Proms concert at the Bridgewater Hall last night.

I have been privileged to attend many such events, but this was the first occasion I have been able to enjoy the sheer excellence of the Halle on such a night.

From the first notes of the eccentric “Festive Overture” by Shostakovitch to the closing notes of “That’s Entertainment” — a quirky encore but it worked — the evening simply oozed class.

I was particularly enamored by soprano Pamela Hay’s idiosyncratic rendition of Leonard Bernstein’s “Glitter and Be Gay” from Candide. For me, this stole the show, it was simply exceptional. Then again, everything this orchestra touches falls into that category.

Encouraged by conductor Stephen Bell, who managed to harness of the magical mood of the evening, he serenely drew in his enthusiastic audience who seamlessly became part of the show. And what a show!

The flags at the end for the classical finale of “Rule Britannia” followed by the two ‘ever-so British’ Elgar classics “Jerusalem” and “Pomp and Circumstance”, were a sea of colour.

The audience couldn’t wait to join in and the roof almost came off this mighty auditorium when Madam Hay reprised the “Rule Britannia” chorus.

The whole programme was a balance of art and artefact which sublimely drew out the orchestra’s skills.

Their performance for the closing of the first half — the simply magnificent “Pictures at an Exhibition” by a man of whom I’ve never heard — Modest Mussorsgy — was utterly amazing.

I could happily have taken my leave at this point satiated by the music, but the second half programme featuring Bernstein, Gershwin and the legendary Sir Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs was a clever prelude to the traditional finale. What a night!