Last night is first rate

THE HALLE ORCHESTRA (Bridgewater Hall, Manchester)

THE Halle Orchestra marked the end of its summer season of promenade concerts with a rip-roaring “Last Night at the Proms” .

Under the baton of Bridgewater regular Stephen Bell, the musicians reeled out the usual favourites.

The orchestra burst into the programme with a tremendous performance of Dvorak’s “Carnival Overture”.

Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” came next, offering a wonderful first showcase for the talents of soprano Sarah Fox, who continued to delight during the evening. Her rich voice lent itself perfectly to the selection of pieces from the universally popular work.

Sarah next brightened the stage with a couple of pieces based on traditional folk songs by Benjamin Britten, to mark his centenary: “O Waly, Waly” and “The Salley Gardens”.

The first half ended with Elgar’s Cockaigne overture, but of course most of the audience had come forthe second half fun and games.

A couple of Noel Coward comic songs and Henry Wood’s “Fantasia on British Sea Songs” set everyone up for the flags, the hats and the rousing bits of the show, “Rule, Britannia!”, “Jerusalem” and Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance”.

It was a fitting end to the Halle’s promenade concerts, and marked the start of some well-deserved summer holidays for the hard-working Halle.