Seasonal treat from Halle

Halle Orchestra, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
NEW Year wouldn’t be the same without Strauss, and Saturday’s concert certainly lived up to expectations.

The Halle gave a melodic performance under conductor Wyn Davies. As usual the programme relied heavily on Johann Strauss and his sons Johann II and Josef — though the ever-popular Blue Danube was noticeably absent.

The evening got off to a rousing start with Josef Strauss’s instantly recognisable polka “Plappermaulchen (Chatterbox).”

Mexican tenor Rafael Rojas leant his impressive voice to the show, singing songs from a variety of operas and operettas.

The evening was rounded off by the ever-popular Radetzky March.