Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
The Hallé’s playing was triumphant as Thomas Adès oversaw a challenging programme including a rare Tippett masterpiece and new work from Oliver Leith, while the conductor’s own piece was an immense statement
Thomas Adès began his two-year residency with the Hallé last autumn. He will feature as conductor, pianist and composer, but in his latest appearance with the orchestra at the Bridgewater Hall he confined himself to just two of those roles, conducting a programme that ended with one of his major scores, Tevot.
As the concert also included one of Tippett’s rarely heard late masterpieces and a brand new work from Oliver Leith, it was full of challenges for the players, but every one of them was met triumphantly. It had all begun quite modestly with Purcell, or rather with a suite of movements from Purcell’s operas and masques arranged by the Hallé’s revered former principal conductor, John Barbirolli which, after an opening salvo of Bruckner-like horns, turn out to be quite sober.
