The Bridgewater Hall What's On Guide - Spring 2023

The Bridgewater Hall SPRING 2023

Welcome

Welcome to a new year at The Bridgewater Hall. As we move into spring, we have another exciting calendar of events forthcoming, with something for everyone to enjoy.

We are delighted to welcome stars from the cast of Neighbours as they celebrate the iconic TV series in two sold out shows in March. We were lucky enough to secure some time with Alan Fletcher (a.k.a. Dr Karl Kennedy) from the show, you’ll find an interview with Alan on the page opposite. A fascinating read for fans of the show!

From our International Concert Series we welcome Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra and a recital from acclaimed pianist Eric Lu.

Suzanne Vega returns, and we look forward to Matt Goss (formerly of boy band Bros) with his Big Band plus the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, as he sings the songs of Cole Porter. Other big names taking to our stage from the world of rock and pop include Beth Hart, Billy Ocean, Darren Hayes and Henry Rollins.

Add to the mix Strictly stars Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez in their hit show Firedance, and 2023 is already shaping up to be a wonderful year of eclectic and unrivalled entertainment.

Live at Lunchtime 2023

A series of free lunchtime concerts

Live at Lunchtime will be back for 2023, these lunchtime performances will run from May to September. For this series music featured will range from Salsa to Roots Reggae and Sega, Jazz to Classical, Country to Indian Classical, and Folk to American ragtime.

The series is dedicated to being a platform for up and coming musicians of all ages and genres.

Watch out for announcements on our social channels.

Booking Fees

Andrew

Bolt Chief Executive Officer

The Bridgewater Hall

Box Office: 0161 907 9000 www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk

Please note all prices featured in this brochure include a booking fee of either £2.50 or £3.75.

Sold Out Shows

To be added to the waiting list contact the Box Office at supervisors@bridgewater-hall.co.uk or call 0161 907 9000 (the waiting list for Neighbours –The Celebration Tour is now closed).

Cover Artists

From the top: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Billy Ocean and Suzanne Vega.

Neighbours – The Celebration Tour: Q&A with Alan Fletcher

The astonishingly knowledgeable local doctor, the strict family man with a roving gaze and enthusiastic musician with absolutely no taste – Dr Karl Kennedy’s intriguing contradictions delighted Neighbours fans and provoked the residents of Ramsay Street for nearly three decades. Now, the man behind the character is coming to The Bridgewater Hall for Neighbours – The Celebration Tour: the multi-talented Alan Fletcher will be swapping untold stories, looking back at choice footage from the series and in discussion live on stage with Jackie Woodburn (Susan Kennedy), Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson), Ryan Moloney (Toadie Rebecchi), Annie Jones (Jane Harris) and April Rose Pengilly (Chloe Brennan).

A multi-talented actor, photographer and musician in real life, Fletcher has appeared in plays, stage musicals, UK pantomime, acclaimed drama, reality

TV and as a voice artist throughout his long career. Here, he shares his love of Neighbours after so many years, tells us how his life was nearly very different and teases the new storylines he’d love to see – all ahead of two sold out evenings dedicated to celebrating the show at The Bridgewater Hall.

A huge welcome from The Bridgewater Hall! Is this your first time in Manchester?

I am fortunate to have been to Manchester a few times. A couple of times with my rock band Waiting Room, which was enormous fun. I returned for a six week stint with the ITV reality show Soapstar Superstar, which pitted a couple of Aussie soap actors, myself and Mark Furze, against a bunch of UK soap stars. A highlight of my time in Manchester has been the music scene and, after the two shows at The Bridgewater Hall, I will return to Manchester to play a music gig in Bury on Monday 3 April 2023 at The Met.

You’re here as part of The Celebration Tour for Neighbours, which is loved around the world. What do you think has made the show so popular?

I think Neighbours struck a chord with audiences because it combines strong drama with a light comedic touch. On another level, fans tell me that they relate strongly with the characters. Everyone seems to have a Neighbours character in their life!

You initially had a fairly fleeting appearance on Ramsey Street – how do you think your life would have been different if you hadn’t returned as Karl Kennedy?

I imagine I would have continued to work as a jobbing actor. Before Neighbours I worked a lot in the theatre. Interestingly, I was asked to return to Neighbours as a regular in 1988 to reprise my performance as the mechanic Greg Cooper. I declined because I had no idea the show was so successful overseas and I was happy doing Shakespeare. If I had done Neighbours in 1988 I might have been a HUGE pop star!

Do you remember your first day on set in your new role?

Very well. I was filming the auction of 28 Ramsay Street. My first scene was with Cody Willis (played by Peta Brady). My second scene was with Billy Kennedy (played by a very young Jesse Spencer) when Karl bought the house.

Tell us a bit about Karl; what was he like to play? It was a wonderful and challenging job establishing the character in the early days. Karl Kennedy was written to be a very arrogant and bossy person, and a dominating father. There were many battles with his children, borne out of his protective and caring mindset, and of course Karl had deep love for Susan. His personality clashed with his neighbours as well, with the exception of Phil Martin who became a close friend.

What one thing would surprise people the most about filming Neighbours?

Probably that, at any one time, we would be filming up to 15 episodes simultaneously, with every scene completely out of order. Continuity is one of the biggest parts of the actor’s life on a show like Neighbours.

You filmed alongside a core group of other actors for over twenty years and have described them as family. Do you stay in touch outside of filming?

As I answer this question I am driving the 11-hour car journey between Sydney and Melbourne with Stefan Dennis as my co-driver. I meet up with Jackie Woodburne weekly for coffee. We have a WhatsApp group made up of at least 15 ex-cast. Many laughs are had on that group!

Neighbours ran to almost 9,000 episodes –what sort of stories would you say long-running TV programmes can tell that no others can?

I don’t think there are stories that only Neighbours can tell, but Neighbours can tell stories like no other show because of the unique relationships that the characters share – and we can spread stories over months, even years!

Looking back, what would you say is your favourite memory from filming?

I think it’s filming in London when Susan and Karl remarried and Izzy gave birth to Karl’s daughter Holly during the service. We had the immense pleasure of working with many UK stars including Emma Bunton, Sir Michael Parkinson and Julian Clary.

If you were writing future episodes of Neighbours, what would you like to see happening?

I have tons of ideas! All the cast regularly feed stories to the writers. Sometimes you suggest a story they like, but it’s given to another character. I’m not going to give away some of the things I’d like to see happen, because they might be on the show one day!

Edited by Polly Checkland Harding

Sing With The Hallé Ein Deutsches Requiem

Saturday 4 February 10.30am (participants) & 6.30pm (audience)

Participants – An opportunity to dust off your score, fill your lungs and experience a full day of inspiring choral music. This is the perfect opportunity to sing one of the most celebrated pieces in the choral repertoire – Brahms’s glorious Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem). Come and be part of the sound created by a thousand voices, accompanied by the award-winning Hallé – an altogether thrilling experience. You will be joined by singers from the Hallé Choirs, two outstanding soloists and be led by conductor, Matthew Hamilton. No previous experience required!

Audience – Join the Hallé and a huge chorus of singers for a very special performance. The massed choir will rehearse throughout the day with a performance of Brahms’s glorious Requiem at 6.30pm featuring two outstanding soloists.

Tickets - Participants £35 Student participants (min. age 14) £20

Audience £16 | Students £8 For full details including how to book visit www.halle.co.uk

International Concert Series Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Steven Devine director, keyboard

Ian Bostridge tenor Sunday 5 February 4.00pm

Handel Concerto Grosso in B flat major, Op.3 No.2; Overture to Julius Caesar; Passacaglia from Radamisto; Pastorello d’un povero armento, from Rodelinda; Tuo drudo, from Rodelinda; Un momento di contento, from Alcina; Love in her eyes sits playing, from Acis and Galatea; Love sounds th’alarm, from Acis and Galatea; D’un barbaro scortese, from Poro; Mira il ciel, vedrai d’Alcide, from Arminio; Descend kind pity, from Theodora; Let festal joy triumphant reign, from Belshazzar; Where’er you walk, from Semele Muffat Passacaglia from Armonico Tributo No.5; Armonico Tributo No.4

Treasured tenor Ian Bostridge joins Steven Devine and the OAE for a celebration of Handel and the world that shaped his music. With everything from beloved arias to an exquisite Concerto Grosso, plus little-heard selections from one of Handel’s antecedents – Baroque composer Georg Muffat, don’t miss this spectacular performance from one of classical music’s greats.

Manchester Mid-day Concerts Society

Artur Haftman piano

Monday 6 February 1.10pm

Our mini festival continues with another multiple international prize winner. Artur is a Polish pianist, particularly notable for his Chopin playing, which shows intense musicianship, a wonderful sound, and a natural sense of rubato.

Tickets £12.50 Concession £11 | Student £7.50

Book Tickets

The Musical Box: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Tuesday 7 February

Doors 7.00pm Rescheduled from 16 February 2021

Book Tickets

Tickets £19 to £39 Student tickets £5.50 Senior citizens, students, under 26s & claimants – 10% discount on full ticket prices

Book Tickets Book Tickets

The seminal rock opera, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, is coming to The Bridgewater Hall. The final collaborative effort between Peter Gabriel and Genesis, this unique live experience will be revived one last time, signaling the end of an era. The Musical Box, the only group granted a license from Peter Gabriel and Genesis, will recreate the original, iconic 1975 performance. Acclaimed for its historical reenactment of early Genesis, The Musical Box has performed to millions. Don’t miss this one-of-akind experience!

Tickets £33.75 to £53.75

Book Tickets

The Girls Bathroom with Sophia &

Cinzia

Friday 10 February 7.00pm

SOLD OUT

The Girls Bathroom, the charttopping podcast is coming to Manchester! A place we all know, filled with gossip, girl chat and more! In The Girls Bathroom, Sophia & Cinzia discuss everything from: friendships and relationships, dramas to single life and career advice. No topic is off limits!

Tickets £26.25 to £33.25 VIP package £88.75

BBC Philharmonic

Sir Andrew Davis conductor Angela Hewitt piano Saturday 11 February 7.30pm

Stravinsky Suite No.1 Mozart Piano Concerto No.23 in A (K 488)

Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin Stravinsky Apollo Ravel La Valse

Delicate details and lively melodies take centre stage in this dancedriven evening led by Sir Andrew Davis. To start the evening, an elegant display by Angela Hewitt, performing one of Mozart’s most beloved piano concertos. Finishing on a high, an innovative interpretation of traditional dance forms in Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin and La Valse, and Stravinsky’s Apollo.

The Hallé – A Night at the

Opera

Eduardo Strausser conductor Lauren Fagan soprano Zwakele Tshabalala tenor Sunday 12 February 7.30pm

Verdi La forza del destino: Overture; La traviata: Sempre ;ibera; Lunge da lei and Prelude to Act 1 Puccini La bohème: Che Gelida Manina; Sì. mi chiamano Mimì and O soave fanciulla Saint-Saëns Samson and Delilah: Bacchanale

Lerner and Loewe My Fair Lady: On the Street Where You Live, I Could Have Danced All Night Rodgers and Hammerstein South Pacific: Some Enchanted Evening Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Wedding March Lehár Giuditta: Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß; The Merry Widow: Lippen schweigen

The Hallé offers a treasure trove of operatic gems, bringing together some of the greatest arias, songs and operatic music in the repertoire. This concert unites classical greats, Viennese light opera and the inspirational musicals of Lerner and Loewe, and Rodgers and Hammerstein. This will be an evening of glorious, soaring melodies.

Concert sponsored by: Circular 1 Health

Pre-concert event at 6.30pm

Tickets £17.50 to £46.50

International Concert Series Armenian State Symphony Orchestra

Sergey Smbatyan conductor Jennifer Pike violin

Monday 13 February 7.30pm

Khachaturian Pieces from the Suite 'Spartacus', No.2

Khachaturian Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4

Conductor Sergey Smbatyan brings the orchestra he founded to Manchester for the first time, celebrating one of Armenia’s greatest composers. Aram Khachaturian is Armenian's national composer, the orchestra will be performing two of his most popular works: a suite from his ballet Spartacus, and the effervescent Violin Concerto, performed by Manchester-born virtuoso Jennifer Pike. To close, a Russian Romantic powerhouse: Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, a journey into life, love and fate, written after the collapse of the composer’s marriage.

Tickets £25 to £44

Student tickets £5.50, subject to availability

Senior citizens, students, under 26s and claimants – 10% discount on full ticket prices

Discounts: OAPs, disabled, under 30s, claimants & groups £12.50 Day sale tickets

Tickets for Our Pass holders

Tickets £12.50 to £26.50 Disabled patrons – 50% discount Seniors & Claimants – 20% discount Under 26s & Students – Stalls £5.50 Book Tickets Book Tickets

Jennifer Pike

The Hallé

Shostakovich Fifth Kahchun Wong conductor Ian Bostridge tenor Laurence Rogers horn Thursday 16 February 7.30pm

Sofia Gubaidulina The Wrath of God UK Premiere Britten Serenade for tenor, horn and strings

Shostakovich Symphony No.5

Dedicated to ‘The Great Beethoven’, this brass-dominated work was described enthusiastically by the Wiener Zeitung, ‘as if Gubaidulina has let the trumpets of Jericho sound.’ In Britten’s Serenade, matching tenor and horn was an inspired choice for his spellbinding, elegiac settings of English nocturnal poems. Joining Ian Bostridge to perform them is the Hallé’s own Laurence Rogers. Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony was, supposedly, ‘A Soviet artist’s response to just criticism’. Now it’s known that Shostakovich composed a work of defiance so subtle that no-one realised.

Concert sponsored by: Siemens

Tickets £15.50 to £46

£5.50 student tickets

Discounts: OAPs, disabled, under 30s, claimants & groups £12.50 Day sale tickets

Tickets for Our Pass holders

Book Tickets

Suzanne Vega: An Intimate Evening Of Songs And Stories Support

Sam Lee Monday 20 February 7.30pm

Having emerged as a leading figure during the folk-music revival of the early 80s, Suzanne Vega’s career has gone from strength to strength. Indeed, since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed 1985 debut album, she has gone on to give sold out concerts in many of the world’s most prestigious venues. Now coming to The Bridgewater Hall in February, don’t miss your opportunity to see this masterful storyteller in action. Notably succinct and understated, her work is immediately recognisable – as utterly distinct and thoughtful as it was when she debuted on the radio, over 30 years ago.

The Hallé Lutosławski Concerto for Orchestra

Marta Gardolińska conductor

Alexander Gadjiev piano Thursday 23 February 7.30pm

Chopin Piano Concerto No.1 Lutosławski Concerto for Orchestra

Book Tickets

Tickets £36.25 to £53.25 International Concert Series

Eric Lu piano

Tuesday 21 February 7.30pm

Schubert Sonata in E major, D.157 Schubert Hungarian Melody Mozart Sonata in A minor, K.310 Chopin Polonaise Op.26 No.1 Chopin Waltz Op.70 No.3 Chopin Waltz Op.64 No.2 Chopin Sonata No.3 in B minor, Op.58

Tickets £19 to £39 Student tickets £5.50, subject to availability

Senior citizens, students, under 26s and claimants – 10% discount on full ticket prices

Book Tickets

Two more young newcomers to the Hallé. From Poland, Marta Gardolińska is the former Young Conductor in Association of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Audiences took her to their hearts and The Guardian noted that she was ‘very much an artist to be reckoned with’. The latest recipient of the Terence Judd-Hallé Award, Italian Alexander Gadjiev, was Second Prize-winner of the 2021 Chopin International Piano Competition: appropriately, he plays Chopin’s First Concerto, written the year after the composer had finished his music studies with the report, ‘exceptional talent, musical genius’. To start, Debussy’s ground-breaking, sensuous evocation of Mallarmé’s poem. Gardolińska ends with music from her homeland, Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra, a brilliant showcase for all the players laced with folk melodies and rhythms.

Thursday Series sponsor: Siemens

Tickets £15.50 to £46

£5.50 student tickets

Discounts: OAPs, disabled, under 30s, claimants & groups £12.50 Day sale tickets

Tickets for Our Pass holders

Book Tickets

Manchester Mid-day Concerts Society

Kasparas Mikuzis piano

Friday 24 February 1.10pm

Programme tbc

Lithuanian pianist Kasparas is another very exciting talent destined for a big international career. Check out his phenomenal performance of Liszt’s 12th Hungarian Rhapsody on YouTube if you get a chance!

Sponsored by the Haworth Trust

Tickets £12.50

Concession £11 | Student £7.50

BBC Philharmonic

Ludovic Morlot conductor

Elizabeth Atherton soprano

Saturday 25 February 7.30pm

Dukas The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Dutilleux Le Temps l’Horloge

Honegger Pacific 2-3-1 Birtwistle The Triumph of Time Ravel Boléro

Ludovic Morlot returns to The Bridgewater Hall, with a feast of modernist French fancies to excite and delight! From the bristling buzz of Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to the enchanting hypnotism of Dutilleux’s Le Temps l’Horloge, this evening promises to be simply magical. Joining the BBC Philharmonic is soprano Elizabeth Atherton, who helps paint pictures of France through the decades. Leaving the audience with some food for thought is Birtwistle’s Mahlerian inspired, The Triumph of Time, a mesmerising and introspective piece that came to exemplify his processional style.

Tickets £12.50 to £26.50

Disabled patrons – 50% discount

Seniors & Claimants – 20% discount

Under 26s & Students – Stalls seats £5.50

Marta Gardolińska

Eric Lu

Book Tickets

Book Tickets

The Hallé

Brahms’

March

Violin Concerto

Sir Mark Elder conductor

Augustin Hadelich violin

Wednesday 1 March 2.15pm Thursday 2 March 7.30pm Sunday 5 March 4.00pm

Vaughan Williams Norfolk Rhapsody No.1

Huw Watkins Symphony No.2 World Premiere Brahms Violin Concerto

Huw Watkins’s Symphony No.2 was hailed by The Times as a ‘great British symphony’. Sir Mark describes Vaughan Williams’s Norfolk Rhapsody No.1 as ‘a little masterpiece’. Brahms composed his Violin Concerto in the idyllic scenery of Wörthersee where, he quipped, melodies were so abundant he had to take care not to tread on them.

Grammy Award winner, Augustin Hadelich received a lavish Gramophone review for his ‘richly characterised and subtly coloured account’ of this concerto.

New commission sponsor: CMS

Tickets £15.50 to £46 £5.50 student tickets

Discounts: OAPs, disabled, under 30s, claimants & groups £12.50 Day sale tickets

Tickets for Our Pass holders

Manchester Mid-day Concerts Society Hannah Roberts cello

Simon Parkin piano

Thursday 2 March 1.10pm

Husband and wife duo Hannah and Simon once described the secret of a happy musical marriage as ‘simultaneous rubato’, and many commentators have remarked on the duo’s musical rapport.

Tickets £12.50 | Concession £11 | Student £7.50

Neighbours

The Celebration Tour

Friday 3 March 7.30pm SOLD OUT Monday 6 March 7.30pm SOLD OUT

Neighbours is about to hit the road! Join Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburn (Karl and Susan Kennedy), Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson), Ryan Moloney (Toadie Rebecchi), Annie Jones (Jane Harris) and April Rose Pengilly (Chloe Brennan) as they share never before heard stories, look back at footage from across the years and answer questions in discussion with a live host. This sold-out event will be the ultimate celebration of all things Ramsay Street!

Tickets £33.25 to £158.25

Hallé Youth Showcase Sunday 5 March 7.00pm

The 2022-23 season celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Youth Orchestra and Youth Choir. This concert will showcase these two wonderful ensembles in all their glory, demonstrating their ability to perform at the highest level, with the Youth Orchestra performing a brand new commission by the Hallé’s Artist in Residence, Dobrinka Tabakova. The concert will also feature the Hallé’s younger vocal ensembles, the Youth Training Choir and Children’s Choir, both of which were born out of a desire to spread the love of music to more young people. A special event, it is a highlight in the Hallé’s calendar and a chance to experience this explosion of talent in a varied, uplifting and family-friendly performance.

Hallé New Commissions: CMS Hallé Youth Ensembles supported by: Siemens-Hallé International Conductors Competition Siemens

PZ Cussons

Tickets £12.50 Discounts: Under 30/claimants and OAPs £10 Students and under-5s £5.50

Book Tickets Book Tickets Book Tickets

Matt Goss

Raymond Gubbay presents Firedance

Saturday 11 March 7.30pm

Strictly stars Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez, along with their scintillating cast return with Firedance, featuring fresh flavours and super-charged choreography. Join the stars in a captivating dance off inspired by Romeo & Juliet, Moulin Rouge, Carmen, West Side Story and featuring an eclectic mix of latin, rock and pop music from artists such as Camilla Cabello, Jason Derulo, Gregory Porter, Gypsy Kings, J.Lo, Marc Anthony and many more. With sizzling dancers, mesmerising fire specialists and a sensational live band, Firedance will ignite passion as we turn up the heat for 2023.

Tickets £20.75 to £50.25

RNCM 50th Anniversary Leonard Bernstein's Mass Clark Rundell conductor William Dazeley baritone Choirs from the RNCM and Chetham’s School of Music RNCM Symphony Orchestra Sunday 12 March 4.00pm

The Royal Northern College presents the Manchester premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, as part of the College’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. Famous for fusing genres and blurring the line between classical and popular music, this poignant work is a creative reimaging of the traditional Catholic mass, infused with a wealth of captivating harmonic progressions and mesmerising rhythmic patterns. This incredible display of music, theatrics and drama was first commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy to inaugurate the John F. Kennedy Centre in 1971 and we can’t wait for it to debut at the Hall.

Tickets £20.50

Under 26’s and Students £9

Beth Hart

Book Tickets Book Tickets

Beth Hart

Monday 13 March Doors 7.00pm

Grammy-nominated, powerhouse vocalist Beth Hart returns to The Bridgewater Hall in 2023. For her most recent album (released February 2022), Beth Hart took on one of her most profound undertakings by channeling the legendary voice of Robert Plant on A Tribute To Led Zeppelin. Now setting off on a world tour, Beth’s evergrowing fanbase can look forward to experiencing more of Beth’s breath-taking, emotionally charged live shows, including songs from her critically acclaimed albums War In My Mind and Fire On The Floor

Tickets £48.75 to £58.75

The Final Of The Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition

Tuesday 14 March 7.00pm

The Hallé

The Glories of Rome

Stephen Bell conductor Christopher Turner tenor Saturday 18 March 7.30pm

Berlioz Le Carnaval romain Verdi Rigoletto: La donna è mobile Zimmer Gladiator: suite di Capua O sole mio Nino Rota The Godfather: Love Theme Puccini Chrysanthemums Rózsa Ben Hur: Parade of the Charioteers Mendelssohn ‘Italian’ Symphony: Saltarello Morricone Cinema Paradiso: Love Theme Brodsky Be My Love Auric Roman Holiday: main title Mascagni Cavalleria rusticana: Intermezzo Puccini Turandot: Nessun dorma Respighi Pines of Rome

For the first time the final of the hugely successful Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition will take place at The Bridgewater Hall and will be open to our audience. The final brings together three of the most promising emerging conductors to compete in the heart of Manchester for the post of Assistant Conductor of the Hallé and launch their professional career. Quite literally, a life changing opportunity. Established in 2020, the competition has already played a major role in the development of early career conductors including Rodolfo Barráez, Chloé Dufresne, Joel Sandelson, and inaugural competition winner Delyana Lazarova.

The three finalists of the competition, selected from applicants from across the world, will take to the platform to conduct the Hallé in a variety of repertoire to convince the panel they have the makings of the newest member of the Hallé family.

Sponsored by: Siemens | CMS | The Edwardian Manchester

Tickets £16 | Concessions £8

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Italy! A byword for passion and style, epic scenery and tumultuous history, great food and great opera. This concert celebrates all things Italian in glorious technicolour as Stephen Bell conducts the Hallé and British tenor Christopher Turner.

Concert sponsored by: PZ Cussons

Tickets £17.50 to £46.50 Discounts: OAPs, disabled, under 30s, claimants & groups £12.50 Day sale tickets Tickets for Our Pass holders

Raymond Gubbay Presents Simply Sinatra

Matt Ford guest singer Matt Roberts conductor

Manchester Concert Orchestra Sunday 19 March 3.00pm

All of your favourite Sinatra hits performed by a scintillating show band and guest star singer Matt Ford. From Come Fly With Me to New York, New York enjoy every toe-tapping moment as we celebrate Ol' Blue Eyes himself at this show packed full of music, song and dance.

Tickets £23.25 to £43.75

The Hallé Magnificat

Book Tickets

Ryan Wigglesworth conductor Sophie Bevan soprano Hallé Choir Matthew Hamilton choral director

Thursday 23 March 7.30pm

Multi-talented as composer, conductor and pianist, Ryan Wigglesworth is well-known as a former Hallé Principal Guest Conductor and Associate Artist, who has become Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra this season. The concert’s first half comprises the UK premiere of a Hallé/Bergen Philharmonic co-commission, Wigglesworth’s setting of the Magnificat, in which the Hallé Choir are joined by leading lyric soprano Sophie Bevan. It’s the spirit of the German folk poems, Das Knaben Wunderhorn (The boy’s magic horn) that pervades Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. It’s famous for its Scherzo, an eerie ‘Dance of Death’ and finale, in which Bevan’s ‘compelling … rich and powerful voice’ (Glasgow Herald) will embody a child’s vision of heaven.

Hallé New Commissions: CMS

Thursday Series Sponsor: Siemens

Tickets £15.50 to £46 £5.50 student tickets

Discounts: OAPs, disabled, under 30s, claimants & groups £12.50 Day sale tickets

Tickets for Our Pass holders

Book Tickets

John Storgårds

Sophie Bevan

Raymond Gubbay Presents

The Music of The Lord of the Rings and Beyond

Manchester Concert Orchestra Friday 24 March 7.30pm

Experience epic and inspirational music from Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Game of Thrones and beyond as the worlds of TV, film and fantasy are brought to life by a full symphony orchestra and stunning choir. Also featuring music from The Witcher, Dragonheart, The Chronicles of Narnia, How to Train Your Dragon, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars and Avatar

Tickets £28.75 to £48.75

BBC Philharmonic

John Storgårds conductor Nicolas Alstaedt cello Saturday 25 March 7.30pm

Rachmaninov The Isle of the Dead Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations Shostakovich Symphony No.15

The Hallé

Homage to Schubert

Tabita Berglund conductor Håvard Gimse piano

Sunday 26 March 4.00pm Wednesday 29 March 2.15pm Thursday 30 March 7.30pm

Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5, Emperor Dobrinka Tabakova Fantasy homage to Schubert Schubert Symphony No.8, ‘Unfinished’

Tabita Berglund is joined by fellow Norwegian, Håvard Gimse, making his Hallé debut with Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto, a work succinctly described by Alfred Brendel as having a ‘grand and radiant vision, a noble vision of freedom’. Dobrinka Tabakova’s tribute to Schubert arose from the opening of his Fantasy for violin and piano with its ‘really delicate kind of shimmer and tremor’, then the ‘absolute heavenly melody’ arising from it. Although ‘Unfinished’, what remains of Schubert’s Eighth Symphony is sheer perfection, as the critic Hanslick instinctively recognised: ‘everywhere the same warmth, the same golden sunshine that makes the buds grow.’

Following his resounding success at the BBC Proms, John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic return to Shostakovich’s Symphony No.15, following on from Nicolas Alstaedt’s spirited rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations. Rachmaninov’s The Isle of the Dead, a symphonic poem brimming with colour, provides a glorious prelude to this eclectic programme.

Tickets £12.50 to £26.50

Disabled patrons – 50% discount Seniors & Claimants – 20% discount

Under 26s & Students – Stalls seats £5.50

Book Tickets Book Tickets

Tickets £15.50 to £46 £5.50 student tickets Discounts: OAPs, disabled, under 30s, claimants & groups £12.50 Day sale tickets Tickets for Our Pass holders

Manchester Mid-day Concerts Society Imma Sediati piano

Nigel Clayton piano Thursday 30 March 1.10pm

Nigel played for us a few years ago and impressed with his sensitivity and engaging spoken introductions. Here he teams up with Indonesian-born Imma Sediati to form a duo of remarkable sensitivity and communication.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Manchester Middays

Tickets £12.50 Concession £11 | Student £7.50

BBC Philharmonic

Nicholas Collon conductor Francesca Chiejina soprano

Saturday 1 April 7.30pm

Tom Coult Three Pieces that Disappear (world premiere) Berg Seven Early Songs

Strauss An Alpine Symphony

Nicholas Collon joins the BBC Philharmonic for an adventurous programme of scenic orchestral works, featuring the world premiere of a new piece by Composer-in-Association Tom Coult. Francesca Chiejina takes on Berg’s lyrical Seven Early Songs, before we step into Strauss’ gargantuan An Alpine Symphony, with its sheer, mountainous imagery and overwhelming scope.

Tickets £12.50 to £26.50

Disabled patrons – 50% discount

Seniors & Claimants – 20% discount

Under 26s & Students – Stalls seats £5.50

Darren Hayes Do You Remember Tour

Sunday 2 April Doors 7.00pm SOLD OUT

Darren Hayes, the multi-award-winning songwriter, performer and one half of the globally revered Savage Garden, is back with his first tour in over a decade! Performing at the Hall in April, this tour will celebrate 25 years of Savage Garden, his well-established solo career and more! Showcasing Darren’s musical evolution, this tour not only comprises beloved hits including: I Want You, To The Moon and Back, I Knew I Loved You and the timeless Truly Madly Deeply, but also personal, raw new material such as: Let’s Try Being In Love and Do You Remember?.

Tickets £28.75 to £58.75 Ultimate VIP package £178.75 VIP package £93.75

Nadiya & Kai Book Tickets

Manchester Mid-day Concerts Society

I Musicanti

Monday 3 April 1.10pm

John McCabe Sam Variations

Schubert Piano Quintet in A, ‘Trout’

Formed by the bassist Leon Bosch, I Musicanti come to us fresh from a recital at the Wigmore Hall. Their programme will be based around a performance of Schubert’s happy and genial ‘Trout’ Quintet.

Tickets £12.50 | Concession £11 | Student £7.50

Henry Rollins

Good To See You Tour

Thursday 6 April 7.30pm

Nadiya & Kai Once Upon A

Time Tour

Friday 14 April 7.30pm

Join us as Once Upon a Time comes to The Bridgewater Hall! A fairy tale like no other, this new dance show stars Strictly superstars Nadiya and Kai, performing together on stage, for the first time. Once Upon A Time showcases Nadiya and Kai’s incredible ballroom journeys from childhood dancers to ballroom and Latin champions, becoming TV stars and more. It also shines a spotlight on their love affair with dance, celebrating their wonderful relationship on and off the dance floor. Expect a lavish production with beautiful choreography, stunning costumes and a talented cast of dancers and musicians.

Tickets £28.75 to £48.75

Henry Rollins is coming to The Bridgewater Hall as part of his Good To See You spoken word tour, where he 'will faithfully recount the events of his life in the brief pre-COVID period, since the last tour and when things got even stranger over the last several months'. It’s been an interesting time for this punk rock icon and he has plenty of great stories to tell!

Tickets £33.25 to £43.75

Jonathan Scott

10th Anniversary Celebration

Tuesday 11 April 1.10pm

Elgar Pomp & Circumstance March, No.1 Op.39

Grison Toccata in F

Beethoven Symphony No.9 Op.125, 'Ode to Joy' Dukas The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Borodin String Quartet No.2, 'Notturno' Widor Symphony for Organ No.5

To celebrate 10 years of lunchtime organ concerts at The Bridgewater Hall, Associate Artist Jonathan Scott begins this year’s series with a concert of masterpieces and favourites, including some of the highlights of the past ten years, culminating in the ever popular Widor Toccata.

Book Tickets Book Tickets Book Tickets

Tickets £12.50 | Concession £11 | Student £8.50

The Hallé Musicals Rock

Alfonso Casado Trigo conductor Alice Fearn & David Thaxton vocalists

Saturday 15 April 7.30pm

Including music and songs from: Jesus Christ Superstar, Rock of Ages, Dear Evan Hansen, The Rocky Horror Show, Mamma Mia!, Fame, Flashdance, The Bodyguard, Wicked, Rent, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, We Will Rock You, Tommy and more…

Conductor Alfonso Casado Trigo returns with two internationally renowned vocalists and magnificent orchestrations showcasing the Hallé at its best. We will rock you in this tune-packed, stirring event filled with musicals that have broken box office records on both sides of the Atlantic.

Concert sponsored by: Brother Tickets £17.50 to £46.50

Discounts: OAPs, disabled, under 30s, claimants & groups £12.50 Day sale tickets

Tickets for Our Pass holders

Book Tickets Book Tickets

The Serial Killer Next Door

Sunday 16 April 7.30pm

One of the UK’s most notable psychological therapists and crime commentators Emma Kenny is coming to The Bridgewater Hall to discuss what creates a serial killer and could anything have prevented their potential being activated, or were they simply born to kill?

Tickets £32.75

The Hallé

The Rite of Spring

Christian Reif conductor Thursday 20 April 7.30pm

Falla La Vida Breve: Interlude and Dance Bartók Violin Concerto No.2 Dobrinka Tabakova Earth Suite: Pacific Stravinsky The Rite of Spring

Book Tickets

Billy Ocean

Friday 21 April 7.30pm

R&B international pop sensation, Billy Ocean has spent more of his life onstage than anywhere else. Next year Billy returns to his natural environment with a string of headline shows throughout the UK, stopping off at The Bridgewater Hall! With a set hand-packed with his greatest hits and crowd favourites, this is simply unmissable!

Tickets £31.25 to £58.75 VIP package £102.75

BBC Philharmonic John Storgårds conductor Garrick Ohlsson piano Saturday 22 April 7.30pm

Sibelius Lemminkäinen Suite Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3

Christian Reif returns to the Hallé conducting a programme of mainly 20th century classics, beginning with Spanish-suffused music from Manuel de Falla’s only opera. Bartók’s Second Violin Concerto draws on the traditional music legacy of his native Hungary. Performing it, on her first, most welcome visit to the Hallé, is Antje Weithaas, whose celebrated performances combine technical mastery with deep musical insight. From this century, Tabakova’s Pacific from her Earth Suite was inspired by ‘the overwhelming force of Nature’. Similar elemental forces define Stravinsky’s cataclysmic The Rite of Spring which he explained was ‘unified by a single idea: the mystery and great surge of the creative power of spring’.

Thursday Series sponsor: Siemens

Tickets £15.50 to £46 £5.50 student tickets

Discounts: OAPs, disabled, under 30s, claimants & groups £12.50 Day sale tickets

Tickets for Our Pass holders

Book Tickets

Conductor John Storgårds delves into Sibelius’s mythological Lemminkäinen Suite, inspired by the nineteenth century epic Kalevala – one of the few works that carved Finnish national identity as much as Sibelius himself. Following this, Garrick Ohlsson leads us into a fifth legend – Rachmaninov’s fiendishly challenging Piano Concerto No.3. Renowned as a daunting trial, which only a select few dare to test their mettle, this concerto is nevertheless a wondrous display of Late Romantic melody and colour.

Tickets £12.50 to £26.50 Disabled patrons – 50% discount Seniors & Claimants – 20% discount Under 26s & Students – Stalls seats £5.50

Raymond Gubbay Presents The Music of Zimmer vs Williams Manchester Concert Orchestra

Sunday 23 April 3.00pm

An epic concert celebrating the very best epic scores from two of the greatest film composers of all time.

Featuring music from Gladiator, Superman, Man of Steel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Inception, Jurassic Park, The Dark Knight Rises, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hook, Jaws, E.T., The Terminal, The Witches of Eastwick and many more…

Tickets £28.75 to £48.75

International Concert Series Iceland Symphony Orchestra

Eva Ollikainen conductor Stephen Hough piano Tuesday 25 April 7.30pm

Anna Thorvaldsdottir Metacosmos Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5

Contemporary Iceland meets Romantic Russia as the ISO makes its first trip to Manchester – joined by special guest Stephen Hough. Sergei Rachmaninov’s cycle of piano concertos is the most celebrated in the repertoire and brilliant British pianist Stephen Hough has made them his own. He joins the ISO and Chief Conductor Eva Ollikainen for the dazzling Second – followed by another Russian Romantic masterpiece, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. Also a modern-day treasure from the orchestra’s homeland: Metacosmos, a breath-taking tone poem inspired by ‘falling into a black hole’.

Tickets £25 to £44

Student tickets £5.50, subject to availability Senior citizens, students, under 26s and claimants –10% discount on full ticket prices

Iceland Symphony Orchestra

Book Tickets

Book Tickets

The Hallé

Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony

Corinna Niemeyer conductor Anna Lapwood organ

Wednesday 26 April 2.15pm Thursday 27 April 7.30pm Sunday 30 April 4.00pm

Fauré Pavane

Poulenc Organ Concerto

Dobrinka Tabakova Orbis Factor: Sanctus Saint-Saëns Symphony No.3, ‘Organ Symphony’

In her debut with the Hallé, German conductor Corinna Niemeyer, Artistic and Music Director of the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg, conducts Fauré’s delicate Pavane, evoking a painting by Fragonard with graceful courtesans decked in elegant 18th-century costumes. Still in her twenties, Anna Lapwood, is firmly established as a leading organist, conductor and broadcaster, who made her combined Hallé and BBC Proms debut in 2021 with Saint-Saëns’s Third, so called ‘Organ’, Symphony. For her first Manchester Hallé visit, she also plays Poulenc’s eclectic concerto which veers in mood from jocularity and light-heartedness to the grave and profound, reflecting his rediscovery of his Christian faith around this time. Anna also plays a work composed especially for her, Sanctus from Dobrinka Tabakova’s Orbis Factor.

Thursday sponsor: CMS Sunday sponsor: ZEN

Tickets £15.50 to £46 £5.50 student tickets

Discounts: OAPs, disabled, under 30s, claimants & groups £12.50 Day sale tickets Tickets for Our Pass holders

Manchester Mid-day Concerts Society

Benyounes Trio

Zahra Benyounes violin Eve-Marie Caravassilis cello Jeremy Young piano Thursday 27 April 1.10pm Programme tbc

Benyounes Trio are a newly-formed ensemble made up of a group of extremely versatile and experienced chamber musicians. Zahra is well known as the leader of the trio that bears her name, and Jeremy as the pianist of the Manchester Piano Trio. Eve-Marie (French/Greek/ Guadaloupian), the group’s cellist, has recorded for Hyperion. This promises to be an exciting mix!

Tickets £12.50 Concession £11 | Student £7.50

Corinna Niemeyer

Booking Information

Booking Online

Visit www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk where you have the option to select your own seat or choose the best available. You can also add dining and parking vouchers to your order. If you select your own seat, you can see at a glance which seats are available.

Booking By Phone

0161 907 9000

Booking In Person

Box Office, The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3WS

Booking By Post

To the Box Office at the address above

Box

Office Opening Hours

Monday to Friday 10.00am—5.00pm

Saturday & Sunday (concert nights only) 2.00—5.00pm Counter service until 8.00pm on concert nights

As at December 2022. Please phone the Box Office or visit www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk to check for changes in opening times.

Forms of Payment Accepted

Payment can be made by cash, cheque, Mastercard, Visa or debit card. If paying by cheque, please make your cheque payable to ‘The Bridgewater Hall’.

Booking Fees

Prices shown in this brochure include booking fees. A booking fee of £2.50 or £3.75 per ticket applies to telephone and online transactions. No fee applies to tickets bought in person or purchased as part of a fixed or flexible subscription.

For details of ticket exchange, group discounts, concessionary and standby tickets, please visit www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk or call the Box Office

Flexible Booking

Save 15% on the full ticket price when you book 5 or more concerts featuring

Parking Discounts

A limited number of prepay discounted spaces are available to patrons attending evening concerts at Q-Park First Street car park (see map) at a rate of £8.10 (from September 2023 £8.85). Spaces must be booked at the time of purchasing your concert tickets, no less than 24 hours before the event. Parking is limited to a maximum stay of 8 hours at the discounted rate.

Q-Park, Anne Horniman St, Manchester M15 4FN

Accessibility

The Bridgewater Hall is fully accessible for disabled patrons. For full information on facilities please visit www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk or call the Box Office on 0161 907 9000.

Hotel Accommodation

Innside by Melia Manchester is an ideal choice. The hotel is located two minutes’ walk from The Bridgewater Hall – see map on opposite page. Innside offers 208 spacious, modern guest rooms, with comfortable king-size or twin beds, and fantastic cityscape views. Innside by Melia 1 First Street Manchester M15 4RP Tel: 0161 200 2500 Email: innside.manchester@melia.com

The Hall is in the centre of Manchester, easily accessible by public transport and by road. Metrolink tram passengers should alight at St Peter’s Square or Deansgate-Castlefield. The nearest bus stops for major routes into the city centre are St Peter’s Square/Portland Street or Deansgate. The nearest rail stations are Deansgate and Oxford Road. Coaches

The nearest car parks are Q-Park First Street, NCP Manchester Central, NCP Great Northern or NCP Oxford Street. You can book Q-Park parking when you buy your concert tickets. If travelling by car, please allow plenty of time for your journey.

The Bridgewater Hall

Lower Mosley Street

Manchester M2 3WS

Published by The Bridgewater Hall. Information correct at time of press. The Bridgewater Hall is managed by SMG Europe Holdings Limited (ASM Global). The construction of The Bridgewater Hall was funded in partnership by Manchester City Council and Manchester Development Corporation with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund. The ongoing operation of the Hall is now the responsibility of an independent charitable trust, Manchester Concert Hall Limited (MCHL).

The Bridgewater Hall Community Education Trust Sponsors HelmsBriscoe New Charter Housing Trust Great Neighbourhoods

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The Bridgewater Hall

Lower Mosley Street Manchester M2 3WS Box Office: 0161 907 9000 www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk