All Hail The Hallé

When it first opened in 1853, Bradford’s St George’s Hall might have been preparing for the arrival of Sir Charles Halle’s famous orchestra which would be created some five years later: fortunately, both are still going strong in 2023, more than a century and a half later.

And this weekend it was the turn of conductor, Stephen Bell to continue the legacy of his great forebear, as he stepped up to the podium to lead his 80+ cohort of musicians through a wonderful rendition of Viennese waltzes and sublime flavours from some of the 20th century’s greatest operettas.

I will never claim to be a world expert on music of the classical variety but, in some ways, that makes me the perfect critic because the question then becomes not so much, ‘what do you know?’ as ‘did you enjoy it?’ I did, very much!

The sheer size of the Hallé is quite breath-taking and it is rare that you get to hear some of the best musicians in the world – the orchestra draws its members from 14 countries – playing Strauss, Lehar and Sullivan.

Throw in Soprano Rebecca Bottone for good measure and you find yourself captivated for two hours.

Many years ago I performed in The Merry Widow on this very stage and remember being mesmerised by Franz Lehar’s Vilja. So, I sat like a fidgeting child waiting for Bottone to pay tribute to one of Vienna’s greatest composers and she didn’t let me down.

She was exquisite and it was a joy to witness such a performer and listen to her magnificent, blemish-free voice and stunning range that left the high brows of Bradford shouting ‘bravo’ and stamping their feet.

Stephen Bell is an enthusiast, throwing the physical weight of his body into his conducting and leading his audience through Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus and the Adele Laughing Song, along with snippets from Lehar’s cannon of work and, of course, tastes of Arthur Sullivan and his Overture Di Ballo.

St George’s has a talent for slipping some absolute gems under the radar and I will say it again: look out for the Sunday afternoon concerts because they really are Grade A and they’re often gone before you'd even realised they’d arrived!

So, don’t be fooled by the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet to the right of St George’s Hall, or the Subway serving up its fare just across the road.

THIS venue dishes up its own periodic feasts. Open your eyes and pop in for a taste. You won’t be disappointed!