In Praise of ... the Hallé Orchestra

On January 23 1858 a small note appeared on the front page of the Manchester Guardian. It promoted "Mr Charles Hallé's First Grand Orchestral Concert", to take place the following Saturday at 7.30pm in the Free Trade Hall. Pieces to be played included Mozart's Andante in A flat, Beethoven's first symphony and excerpts from Verdi's recently composed Il Trovatore. Unreserved seats cost a shilling. Last night, at the same time, on the same day, January 30, in the Hallé's new home in the Bridgewater Hall, the orchestra Charles Hallé founded celebrated its 150th anniversary under the baton of its admirable conductor Mark Elder. The program included Weber's Konzertstück for piano and orchestra (played by Hallé himself in 1858), as well as music by Vaughan Williams and Elgar, who both had pieces premiered by the orchestra. After a bad decade, which brought it close to bankruptcy, the Hallé is back in good health. Elder follows in a line of famous names, including Richter and Barbirolli. He understands what it means to lead a great city orchestra. Without compromising on musical standards, he has made the Hallé's concerts educational and welcoming events - and affordable ones: many tickets last night cost £10, less in real terms than they did in 1858. Charles Hallé was a pioneer of new music (especially Berlioz), encouraging culture in a city of industry. Manchester has changed much since 1858, but the Hallé is still there, as much a part of the city's identity and life as ever.