The much-loved Manchester Mid-day Concerts roll on through the icy months of winter, bringing musical warmth to the stunning Bridgewater Hall. The concerts, which take place at the slightly unexpected time of 1.10pm, are an incredible opportunity to visit one of the finest concert halls in Europe for an affordable price: specially-designed to allow the ideal amount of cubic space per audience member. The Bridgewater Hall cost £46m to build – constructed like a giant sculpture, it weighs around 22,000 tons and, incredibly, floats on nearly 300 earthquake bearings, which mute external noise. It’s also one of Manchester’s most elegant settings in which to listen to music – all of which are excellent reasons to book your tickets to one of the following events.
The multi award-winning Barbican Quartet is celebrated for their ‘gusto, comradeship and sharp attack’ (The Times) and ‘blazing and unusually forthright performance’ (The Telegraph). There’s real spice and intrigue to their programme, too: Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No.4 in E minor precedes Janáček’s ‘Kreutzer Sonata’, which is based on a notorious work of the same name by Tolstoy. Censored by Russian authorities, Tolstoy’s novella tells the tale of a murder committed during a performance of Beethoven. Music, violence and a passionate performance – eat your heart out.
Klezmer-ish is, apparently, what happens when four classically trained musicians ‘let their hair down’. The quartet plays music by traveling people from across the world, including klezmer, tangos, gypsy jazz, Irish fiddle music – and, for this Mid-day Concert, a piece that they’ve dubbed ‘klezmer-punk’. Hershel is just one of several flaunting, energetic pieces on the bill, all played with signature Klezmer-ish aplomb and flair.
So popular was Manchester Chamber Choir’s Christmas performance last year that they’ve been invited back again for this year’s festive Mid-day Concerts treat. They return with a blend of beautiful, seasonal sacred music, traditional and modern carols and a special arrangement of The Twelve Days of Christmas that promises some amusing twists on the original. Tickets for this one are sure to sell fast – don’t miss out.
Fri 15 Nov - Wed 18 Dec, The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS, Tel: 0161 907 9000
- Words:
- Polly Checkland Harding
- Published on:
- Mon 21 Oct 2019
An unusual Japanese-Estonian partnership for the first Mid-day Concert in the winter series: violinist Yume Fujise performs alongside pianist Sten Heinoja in a varied programme featuring Beethoven, Prokofiev and Britten. Both award-winning musicians, the two regularly partner for spellbinding joint performances that showcase the virtuosity of their respective instruments. Don’t miss them.