The best: Classical music concerts around Manchester this autumn

Featuring a programme of definitive works which form the foundation of orchestral music in our collective imagination, the UK’s most popular classical show returns to Manchester with an evening of thrilling spectacle and timeless arrangements at The Bridgewater Hall.

Set to mesmerising lights and immersive laser displays, Classical Spectacular promises to delight enthusiasts and newbies alike with an unforgettable show which includes Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Bizet’s Flower song from Carmen, Debussy’s Clair de Lune and more.

After electrifying the orchestra during their first encounter last year, Wong begins his journey as the new Principal Conductor of Hallé by pairing Mahler’s fittingly monumental First Symphony with a new suite of dances from Benjamin Britten’s exotic ballet, The Prince of the Pagodas.

Lauded as a seminally daring masterpiece in the classical canon, the ‘Titan’ Symphony offers a bold and breathtakingly profound exploration of the human condition with a symphonic tone poem, by turns seismically grand and intensely wistful, charting the life, suffering and death of its singular hero.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience Wong’s unique relationship with the last great Romantic symphonist, having previously won the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition.

Part of the RNCM’s new Inspirational Artists series, Fever Dreams demonstrates the spellbinding power of string orchestra as Manchester Collective breathe new live into beloved classics while charting a bold course into the future with innovative soundscapes from ‘cyborg pianist’ Zubin Kanga.

Alongside Tchaikovsky’s timeless technicolour romance, Serenade for Strings, infused with an inimitable Manchester Collective twist, the programme features Bacewicz’s frenetic, muscular Concerto for String Orchestra. With each work inspired by its composer’s heritage, the orchestra joins forces with Zubin to ask what happens when a retreat into history turns violent, producing an ‘auditory hallucination’ in which the pianist reimagines the construction of the instrument itself with strange, spectral samples of hand saws and sandpaper drills.

On Tue 29 Oct, the world-famous classical crossover phenomenon present a once-in-a-lifetime concert at The Bridgewater Hall, performing a soaring selection of their greatest hits alongside songs from their new album in celebration of their 20th anniversary.

Appearing in Manchester as part of a nationwide tour, the dazzling quartet have captivated audiences around the world since 2004, showcasing their trademark virtuosity and peerless vocals at countless esteemed events from the Summer Olympics and FIFA World Cup to the Diamond Jubilee and the Commander-in-Chief’s Ball.

Blending the fathomlessly rich oeuvre of Western Classical Orchestra with Carnatic Song, Manchester Camerata take to The Stoller Hall stage to perform Rushil Ranjan’s brand new composition, Māyā.

Ranjan’s vibrant, spellbinding work explores the roots of India’s oldest and purest musical form with a captivatingly ambitious illustration of Hindu mythology through Vedic traditions, mathematical intricacy and improvisational raga.

This November, Opera North returns to The Lowry for another magical selection of wondrous shows spanning Mozart, Shakespeare and Gilbert & Sullivan, following a wildly successful residency at The Lowry in 2023 and earlier this year.

On Wed 13 Nov, the decorated arts company kick off their Salford stint with an alluring, witty and triumphantly theatrical take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in which the Fairy King and Queen Oberon and Tytania are embroiled in a woodland dispute so fierce it threatens climate catastrophe, while two Athenian women and their unrequited male interests escape the city for the freedom of the forest, dooming their messy relationships to further mystical misfortune.

The following evening, Opera North stages a riotous interpretation of Gilbert & Sullivan’s madcap Victorian melodrama, Ruddigore.

The badly-behaved baronet Sir Despard Murgatroyd has inherited an ancient curse which forces him to commit a crime a day or die an excruciating death, so when he discovers his long-lost elder brother, Robin Oakapple, he delights in his salvation. Unfortunately, the timid Robin is an unconvincing miscreant, and before long his feeble crimes awaken the pair’s exasperated ancestors.

Hailed as an instant classic upon its debut in 1887, Ruddigore promises a gleefully mischievous comedy-cum-ghost story guaranteed to delight opera lovers, theatre enthusiasts and musical fans alike.

On Fri 15 and Sat 16 Nov, The Magic Flute breathes new, enchanting life into Mozart’s family-friendly opera with a blend of popular music mixes, inspirational choruses, jaw-dropping vocal flourishes and deeply affecting arias.

The delightful story follows the adventures of Prince Tamino and his bird-catching companion, Papageno, as they embark on a quest to rescue Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night, held captive by Sarastro, the Priest of the Sun.