The Hallé made its London Proms debut 70 years ago this summer – the first regional orchestra to appear. The audience was reportedly “very large” and the reviews warm, although the Daily Mail grumbled about conductor John Barbirolli’s approach to rhythm: “A tighter rein would make all the difference”, the critic sniffed.
No one could make the same complaint about the orchestra’s performance this year. The combined Hallé Choir and BBC Symphony Chorus (massive forces even in the monumental Royal Albert Hall) rose neatly at a single baton-twitch from Mark Elder. A pointed finger temporarily spotlit single instrumental lines; a grin coaxed luxuriously rich sound from the strings; tiny hand movements kept sprawling, rhythmically complex textures absolutely together. Reins don’t come much tighter than this.
