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Book nowThu 23 Apr 2026, 7.30PM
The Bridgewater Hall
The Unanswered Question
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Dénes Várjon and Nicolas Altstaedt compete in Kurtág’s commanding Double Concerto, as Thomas Adès conducts.
‘One of the most unusual pieces written for cello’ (Bachtrack), Kurtág’s brilliant Double Concerto engages both soloists and an orchestra divided into two sparring sections, physically separated within the performance space, in an intense dialogue. What results is an extraordinary listening experience: surrounded by music from several directions at once.
Ives’ The Unanswered Question also immerses the listener in sound, with druid-like strings beneath the questioning trumpet and increasingly chaotic woodwind. In contrast, Thomas Adès’ peaceful Lieux retrouvés (Rediscovered Places) explores natural and man-made landscapes whilst Debussy’s revolutionary Images, three orchestral montages combining harmony, texture and colour, creates musical paintings that changed orchestral writing forever.
Get to know the music
The Guardian
“The Hallé and Adès – a magnificent partnership!”
Featuring
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Thomas Adès
Conductor
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Dénes Várjon
Piano
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Nicolas Altstaedt
Cello
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Thomas Adès
Conductor
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Dénes Várjon
Piano
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Nicolas Altstaedt
Cello
Listen and Look Out for…
… some exciting and unusual staging in the Ives and Kurtág. Musicians will be popping up all around the auditorium, creating a truly immersive experience!
Stephen Fry
Actor, Broadcaster, Comedian, Director, Narrator and Writer“I'll come clean and admit that Thomas Adès is a friend, but I think his evening (on St George's Day, 23rd April) will really excite you. If 'modernism' and the very idea of much twentieth-century classical music makes you wince and reach for your Schubert, these four pieces might come as a revelation. Emotional directness, sonority, colour and real musical intelligence in very different modes of expression.”