Four innovative Rush Hour performances designed to inspire, given by the full forces of the Hallé at The Bridgewater Hall

Building on the astonishing success of last season’s brand-new Rush Hour series, the Hallé is thrilled that these concerts will return at the beginning of October to a truly stunning venue. Spend a breath-taking hour from 6pm-7pm with ‘one of the world’s best orchestras’ (The Times) and experience international artists performing a wide variety of classical music in one of Europe’s most acclaimed concert venues, The
Bridgewater Hall.

In the first of these concerts on Thursday 3 October, the Hallé’s new Principal Conductor, Kahchun Wong, will lead the orchestra in a fiery programme filled with powerful, atmospheric music.

Perhaps best known for his score to the hugely popular martial arts film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tan Dun’s explosive Violin Concerto: Fire Ritual was written for the award-winning violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, who joins the Hallé for its UK premiere. Kahchun Wong pairs this innovative work with the vivid and dazzling score to The Firebird, a composition that established the international reputation of a young and then unknown composer, Igor Stravinsky.

On Thursday 14 November, join the Hallé as we explore the gargantuan forces required for Lili Boulanger’s magnificent Psalm 130 and one of Shostakovich’s shortest symphonies; journey from peaceful contemplation in Takemitsu’s garden to Rachmaninov’s dramatic Third Symphony; and from the ‘Playful Pizzicato’ in Britten’s Simple Symphony to the most well-known musical phrase in the world, the opening of Beethoven’s thunderingly brilliant Fifth Symphony.

Showcasing an impressive roster of artists, the series includes the two latest winners of the Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition, Delyana Lazarova and Euan Shields, the incredible mezzo-soprano Hanna Hipp and the compelling conductor Stephanie Childress. After each concert, while away the early evening with drinks from the stalls café bar whilst enjoying foyer music performed by students from the Royal Northern College of Music and Hallé Youth musicians.

Tickets range from £6 to £23, and this exploratory series offers a wonderful, hour-long introduction to the world of classical music in all its glory.