Christmas with the Hallé at Bridgewater Hall
Johnny James, Managing Editor
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The Hallé at Christmas
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
The Hallé has a bumper festive season in store this year, decking the (Bridgewater) hall with everything from traditional carols to whirling Viennese waltzes, cinematic treasures and pop classics. There’s grandeur, nostalgia and a healthy dose of fun in a line-up that offers something for everyone. Here we highlight a few concerts that catch the light especially well: the festive sparkle of Christmas Cracker, the timeless family magic of The Snowman and Shaun the Sheep, and the roaring-twenties glamour of Gatsby and the Jazz Age.
Christmas Cracker (Fri 12 Dec, 7.30pm) is the big, glossy celebration. Associate Conductor Stephen Bell leads a feel-good sweep through pop anthems and the odd film cue. Think stone-cold classics like ‘Last Christmas’, ‘All I Want for Christmas’ and ‘Driving Home for Christmas’, plus the silver-screen shimmer of The Polar Express. The musical forces are suitably lavish: the full orchestra joined by the Hallé Workplace Choir Family and the Hallé Ancoats Community Choir, with West End-calibre vocals from acclaimed singers Katie Birtill and Oliver Tompsett. If you like your Christmas concerts packed with singalong favourites, this one’s for you.
If you’re after something more awe-inspiring-magical, there’s a family double bill that’s hard to beat in The Snowman and Shaun the Sheep (20 and 21 December). Watch Raymond Briggs’ hand-drawn classic unfold on the big screen as the Hallé performs Howard Blake’s gorgeous score, with the Hallé Children’s Choir adding a festive cherry on top. It’s paired with Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, whose mischief and heart guarantees giggles for kids and that warm, Christmassy grin for the rest of us. Topping it off, a burst of Julian Nott’s Wallace & Gromit: Theme and Chase brings a playful nod to Lancashire’s favourite inventors.
Changing gears again, the Hallé turns back the clock to the roaring twenties with Gatsby and the Jazz Age on 30 December. Conductor Guy Barker steers a starry line-up featuring the full orchestra, singers Vanessa Haynes, Joe Stilgoe and Strictly Come Dancing’s Tommy Blaize, along with the silky sounds of Giacomo Smith’s jazz clarinet and sax. Expect timeless elegance and swinging melodies, including classics like ‘High Society’, ‘Stormy Weather’, ‘Top Hat’, ‘Puttin’ On the Ritz’, ‘Cabaret’ and ‘The Joint is Jumpin’’. Usually this quiet stretch between Christmas and New Year is all pyjamas and re-runs, but this is your chance to shake up the formula, dress to the nines, and keep the Christmas party going.
From concerts that hit you right in the festive feels to cinematic classics and jazz-fuelled extravaganzas, the Hallé turns The Bridgewater Hall into Manchester’s musical hearth this Christmas. Book early, bring good company and let the orchestra do the rest.
