The Hallé – Beyond The Score: Beethoven’s Fateful Blows at The Bridgewater Hall

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Book now

The Hallé - Beyond The Score: Beethoven’s Fateful Blows

The Bridgewater Hall, City Centre
11-15 March 2020

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Hallé Beethoven - Symphony No. 5
Marco Borggreve
Book now

Beethoven – Symphony No. 5

Part of the Hallé/BBC Philharmonic’s Beethoven cycle, Beyond the Score® offers concert-goers a breathtaking multimedia experience of Beethoven’s iconic Fifth Symphony.

Developed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Creative Director Gerard McBurney, the first half of Beyond the Score: Beethoven’s Fateful Blows features a multi-media presentation that explores how Beethoven wrote his Symphony No. 5. Through a combination of video footage, live music, theatre and narration we’ll gain a deep insight into the composer’s volatile mind, the conditions in Vienna in the early 1800’s and the fascinating construction of this remarkable symphony. The actors in Beyond the Score® include Rob Pickavance and Tamzin Griffin.

In the second half, we’ll hear a full performance of this work which, according to E.T.A. Hoffmann, “tears the listener irresistibly away into the wonderful spiritual realm of the infinite.” Famed for its first four notes and loved for its bold Romanticism, it’s in great hands with the fine players of the Hallé, who will be conducted here by young Hungarian Gergely Madaras – named “one to watch” by the Financial Times. He’ll bring out both the visceral power and the subtle nuances of the work, which, thanks to the first half of the concert, we’ll be empowered to hear.

Happily, there are as many as three opportunities to experience this uniquely insightful concert at The Bridgewater Hall: on the 11 March at 14:15pm, the 12 March at 19:30pm and the 15 March at 16:00pm (the timings of the Hallé’s Sunday concerts change this season). What’s more, as these concerts are part of the Hallé’s Beethoven 250 celebrations, we’ll be treated to an additional bonus at the beginning of the programme: Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. What more could we ask for?

There are discounted tickets available for students in full-time education and anyone aged 30 or under.

The Hallé
Gergely Madaras – conductor
Gerard McBurney – creative director

What's on at The Bridgewater Hall

Until
MusicCity Centre
The Hallé 2025-26 Season

The Hallé invites audiences to a year of classical masterpieces, world premieres and appearances by some electrifying artists and composers.

From £17

Where to go near The Hallé – Beyond The Score: Beethoven’s Fateful Blows at The Bridgewater Hall

Manchester
Restaurant
Midland Tea Room

Dating back to 1903, Manchester’s stately Midland Hotel now has its own dedicated tea room. Expect traditional offerings in elegant surroundings.

City Centre
Hotel
The Midland Hotel

With 312 luxurious bedrooms, the Grade II-listed Midland Hotel occupies one of the most beautiful and storied buildings in Manchester.

Society Manchester
City Centre
Society Manchester

Society Manchester is a glorious indoor and outdoor space in the very heart of the city, with five street food vendors to choose from and a range of high-quality drinks.

Manchester
Restaurant
Friska

Latest branch of Friska, the independent healthy fast food chain.

Manchester
Restaurant
Don Giovanni

Traditional Italian restaurant, serving everything from pizza to steak. All this in a large modern venue with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Haunt MCR
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Haunt MCR

Haunt MCR is a speciality coffee shop and wine bar located on Manchester’s bustling Peter Street.

Manchester
Restaurant
Jaan

Serving up exceptional Persian cuisine, this new food concept from the team behind Another Hand is a must-try.

Manchester
Restaurant
Exhibition

Exhibition hosts three of the city’s most celebrated independent kitchens: Osma, Baratxuri, and Jaan by Another Hand.

City Centre
Restaurant
ONDA Pasta Bar

ONDA is a treat for the tastebuds. Long dark wood tables are shared by eager diners, as tapas-style plates of fresh pasta and other Italian dishes are ferried around the restaurant.

City Centre
Restaurant
Nudo Sushi Box

Nudo Sushi Box on Manchester’s Oxford Road specialises in freshly-prepared boxes of – you guessed it – sushi.

What's on: Music

Daniel Avery in front of sun sculpture event poster
MusicManchester
Daniel Avery x Helios at Victoria Baths

Daniel Avery’s played in Manchester countless times over the last decade, but never quite like this – in an empty Edwardian swimming pool, beneath monumental installation art.

From £34.00
Kelham Jazz Festival
FestivalsKelham Island
Kelham Island Jazz Festival

Across breweries, warehouses and bars, Kelham Jazz Festival brings the city’s and the wider North’s jazz community together for the first time.

From £11.59
MusicManchester
Bar Italia at Manchester Academy 2

One of London’s most hyped bands of the last few years, Bar Italia are playing Band on the Wall in support of their latest album, Some Like It Hot.

From £19.45
MusicManchester
Thundercat at Aviva Studios

From cult hero to global collaborator, Thundercat is back with his first album in six years, and a headline show at Aviva Studios.

From £37.50
deathcrash Press Image
MusicManchester
deathcrash at YES

Quiet introspection and cathartic eruptions – the mysterious kids in the corner of the Brixton Windmill scene bring their new album Somersaults to YES.

From £17.45

Culture Guides

A pair of white angel wings displayed against a dark, black background. The lower parts of the wings are stained with vivid red, resembling blood splatter.
Theatre

This month’s theatre highlights span dystopian classics, political thrillers and bold new opera.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

Fatoumata Diawara by Alun Be.
Music

This month’s live music picks move between ambitious new work, grassroots celebrations and a few memorable settings.

Food and Drink in the North

Spring has arrived, bringing with it al fresco dining and a rush of high-profile food and drink-related events in Manchester.

Ceramic Sculpture
Exhibitions

Across Manchester and Salford, exhibitions are thinking hard about how things are made – and how materials carry stories.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.