Bridgewater Hall, ManchesterYoung Norwegian Tabita Berglund delivered breakneck Beethoven as well as a Golijov tango and a poised Siegfried Idyll
The Hallé – at Bridgewater Hall for only their fourth performance to live audiences in 15 months – are back in business, thanks in part to a shiny new stage extension to help with social distancing. The extra pontoon envelops the stalls, shrinking the auditorium and bringing the
music so close you could reach out and grab it. After so long away, that intimacy is no bad thing.
The spectacle is reminiscent of the orchestra’s enormous semi-staged Wagner performances – but with half the players removed. The Siegfried Idyll seemed a perfect opener, although this is Wagner far removed from the lavishly expansive music-dramas staged in recent years. A birthday gift for his wife Cosima, the origins of Wagner’s Idyll have an unlikely connection with Manchester, with future Hallé music director Hans Richter learning the trumpet especially for the
Christmas Day premiere in 1870. But at the helm here was the young Norwegian conductor Tabita Berglund, whose unfussy interpretation held poise and vigour. Moments of looping string indulgence were quickly glossed over in favour of forward momentum, setting the tone for an evening of exhilarating performances.