Opening Night: Built for the Hallé

The evening

Celebrating 30 years of The Bridgewater Hall

The Hallé marks the 30th anniversary of The Bridgewater Hall in this special Opening Night celebration concert.

When it opened as our new home in 1996, The Bridgewater Hall welcomed a new era for the Hallé, providing a state-of-the-art concert hall in which we have gone from strength to strength. Join us to celebrate this landmark moment in the Hallé’s journey, and the remarkable venue at the heart of so many of our performances over the past three decades.

Hear a deeply personal new symphony from our Featured Composer, James MacMillan, alongside Beethoven’s greatest piano concerto.

Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor Kahchun Wong and the Hallé’s opening night is an unmissable occasion. It begins with Liszt’s Les préludes which, after a tentative opening, erupts into a sumptuous melody.

James MacMillan’s Sixth Symphony remembers four close family members in musical portraits, each featuring a different section of the orchestra, before a final, fifth movement brings the whole orchestra back together. Over the season, we’re celebrating the much-loved works of this British composer and this new symphony is a major highlight.

For many Beethoven fans, his ‘Emperor’ Concerto is the best – its second movement is pure, dreamy perfection. Stephen Hough sets it aglow before carrying us into its joyful finale.