The Hallé has just released its second Digital Winter Season offering, recorded recently in Hallé St Peter’s, Manchester. It’s an intimate affair – the brass and percussion of Britten’s Russian Funeral contrasted by the strings and bell required for Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten, the latter ideal for this church acoustic.
Step forward baritone Roderick Williams (pictured). On this occasion he is also the orchestrator of George Butterworth’s Six Songs from A Shropshire Lad (A. E. Housman), left to us with piano accompaniment. It proves to be lovely stuff, both in terms of singing and scoring – balm to the ear and soul, and Williams’s enunciation and word-painting are exemplary.
Finally, Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen (for twenty-three solo strings). Mark Elder directs an eloquent and poignant account, played raptly, for which Sir Mark says they spent “so many hours preparing”. This expansive yet flexible, and impassioned, reading is well-worth the effort – for the performers, and us.
Throughout, good sound and picture.
Fully agree: this is a magnificent concert enhanced by beautiful lighting and a chance to see inside a building I have only seen before from the outside. Roddie Williams is a genius! And Sir Mark is one of very few who talks about music without condescending or patronising his listeners. Only £14 for unlimited listening! A true oasis of hope for live music to come soon for us all.