For fans of dark, dramatic, and spine-tingling music, The Bridgewater Hall presents a thrilling programme of concerts over the next year that are guaranteed to captivate and enthral. From cinematic masterpieces to orchestral thrillers, there’s something for every lover of eerie, extraordinary, and atmospheric music.
Revisit the iconic sounds of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells Live in Concert, the album forever linked with The Exorcist, performed by an expansive live group conducted by Oldfield’s long-term collaborator Robin Smith.
Film and soundtrack lovers can also experience Twilight in Concert and Batman in Concert, where full movie screenings are paired with live orchestral performances. For a truly chilling evening, The Hallé presents Silence of the Lambs in Concert, bringing one of cinema’s most suspenseful and haunting scores vividly to life on the big screen.
Orchestral programmes for the adventurous include the BBC Philharmonic’s Big Beautiful Dark and Scary, featuring Julia Wolfe’s immersive composition alongside Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, and Bluebeard’s Castle, presenting Bartók’s haunting opera with Kodály’s Dances of Galánta and Boulanger’s D’un soir triste.
Contemporary music fans won’t want to miss The Hallé Presents Jonny Greenwood, featuring Greenwood’s Water and the world premiere revision of Horror Vacui, alongside Steve Reich’s Pulse and Lutosławski’s Musique funèbre.
For those who love a darker, theatrical twist with a pulse-pounding edge, the London Symphonic Rock Orchestra bring iconic rock hits to life with the omnipotent power of the orchestra fused with immersive technology. Performed in a candlelit fantasy forest setting, classics from AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, and more are reimagined in a 100% live, electrifying wall of sound.
For a touch of magic and nostalgia, three separate concerts featuring the music of Harry Potter transport audiences straight into the wizarding world. In Murder Trial Tonight: Death of a Landlord, you become the jury in a case with conflicting evidence and difficult questions at its heart. And for fans of theatrical flair and a touch of gothic romance, The Phantoms brings soaring vocals and dramatic storytelling to the stage, led by West End and TV star Lee Mead, with music from The Phantom of the Opera and other beloved musicals.
Whether your taste leans towards the cinematic, the mystical, or the macabre, The Bridgewater Hall has a year of unforgettable dark classical and orchestral concerts waiting for you.
To get in the mood, check out our Spooky & Cinematic Music Spotify Playlist, curated with selections from the concerts above!