The Hallé

Beethoven  Leonore Overture No.3  (13′) | Elegischer Gesang  (7′) | The Ruins of Athens: Overture  (5′) | Christ on the Mount of Olives: Angel’s Chorus (4′) | Symphony No.9, ‘Choral’ (67′)

With Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No.3, Sir Mark and the Hallé launch the celebratory Beethoven cycle in tandem with the BBC Philharmonic. It’s a concert that brings together Manchester’s musical community, performing lesser-known works of the composer alongside his final, ground-breaking symphony. As a foil to the symphonies, both orchestras give prominence to Beethoven’s choral works, and in particular gems like Elegischer Gesang (Elegiac Song), a memorial to the wife of a close friend, which is performed by the Hallé Youth Choir. Beethoven’s ground-breaking Ninth Symphony redefined the very nature of the genre; the setting of Schiller’s Ode to Joy in the finale, the first use of voices in a symphony, creates a staggering effect.

Thursday Series sponsor: Siemens