The Hallé. Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, 02 May 2025, 5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: William Ruff.

Photo Credit: Royal Concert Hall.

The Hallé.  Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, 02 May 2025,

5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: William Ruff.

“The Hallé’s American concert: a flow of melodies presented in glowing colours.”

The Hallé’s American-themed concert started with the suite which Aaron Copland made from his 1944 ballet Appalachian Spring.  It was originally written for Martha Graham’s modern dance company – and Martha certainly liked what she heard when Copland’s score was first played to her.  “The music is so knit and of a completeness that it takes you in very strong hands and leads you…”

The same could be said about all three pieces in the Hallé’s programme.  The orchestra is sounding really very good these days and conductor Marta Gardolińska ensured that the audience heard familiar repertoire with fresh ears and an enhanced appreciation of melody, orchestral colour and the thrilling effect of really tight ensemble.

Copland’s ballet centres on a celebration of spring in the Pennsylvania hills by a young bride and her farmer husband, surrounded by friends and neighbours.  Young love, new life and simple faith are central themes, the score containing square-dance rhythms as well as variations on the Shaker hymn “The Gift to be Simple” (aka “Lord of the Dance”).  There are also episodes of reflection and prayer to which the Hallé gave a magical intimacy and simplicity. 

Copland’s orchestral writing has a luminosity about it, the textures transparent, the colours glowing.  The Hallé’s section leaders were all placed in the spotlight, producing some subtly nuanced effects often enhanced by the brightness of piano, glockenspiel and harp.  The ballet ends with the young couple taking their place amongst their new neighbours until they are left quiet and string in their new house.  Marta Gardolińska handled this so sensitively, the effect dignified and very moving.

Violinist Alena Baeva joined the orchestra to play the Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber.  He’s a composer so overwhelmingly known for one piece (the famous Adagio) that the rest of his output is often overlooked.  His Violin Concerto has fortunately been a regular visitor to the Royal Concert Hall over the years – and it’s easy to see why.  Its first two movements burst with melodies that are instantly lovable and memorable, allowing the soloist to play with maximum passion and emotion.  The very short finale is completely different, a kind of pulse-quickening rhythmic juggernaut full of manic runs, hops, skips and jumps.  However, it’s always going to be the concerto’s intense songfulness that stays with you.  Alena Baeva’s was a lovely performance, producing an elegantly rich, sweet tone and completely identifying with the song-like nature of the solo part.  In the finale she had all the technical wizardry you could ask for. 

After the interval came Dvorak’s 9th Symphony “From the New World”, written when the composer was working in New York as Director of its new music conservatory.  It is another piece which abounds in good tunes, some reflecting Dvorak’s exploration of American music and some which nostalgically hark back to his native Bohemia.  It’s also a symphony that gets played just a bit too often.  This is where Marta Gardolińska’s approach was so important: each phrase seemed to be newly scrutinised whilst still sounding spontaneous.  The Hallé’s precision was often thrilling – and there were some lovely solos, not least the famous cor anglais melody which starts the slow movement.  The brass were also resplendent, the strings produced much warm, silky tone and the woodwind glowed throughout.  However, it was the conducting that really stood out: Marta Gardolińska’s careful gradation of tempi and her concern for instrumental balance, revealing details which sometimes become lost in performance.  The audience loved it.

The Hallé

Marta Gardolińska (conductor), Alena Baeva (violin)