The Hallé performs Britten and Shostakovich

Sir Mark Elder conducted the Hallé in a moving account of Shostakovich’s mighty Leningrad symphony and was joined by actor Samuel West for a Britten world première at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.The vast symphony, 80 minutes long and scored for legions of brass and percussion, is best known for its more dramatic passages, such as the first movement’s terrifying march and the shattering finale.