Brahms Symphony no. 3

To celebrate its first concert appearance since February 2020, the Hallé Choir takes pride of place in Stravinsky’s striking Symphony of Psalms. Begun ‘in a state of religious and musical ebullience,’ the composer wrote, it culminates with both ‘a vision of Elijah’s chariot’ and the serene alleluias of the heavenly host. Sir Mark opens the concert with a Haydn symphony whose beautiful character and intriguing title Tempora mutantur (‘Times change’) seem, he feels, ‘appropriate for this moment in time’. The Brahms symphonies continue to fascinate Sir Mark for their distinctive, individual characteristics. This exploration of the Third contrasts the ‘intimate tenderness’ of the first three movements with ‘the rugged quality of the finale’, its drama finally quelled in calm resolution.