Performer: Manchester Chamber Choir

John Wilson navigates two of Ralph Vaughan Williams' symphonies at Bridgewater Hall, part of the RVW 150 celebrations.

Ben Gernon conducts the BBC Philharmonic in an all Beethoven programme centered around the monumental Third Symphony.

These two Manchester-based choirs formed a formidable partnership for one of the most gruelling choral works in the repertoire. The four soloists, however distinguished as individuals, produced mixed results.

Few concert programmes can feature such different works based on the same inspiration, but the BBC Philharmonic managed the intricacies of Bach and the grandeur of Bruckner with great success. The biggest tragedy of the evening was the audience: the whole top tier of seating was closed, and the stalls were barely half full.On his appointment as Kantor of the Leipzig Thomaskirche in 1723, J.S.

I would say a little over three quarters of the seats in the Royal Albert Hall were full for Prom 33, featuring Juanjo Mena, the BBC Philharmonic and several northern choirs, and that whilst I’ve seen the arena busier than it was, it was still fairly tightly packed.