The Hallé brings Salonen, Grieg and Sibelius to Sheffield

Julius Asal

Duncan Ward

By Phil Parker, 25 January 2026

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“absolute lucidity of expression, passage-work crystal clear and the melodic lines unfussily direct”

Reviewed at Sheffield City Hall: Oval Hall, Sheffield on 23 January 2026

Salonen, Helix

Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16

Sibelius, Symphony no. 2 in D major, Op.43

The Hallé

Duncan Ward, Conductor

Julius Asal, Piano

Tarmo Peltokoski conducts the Hallé in Mahler and Vaughan Williams

Leighton Jones, 16th April

Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder provide an apt, if somewhat unexpected, partner to Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.

****1

Concertos – for violin and for orchestra – from the Hallé

Peter Connors, 22nd March

Viktoria Mullova is a superb soloist in Brahms' Violin Concerto, while an orchestra full of soloists play Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra with Kahchun Wong presiding.

*****

Nico Muhly’s vision of the end of the world comes to Sheffield

Phil Parker, 15th March

Doom – both personal and cosmic – and its aftermath are the focus of Alpesh Chauhan’s Hallé concert at Sheffield’s City Hall.

****1

Avant-garde echoes meet minimalist soundscapes in Hallé concert

Pwyll ap Sion, 26th February

Jonny Greenwood’s genre-defying music is given a powerful performance by violinist Daniel Pioro and members of The Hallé Orchestra under Hugh Tieppo-Brunt.

****1

Celestial journeys with Kahchun Wong and the Hallé

Rohan Shotton, 19th February

Kahchun Wong returns to The Hallé for Holst and Unsuk Chin, with a postscript from Colin Matthews

***11

Jeannette Sorrell and the Hallé find drama in Handel’s Messiah

Leighton Jones, 6th December

Jeanette Sorrell brings a Messiah to Manchester that adds a sense of drama, bridging the gap between oratorio and opera.

****1

More reviews...

Phil Parker

Phil is a retired A-level English teacher who is now able to devote his life to things he really wants to do with his time. These include, but are not limited to: writing short fiction (his first collection, Girl with Fan, was published in late 2023), singing, creating programme notes for his choir’s concerts, volunteering, cooking, reading, and attending all home games at his beloved Manchester City. Alongside these is listening to classical music (live, on disc and on the radio), a lifetime’s love of which was sparked at the age of 11 when he discovered Haydn.

A breath of fresh Scandinavian air: the Hallé brings Grieg and Sibelius to Sheffield City Hall