High drama from orchestra at its best

THIS Hallé concert celebrated Benjamin Britten and William Walton, two giants of twentieth century British music, as well as the music of the Russian Sergei Rachmaninov.

- By WILLIAM RUFF

conducted the Halle at the Royal Concert Hall

(SUSANNE DIESNER)

You could be forgiven for thinking they were worlds apart; in fact, Rachmaninov was a frequent visitor to this country, especially in the 1920s and 1930s and was a fan of British music. He even visited Nottingham, so concertgoers at the Albert Hall should be aware that they tread in Rachmaninov's footsteps every time they visit.

The Hallé chose a particularly dramatic programme on Friday, starting with the Courtly Dances from Britten's opera Gloriana. This has gone down in musical history as one of the great first-night disasters. It was commissioned by Covent Garden to celebrate the coronation of the young Elizabeth II and most of the audience for that gala event weren't exactly lovers of challenging, modern opera and most expected something a bit more celebratory than the story of an ageing Elizabeth I, her tempestuous relationship with the much younger Earl of Essex and her painful, public duty to execute Essex for treason whilst her heart wanted to save him.