JADAR

★★★★☆

The Halle’s Romeo and Juliet is a mixture of enchanting instrumentals and virtuoso performers jarred only by its discordant transitions and pauses between songs. 

While there was a family-friendly edition of the show earlier in the day, with a speaker to help narrate the tale of Shakespeare’s tragic romance, the main performance is a speechless orchestral extravaganza produced by the Hallé, the renowned Manchester orchestra dating back to founding to 1858. 

At the core of its success is an eccentric and energy-filled performance by the spectacular conductor Maxime Pascal who threw his entire body into the rhythm of every performance, swaying or batting vigorously while puppeteering (there’s a strings pun in there somewhere!) his orchestra of equally energetic musicians.

Beginning with Brahm’s ‘Tragic Overture’, the orchestra enchants its audience with an energetic performance filled with the highs and lows of human emotion, crescendos arising to celestial planes (fitting for the theme of star-crossed lovers), despite the despair of its softer segments of tragedy.

Following this was the similarly striking and quintessentially classy Beethoven ‘Piano Concierto No.3 in C Minor’. There’s just something about Beethoven that works perfectly with this Shakespearian theme in his nuanced mixture of classical and romantic styles, bold sinking and rising melodies, and truly spectacular string and piano sections. The pianist performing the piece was Tom Borrow, an astounding young virtuoso teasing the audience with his calm demeanour whilst fervidly playing the keys at seemingly impossible (and truly mesmerising) speeds. 

Ironically, while none of these first pieces are intrinsically linked to Romeo and Juliet, I actually felt the first half was the strongest segment, with its gripping compositions and a sense of being constantly enveloped in all the passion and tragedy associated with the Shakespearian classic. 

After a short interval, the show commenced with its titular ‘Romeo and Juliet’ section, composed by Prolofiev for a ballet adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. These pieces were filled with charisma and life, but I did feel that there was a little something missing without the ballet aspect to accentuate the emotions of these pieces, whereas the previous two compositions were perfect as standalone orchestral performances.

Despite this, there was a mixture of romance, a feeling of trepidation with the warring Capulets and Montagues, and a sense of loss in the selected pieces that were rather inspiring.

It was also quite amusing to discover that the BBC’s ‘The Apprentice’ theme originated from Prolofiev’s ballet, earning a few chuckles amongst the audience as its recognisable flare commenced. 

The show was an interesting perspective of the tale of Romeo and Juliet and incorporated works both intended for, or perfectly matching, Shakespeare’s variety of themes, with an intensity that surpasses the boundaries of theatrical performances at times. Yet, in the same way, their story and emotions are very much left for the listeners’ interpretation, unlike plays. 

Despite an outstanding performance musically, the show was not without its faults with a slight pacing issue causing it to trail a little towards the end and slightly overrun its timeslot. While this is perfectly acceptable when it comes to live music, it did make the latter half feel a little longer than necessary.

Additionally, I found several moments a tad awkward as silence fell between songs, or in the finale for a solid 15 seconds where it seemed as though none of the audience knew whether to applaud or continue waiting and listening.

The Hallé have produced a mesmerisingly melodious musical masterpiece, slighted by some pacing and staging hitches here and there.

Head to the Halle’s website to see what else they have coming up.

Photo: The Hallé