Thu, Feb 13, 2025 – 19:30h – Angélique Kidjo Sings Ifè Songs
Angélique Kidjo – singer-songwriter, Grammy Award winner, activist – has a star-studded career spanning five decades. Tonight, she steps onto The Bridgewater Hall stage alongside Robert Ames, a skilled interpreter of Glass’s work and ‘a super connector in modern music’ (The Guardian), to perform the UK premiere of Ifè Songs – written especially for her. The composer said of the work: ‘Angélique, together we have built a bridge that no one has walked on before.’
Days and Nights in Rocinha is a thrilling tribute to the Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood. In true Glass style, it begins softly, slowly building and developing with increasingly complex percussive rhythms until it reaches a glorious climax.
Glass’s Eleventh Symphony – sometimes reflective, sometimes fizzing with rhythmic textures, always fascinating – closes the programme.
Artists:
- RNCM – Royal Northern College of Music orchestra
- Robert Ames conductor
- Angélique Kidjo vocalist
Program:
- Glass – Days and Nights in Rochina
- Glass – Ifè Songs (UK Premiere)
- Glass – Symphony No.11
Tickets (23-43 GBP / 27-51 €):
https://halle.co.uk/event/angelique-kidjo-sings-ife-songs/
Fri, Feb 14, 2025 – 13:00h – Glassworks
Following the success of his larger-scale orchestral and stage creations, Philip Glass wanted to write something that would be more accessible to a wider audience.
He composed Glassworks, a work in six movements, in 1981. Intending it to be – aptly, for the decade – ‘Walkman-suitable’, he released both an LP and a tape cassette of the piece. Each had its own separate mix: the LP was intended for home listening and the cassette – with a headphone-specific mix – was intended for personal tape players.
Glass’s efforts paid off, and the work was an instant success. Chamber piece it may be, but it is no less rich and varied in its rhythms and textures, using members of all instrument families to create a shimmering, anthemic sound.
This event has transferred from Hallé St Peter’s to the RNCM Concert Hall. Original tickets for Hallé St Peter’s remain valid. Ticket booking is now open on the RNCM website.
Artists:
- Musicians from the Hallé and RNCM – Royal Northern College of Music orchestra
- Colin Currie Conductor
Program:
- Glass – Aguas da Amazonia (3 mvts)
- Glass – Glassworks
Tickets (8-16 GBP / 9-19 €):
https://halle.co.uk/event/philip-glass-glassworks/
Sat, Feb 15, 2025 – 20:00h – A Journey Through Time
‘Lanting’s majestic photographs dance lightly across a huge screen over the orchestra, while some of Glass’s most elegant music pulses underneath … It’s a celebration of nature in all its glory.’ – The Washington Post
The LIFE Symphony was created by Frans Lanting in collaboration with Philip Glass to celebrate the splendor of life on Earth through music and images. With Lanting’s stunning photography projected on the big screen and Glass’s hallmark evolving textures mirroring the ever-changing landscape of life, this one-hour immersive audio-visual experience is an emotionally-charged journey through time, from the Big Bang to the present.
Life: A Journey Through Time
Concepts and Images by Frans Lanting
Music by Philip Glass
Arranged for orchestra by Michael Riesman
Visual choreography and technical direction by Alexander V. Nichols
Life project editing by Christine Eckstrom
Introduction narrated by Peter Coyote
Artists:
- RNCM – Royal Northern College of Music orchestra
- Colin Currie Conductor
Program:
- Glass – Frans Lanting’s LIFE: A Journey Through Time
Tickets (23-43 GBP / 27-51 €):
https://halle.co.uk/event/life-a-journey-through-time/
