Hallé: Huw Watkins album review – Covid-era commissions capture post-lockdown energy and hope | classical music

THis recording is a celebration of what a fruitful relationship between composer and orchestra can be, as well as a memento of difficult times. Hallé co-commissioned Huw Watkins’ Second Symphony, after it had premiered it; It was written amid the Covid lockdowns and recorded for a filmed concert in the spring of 2021. At the same time, Watkins wrote Fanfare for the Hallé, which in November 2020 was one of the first works played and recorded at the Bridgewater Hall after nine months of silence.

Conducted by Mark Elder, these energetic performances are a tribute to the musicians’ resilience. In the symphony, tendrils of small woodwinds fly and twist around each other, creating a sense of irresistible growth and movement, turning into moving waterfalls. The slow movement has a nocturnal feel: gauzy, muted textures with flashes of light, framing highly arousing music.

The orchestral concerto, which premiered last May, is from a different era but shares this earnest, hopeful feel. It showcases every corner of Hallé, its clear harmonies dancing in rhythms that intrigue the ear through its skillful movement. Lockdown or not, Watkins’ music here speaks to optimism, spring and rebirth.

Stream it on Apple Music (above) or on Spotify