The Hallé – A Sea Symphony

Tarmo Peltokoski is joined by a duo of star-studded soloists and two generations of Hallé singers for Vaughan Williams’ immense Sea Symphony, a groundbreaking work in the symphonic and choral repertoire for its use of the chorus and vocal soloists as an integral part of its texture. Crafted around the poetic words of Walt Whitman, the work vividly and poignantly illustrates the journey of the human soul, through the metaphor of intrepid sailors weighing the anchor and exploring the ocean wide. In the first half of the concert, we hear Chen Reiss’ performance of Mahler’s gloriously romantic Rückert-Lieder. Mahler was driven by melody – often incorporating many of his favourites within the symphonies for which he is known – and this quintet of songs contains some of his best.

*Please note that the soprano soloist for this concert (Chen Reiss) has sadly had to withdraw due to ill health and will be replaced by Silja Aalto.*

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