MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Manchester Hallé Orchestra celebrates 150 years in Mercosur

The Hallé Orchestra from Manchester is celebrating a great landmark in its history – its 150th anniversary and for the commemoration has scheduled a four country visit to South America in September which includes Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The orchestra was last in South America in 1992.

On this occasion the tour with conductor Mark Elder, soloist Polina Leschenko and ninety musicians includes Rio do Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago and Montevideo. "The orchestra is looking forward to play again in South America because the public is most enthusiastic and concert halls are very good", said Shostakovich Founded in Manchester by the pianist and conductor Charles Hallé in 1858, the Hallé, Britain's longest established professional symphony orchestra, gave its first concert in the city's Free Trade Hall that year. Following the death of Sir Charles Hallé, the orchestra continued to develop under the guidance of such distinguished figures as Hans Richter, Sir Hamilton Harty and Sir John Barbirolli. Under the direction of Mark Elder, who became Music Director in 2000, the Hallé has received increasing acclaim at home and abroad. The Royal Philharmonic Society honoured Mark Elder with the Conductor Award at the 2006 ceremony and, the previous year, the Hallé was presented with the Ensemble Award. The Hallé, BBC Philharmonic and the Royal Northern College of Music were recently awarded the South Bank Show classical music award for 'Shostakovich, His Heroes and Comrades', a collaboration which marked the centenary of Shostakovich's birth. The festival presented all of Shostakovich's symphonies and chamber music in Manchester between January and February 2006. In 1996 the Hallé moved to its new home, The Bridgewater Hall, where it presents over 70 concerts a year. Making over 40 appearances annually throughout the rest of Britain, the Hallé attracts large audiences at home and outside Manchester. Its reputation for artistic excellence and versatility has led to many international tours as well as frequent broadcasts and televised performances. In 2003 the Hallé launched its own CD label of studio recordings – featuring, in particular, the music of Elgar and Richard Strauss – alongside a second label of remastered Hallé recordings from the 1920s to the 1940s. The latest release, conducted by Mark Elder, includes extracts from Wagner's Parsifal, The Flying Dutchman and Tristan und Isolde and features the soprano Anja Kampe. The Hallé Choir, founded alongside the orchestra in 1858, is under the leadership of the Hallé's Choral Director, James Burton, who also directs the Hallé Youth Choir. The Hallé's Assistant Conductor, Rory Macdonald, directs the Hallé Youth Orchestra. At the beginning of the 2005–06 season, for the first time in its long history, the Hallé appointed a Principal Guest Conductor, Cristian Mandeal.