A captivating night of Reich’s music, brilliantly performed by the Hallé and Jonny Greenwood.
This was a really solid night at Bridgewater Hall. I’d not seen the Hallé before, and they were brilliant. There’s something so precise about the way they play, but it still feels human and expressive. Everything felt really well balanced, and they made Reich’s music feel both accessible and properly moving.
The evening started with Clapping Music, which is just two people clapping, but it was weirdly gripping. Colin Currie and David Hext had amazing timing and focus, and even though it’s just hands, it pulls you in. It’s the kind of piece that could feel a bit like a party trick in the wrong hands, but they gave it structure and intention. Currie explained beforehand that Reich was inspired by flamenco rhythms when writing it, which added another layer to listen out for. I liked that he gave context without making it feel too formal.
Runner followed, and it was one of the standouts for me. There’s this constant sense of movement and energy in the piece, but it never becomes chaotic. All the parts—strings, winds, pianos, percussion—fit together so neatly. You can tell how much thought goes into every phrase. It had this steady pulse underneath that kept things grounded, even as the textures shifted on top. I found it really easy to get into.
Jonny Greenwood was performing with them and felt like a genuine part of the group rather than a guest musician. He didn’t try to take centre stage, which I appreciated. He was subtle and respectful in the way he played, but you could also tell how much the music means to him. At one point he joked about the “shame” of playing a five-string bass, but honestly, the sound it added was gorgeous—deep and warm, like a steady heartbeat underneath everything.
The piece he played that on was Pulse, which had a more emotional tone than the others. Greenwood had said it’s full of joy, tension and sadness, and it really did hold all of that. It had these gentle melodies that loop and change, and it felt both calming and quietly emotional. The ensemble played it with a kind of softness that made it feel quite intimate.
The final piece was Variations for Vibes, Piano and Strings, and it felt like a perfect way to end. There was a lightness and energy to it that lifted the whole room. The strings were especially lovely in this one, really responsive to Currie’s direction. It was rhythmically complex in places but never felt heavy or academic. Just very alive.
The bond between Greenwood and Reich’s work was clear too. Greenwood’s approach felt thoughtful and genuine, not just admiration from a distance but a real understanding of how the music works. It’s easy to see how Reich’s style has fed into some of his work with Radiohead, but here it was all about fitting in, not standing out.
The whole evening had a quiet confidence to it. Nothing flashy or overstated, just really high-quality playing and clever programming. It made me want to hear more from both the Hallé and from Reich’s catalogue. A proper rewarding evening, and if this is the standard for the rest of the Manchester Classical weekend, it’s well worth going along.