REVIEW: Sir Mark Elder’s final Sheffield concert as Hallé music director

As Elder’s final season as music director of the Manchester-based Halle draws to a close, the programme at Sheffield City Hall comprised the best of old and new music.

Opening the night was Dvorak’s joyful Scherzo capriccioso, a work containing lilting melodies and changing moods.

Sir Stephen Hough then joined the orchestra for the European premiere of his own stunning Piano Concerto, a 20-minute piece of great originality.

Appropriately, Hough and Elder had performed on stage together at the start of Elder's term at the Halle.

The second half saw two familiar works for Elder.

George Butterworth’s orchestral rhapsody A Shropshire Lad was the conclusion to his settings of poems from A. E. Housman’s collection of poems.

To finish, Elgar’s Enigma Variations which have become closely associated with both Sir Mark and the Halle.

A fitting end for Elder with each portrait lovingly brought to life – ranging from the lovely, cheerful Dorabella to the beautifully melancholic Nimrod.

Sad but also uplifting.

As Elder remarked earlier as he received a commemorative gift from Sheffield City Council, there's no substitute for live music.

Like old friends, the audience stood to applaud in fondest appreciation both of Elder and a superb orchestra.