Each Hallé Thursday Series concert (as well as some others) is preceded by a talk in the auditorium.

The talks take that evening's concert as their starting point, and are given by experts on the featured composers and repertoire. This season, following the success of Speakers' Corner last year, some of these talks have been extended into special events that explore a subject in greater depth and encourage participation from the audience.

Each of these Speakers' Corner events develops this season's assessment of Shakespeare and music: "Such Sweet Thunder". Gerard McBurney's fascinating and thought-provoking extended essay which accompanies these concerts, is available free of charge by e-mailing info@halle.co.uk with your postal address.

All of these talks and Speakers' Corner events are free.

The Pre-Concert Talks start at 6.30pm and the Speakers' Corner events start at 6pm.

Thursday 13 March, 6.30pm
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski; Stephen Johnson
Stephen Johnson talks to Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, former Principal Conductor of the Hallé, and a world authority on Bruckner, about this evening's sole work, Bruckner's magnificent Symphony No 8. 

Saturday 22 March, 6.30pm         
Julian Joseph
One of Britain's leading jazz performers and broadcasters Julian Joseph (whose trio appears in tonight's concert with vocalist Des'ree) talks about his music, and what happens when jazz and classical musicians meet on the concert platform.

Thursday 27 March, 6.30pm
SUCH SWEET THUNDER
Gerard McBurney; Mark Elder; Edward Gardner
This evening's concert features both Hallé conductors, Music Director Mark Elder and Assistant Conductor Edward Gardner. Gerard McBurney talks about Rachmaninov, Edward Gardner talks about Berlioz's Le Roi Lear and Mark Elder talks about Elgar's re-telling of Shakespeare's Falstaff.  

Thursday 10 April, 6pm
SPEAKERS' CORNER
SUCH SWEET THUNDER - Great Literature into Music
Gerard McBurney; Colin Matthews; Lynne Walker
The Romantic Composers were the first to turn great poems, novels and plays into works of abstract music. There are innumerable symphonies, tone poems and overtures inspired by Shakespeare and the other great masters of the Western Canon. How can art made of words be turned into art made of sounds? 

Thursday 24 April, 6.30pm
SUCH SWEET THUNDER
Gerard McBurney
Gerard McBurney explores the contrast between two utterly different approaches by Russian composers to the problem of how to tell a story in music: Stravinsky's gorgeous and mysterious ballet based on a folk tale, and Shostakovich's riotous, irreverent send-up of Shakespeare, in the style of cabaret and the Folies-Bergéres. 

Thursday 8 May, 6pm
SPEAKERS' CORNER
SUCH SWEET THUNDER - Shakespeare into Opera
Gerard McBurney; Mark Elder
Verdi's Falstaff is one of the supreme musical embodiments of a Shakespeare play. How did Verdi and his librettist, Boito, transform Shakespeare, whilst remaining true to him?

 Thursday 15 May, 6.30pm
SUCH SWEET THUNDER
Gerard McBurney; David Sawer; Colin Matthews
For the last of this season's pre-concert events, Gerard McBurney talks to two of this country's leading composers: David Sawer (whose work Byrnan Wood receives its Manchester premiere this evening) and the Hallé's own Associate Composer Colin Matthews.

 Please note that speakers and subjects are correct as we go to press but are subject to change.