The combined
Halle and BBC Northern Orchestras
Leaders
Martin Milner and Reginald Stead
Conducted by Sir John Barbirolli
Part 1: MAHLER
Symphony No. 7
Recording of a concert given in the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, on October 19, 1960
From The Times, October 20, 1960: ' With a boldness that the unorganised must envy, the BBC tonight brought together two major orchestras, the Halle and the BBC Northern, for a monumental symphony concert in the Free Trade Hall, where Sir John Barbirolli conducted two symphonies, Mahler's Seventh and Nielsen's Fifth. ... Both symphonies are extraordinary edifices of sound, highly original in manner and matter..... The two of them shared, in this concert, the generous championship of Sir John, who plainly loves, understands, and can eloquently convey the intentions of both composers.'