One tends to associate Northumbrian sea shanties with fishermen in Aran sweaters rather than distinguished baritones and a full orchestra. But Sir Thomas Allen is proud of his north-eastern heritage - so proud, in fact, that he is happy to stand in front of the Hallé and perform the unofficial geordie anthem, Dance to Thee Daddy, with the full-throated joy of a born folk singer.

Listening to Allen reconnect with his roots is an intimate pleasure. He allocates the word "boat" a full three syllables, while Show Me the Way to Wallington is a Northumbrian pipe ditty whose irregular, skipping meter would fox anyone not attuned to its natural rhythm. If you have ever wondered what the greatest Don Giovanni of his generation sounds like singing at his local pub, here's your answer.

Allen also contributes a selection of more conventional arrangements by English folk-song collectors from the first half of the 20th century, including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Eric Coates and Haydn Wood. It is to his credit as an artist that he invests the lugubrious sentimentality of Wood's Roses of Picardy with an attentiveness to nuance and meaning that transcends weepy nostalgia.

It helps that he has a young, north eastern-born conductor who shares his enthusiasm for this repertoire. John Wilson is a rising star of British light music, and so dedicated to the work of Coates that he even wears the composer's watch when performing it. Wilson is too young to remember Coates' London Suite as the theme tune of the BBC radio programme In Town Tonight, but simply treats it as a vividly evocative piece of light orchestral music. The watch, apparently, has a tendency to run five minutes fast, but Wilson's sense of timing is immaculate.

· Repeated at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, tonight. Box office: 0161-907 9000.