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The future of classical music starts here
PREVIEW: NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA
Roundhouse
IF I had to chose my favourite classical concert from the past 12 months, the decision would be simple – the National Youth Orchestra’s dynamite performance at the Roundhouse last January.
From the stages of London’s opera houses to its many wonderful concert halls, old and new, nowhere did I come across an evening’s music so bursting with energy, enthusiasm and the sheer joy a group of artists clearly loving the opportunity to perform.
It was an uplifting experience, made possible by a unique and important national institution.
But to talk simply of energy and enthusiasm perhaps suggests that the NYO are all about the laudable effort, rather than the artistic content. This is not so.
Made up of 160 incredibly talented young musicians from across Britain, the orchestra can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with the nation’s professional outfits.
In last January’s concert, for example, they took on an immensely challenging programme – Britten’s Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suites 1 and 2 and conductor James MacMillan’s Symphony: Vigil – with a passion and flair that was staggering both for their young age and relative inexperience.
This year the NYO, in the company of London Voices and under the baton of Semyon Bychkov, are inviting audiences to step aboard Berio’s Sinfonia, one of the great cult works of the 20th century, fusing tributes to Samuel Beckett, Martin Luther King and other historical legends in a futuristic collage.
Sinfonia is essentially a symphonic remix, mashing up music by historic composers like Bach and Mahler.
The concert will also feature Strauss’ massive Alpine Symphony, which transports you to a mountain landscape complete with blizzards and breathtaking vistas.
Appropriately enough – and in keeping with the orchestra’s mandate of opening up the world of classical music to a younger generation – if you’re under 25 you’ll get the best seats in the house for only £5.
I can’t recommend this concert enough, and if you’re looking for something to shake off the January blues, it’s definitely just the ticket.
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