Sadly I was unable to attend last year's annual concert due to ill health, and this has always been a highlight of my Spring diary, and so I was really looking forward to this evening's concert which absolutely did not disappoint.
'To The Beat' is this year's offering from the talented 14 - 18 year old musicians who come from all over the UK to perform as one unique and highly talented 89 piece orchestra, giving two public performances, the second of these being here at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester (the first was in London).
Three works were performed this evening, and they opened with the brilliant 1947 version of Stravinsky's 'Petrushka'. Ballet music it might be (and not at all easy to dance to.... just ask any ballet dancer!), but it is essentially a tone poem, a lyrical and musical narrative journey through the life of Petrushka. The work is scored in one continuous movement despite it being split into many 'sections', some more recognisable than others: we have a Viennese Waltz, a march etc, and all the time he plays with tonality and structure like a child might play with a doll. Indeed, many of the music in this work have Central or Western European influences - we hear music from Austria, France and even England in this piece, but the overriding influence is of course soviet (Russian / Ukrainian). The strident passages of Russian folk hymns blend with his inimitable way of combining melody with discord. The score also gives ample scope for members of the orchestra to shine as soloists too, which for an orchestra such as this was a lovely idea and worked well. Under the direction of this evening's conductor, Alpesh Chauhan, the cumulative sound was impressive, and this was a truly excellent rendition of this difficult-to-interpret work.
After the interval we heard Jennifer Higdon's Percussion Concerto. This was the most contemporary of the three pieces composed in 2005. Playing the percussion this evening was guest soloist Jordan Ashman, who was as much a showman as musician, toying with the audience in an extemporised "encore" as he played and clapped with the audience during the set change for the final work; however, before that he had his work cut out as he was required to play marimba, glockenspiel drum kit and various other percussion instruments moving swiftly and deftly between them all. The work was much more harmonic and melodic in structure than I thought it might have been, since I am not truly a fan of the modern tendencies amongst composers. However I found this an interesting listen, as Ashman had an unusual start to the concerto, which, despite the percussion taking centre stage, still was heavily scored for the orchestra's own percussion which sometimes followed or mirrored (echoed) the soloist and other times complemented him with their own response. Finishing with a fff flourish from the drums, this was quite a whirlwind of a piece and provided an excellent showcase for Ashman's talents.
The final work this evening brought us back to terra firma and to a piece that all the youths in the orchestra would be both familiar with and could easily relate to; Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from 'West Side Story'. Chauhan here was a little more restrained perhaps than necessary giving the piece a little too much reverence and not allowing the orchestra reign as they had done in the two previous pieces. Indeed the quieter sections needed to be quieter, and the faster sections, faster. However, that did not diminish the quality of the playing, and Bernstein gives each member of the orchestra a thorough workout in this score.
Once again, the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain impressed greatly, they obviously enjoying themselves too, bringing live music and joy to the responsive audience. Bravissimi tutti and can't wait until your next concert in 2026!
Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu
on - 18.4.25
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