Youth Orchestras
Posted by: Tam on 22 June 2006
Jon's post over on the DBLs thread, made me think. Several of the finest concerts I have attended in the last couple of years have been given by youth orchestras.
I have heard the NYO several times at the Snape Maltings (sadly a venue that is not ideally suited to them, due to it's relatively small size and the largeness of the NYO, which can make for a rather deafening experience). Never the less, I have recently heard them in good readings of Messiaen's Turangalila, Elgar's first symphony and Mahler 1 (though in the latter Norrington's habit of constantly turning round to look at the audience was most off-putting and, frankly distracted from the remarkable achievements of the musicians - when he did it during the bass solo at the start of the slow movement I was left with the strong urge to hit him). The percussion finalist at this year's BBC Young Musician competition was from the NYO and very impressive he was too (though I always enjoy watching a percussion concerto as they are such a spectacle).
At the 2003 Edinburgh festival, I saw the European Union YO under Haitink do Mahler 6. However, I think the orchestra suffered slightly, as I think youth orchestras often can, from being slightly too big. This is a difficult question because having a large band is important in terms of developing young talent, yet I can't help wondering one less desk of violins would be no bad thing.
Perhaps the greatest youth orchestra (and certainly, musically, the most impressive I have ever heard, and a regular highlight of the Edinburgh festival) is the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. Now, like the EUYO, they do have a slightly unfair advantage in that they select from a far wider ranger of countries and having a higher age limit of 26; it was founded in 1986 by Claudio Abbado in order to encourage culteral links between Europe and Eastern Block countries. The first time I heard them (back in 2003), they had an extraordinarily impressive brass section (which was well shown off with Mahler's 5th symphony - indeed, I have heard little playing from professional orchestras to rival this), I was therefore a little disappointed last year when I the brass didn't blow me away in quite the same way, but, in place, the string section was quite wonderful. They have been recorded once or twice (in an okay Bruckner 8 and a positively reviewed, though I haven't heard it, Alpine Symphony, both under Welser-Most). I am told that one of the highlights of the 2002 festival was a performance of Parsifal the gave under Abbado, which I would love to have seen.
However, the most moving youth orchestra I have heard was Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Founded with his Palestinian friend Edward Said to promote dialogue between Arabs and Israelis, there is inherently something special. However, I don't think I've ever heard an orchestra play with quite such joy and such passion (I cannot recommend highly enough their CD and DVD or the concert they gave last summer in Ramalla, which is an almost identical programme to the one they gave here). Particularly moving was his preface to doing the prelude to Tristan as an encore, explaining that the orchestras leader, an Israeli, had been deputised to come to him and ask why there were not playing any Wagner. Technically, I have heard fine performances, but musically and emotionally they are quite special (and I'm disappointed they are not returning this year).
I suppose that cuts to one of the key points about youth orchestras - inevitably they will not have the technique of a professional orchestra, but their youth provides something quite special in itself - a sense of fun and excitement that older orchestras can often lack.
So, what great youth orchestras have I missed (only because I haven't heard them) and what experiences to fellow forum members have of them?
regards, Tam
I have heard the NYO several times at the Snape Maltings (sadly a venue that is not ideally suited to them, due to it's relatively small size and the largeness of the NYO, which can make for a rather deafening experience). Never the less, I have recently heard them in good readings of Messiaen's Turangalila, Elgar's first symphony and Mahler 1 (though in the latter Norrington's habit of constantly turning round to look at the audience was most off-putting and, frankly distracted from the remarkable achievements of the musicians - when he did it during the bass solo at the start of the slow movement I was left with the strong urge to hit him). The percussion finalist at this year's BBC Young Musician competition was from the NYO and very impressive he was too (though I always enjoy watching a percussion concerto as they are such a spectacle).
At the 2003 Edinburgh festival, I saw the European Union YO under Haitink do Mahler 6. However, I think the orchestra suffered slightly, as I think youth orchestras often can, from being slightly too big. This is a difficult question because having a large band is important in terms of developing young talent, yet I can't help wondering one less desk of violins would be no bad thing.
Perhaps the greatest youth orchestra (and certainly, musically, the most impressive I have ever heard, and a regular highlight of the Edinburgh festival) is the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. Now, like the EUYO, they do have a slightly unfair advantage in that they select from a far wider ranger of countries and having a higher age limit of 26; it was founded in 1986 by Claudio Abbado in order to encourage culteral links between Europe and Eastern Block countries. The first time I heard them (back in 2003), they had an extraordinarily impressive brass section (which was well shown off with Mahler's 5th symphony - indeed, I have heard little playing from professional orchestras to rival this), I was therefore a little disappointed last year when I the brass didn't blow me away in quite the same way, but, in place, the string section was quite wonderful. They have been recorded once or twice (in an okay Bruckner 8 and a positively reviewed, though I haven't heard it, Alpine Symphony, both under Welser-Most). I am told that one of the highlights of the 2002 festival was a performance of Parsifal the gave under Abbado, which I would love to have seen.
However, the most moving youth orchestra I have heard was Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Founded with his Palestinian friend Edward Said to promote dialogue between Arabs and Israelis, there is inherently something special. However, I don't think I've ever heard an orchestra play with quite such joy and such passion (I cannot recommend highly enough their CD and DVD or the concert they gave last summer in Ramalla, which is an almost identical programme to the one they gave here). Particularly moving was his preface to doing the prelude to Tristan as an encore, explaining that the orchestras leader, an Israeli, had been deputised to come to him and ask why there were not playing any Wagner. Technically, I have heard fine performances, but musically and emotionally they are quite special (and I'm disappointed they are not returning this year).
I suppose that cuts to one of the key points about youth orchestras - inevitably they will not have the technique of a professional orchestra, but their youth provides something quite special in itself - a sense of fun and excitement that older orchestras can often lack.
So, what great youth orchestras have I missed (only because I haven't heard them) and what experiences to fellow forum members have of them?
regards, Tam