We were delighted to be joined at the Barbican Centre for our Winter Concert by lots of friends and supporters of NCO. Amongst the audience were past members of the orchestras, including Phill Tromans. We invited Phill to write a review of the concert, which we are thrilled to share with you.
NCO Winter Concert 2016, review by Phill Tromans (NCO 91-94)
As the Under 13 Orchestra troops onto the Barbican stage, my mum gasps. It’s been 22 years since she attended an NCO concert, and the last time she saw a cavalcade of red skirts and ties emerge from the darkness, I’d been part of it.
This time, I’m sat next to her, watching the latest generation in action. While Mum tears up at the impending wave of nostalgia, the Under 13 Orchestra don’t mess about, opening with the tricky 'Allegro Molto' from Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2. Under Roger Clarkson’s baton, more than 100 young musicians fill the vast Barbican Hall with a sound rich in both emotion and technical expertise.
Eric Coates’s rousing and venue-appropriate London Suite is next - before Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol demonstrates the depth of solo talent, and the frantic Fandango Asturiano prompts a standing ovation. The Under 13 Orchestra set a high benchmark that they’ll do well to top in the 2017 Main Orchestra.
If the Under 13 Orchestra's departure from the stage is coloured with pride and excitement, the second-half arrival of the Main Orchestra is bittersweet. Any NCO gig is a big deal, but the last one will always be emotional. For the class of 2016, this marks the end of their NCO journey.
There’s no time to dwell. A member of the orchestra unexpectedly picks up the baton for a rendition of the 20th Century Fox theme - but this unscheduled confusion heralds the arrival of the real maestro, and Natalia Luis-Bassa bounds from the depths of the viola section with a grin. With the cheeky imposter back in his seat, Bernstein’s bombastic and exuberant Overture to Candide gives the percussion and brass sections an early chance to shine.
To call the second piece a crowd-pleaser is to put it mildly. John Williams’s Star Wars Suite sees Natalia - clad in black like Vader himself - leap Jedi-like about the rostrum. The musicians are clearly in their element, and the audience is to be commended for keeping mock lightsaber fights to a minimum.
The finale is Ginastera’s Dances from Estancia, a flurry of dramatic Latino rhythms that culminates in the toe-tapping, leg-stomping Malambo dance. As it soars to its climax, cellos are whirled, seats are abandoned and the crowd rises in whooping applause.
Amid an obligatory encore, tears appear in the eyes of several young musicians. Their time with the NCO may be over, but long musical futures stretch out in front of them.
Top: Under 13 Orchestra © Bill Hiskett
