If you’ve ever hankered after an extra tuba or two in Wagner’s overture to The Flying Dutchman or idly wondered how Mahler’s First Symphony might sound with nine trumpets and eight trombones – almost double what the composer ordered – the National Youth Orchestra’s 2024 Proms appearance was for you.
But of course it’s not just the size of this ensemble that is striking – it is also the musicians’ visible delight and the energy that fizzes constantly on stage. Sometimes that energy was focused into quiet passages of remarkable tone quality, and solos played as if nothing mattered more. Sometimes it was released in massive climaxes, making the return of a big tune a moment of shared joy. Not one of NYO’s members is older than 19 but their performance was unequivocally professional.
