Almost 120 players between the ages of 13 and 21 sat patiently on stage without a single fidget to be seen when on came the young conductor, Garry Walker, reaching his podium with a jaunty spring in his step, to conduct Shostakovich’s short Festive Overture.
This concert was the culmination of a whole week’s intense course held this year at St Thomas of Aquin’s Roman Catholic High School in the centre of Edinburgh. Auditions are held every year and the brightest of Scotland’s young musicians chosen to work under an eminent conductor and with a team of professional coaches.
Two grandmothers sitting near me spoke of their fourteen year old granddaughter’s exhilaration at being selected and of the great time she had been having. A little tired, one of them said. But on stage with her violin at the Usher Hall that was quickly forgotten.
The father of two gifted musicians now too old for the orchestra described to me just how important the opportunity to be part of the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra had been to them both; they had gone on to greater musical heights. Parents, uncles and aunts, grandparent and others in the audience clearly all recognised that this was a very special and formative night for the youngsters.
The overture at the beginning, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade after the interval are both pieces that give the highlight, sometimes fleetingly, to many parts of the orchestra. Make a mess of it at your moment of glory and you really have let the side down. Nobody did. Other youngsters learn team playing on the football pitch.
The responsibility of the Orchestra’s leader was highlighted too. No mere figurehead, Jessica Hall performed with style and complete confidence the solo parts of Scheherazade and well deserved the flowers the conductor passed on to her at the end. Her colleague on the front desk showed us most impressively how to get everybody tuned up at the start. Other orchestras can make a fool of themselves at this stage.
Without a doubt the star of the night was Daniel Bell, the soloist for Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. This is a long and demanding piece for the soloist, accompanied by a smaller orchestra. The players not needed came and watched with the audience. Daniel Bell was born in 1976, grew up in Edinburgh and is a former member of the Orchestra. It can be proud of him, for his performance was enthralling, confident and artistic. The audience let it be known by their applause just how much he was appreciated.
Event: 10 April 2010