| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 13-May-2013 St Andrew's Hall | Britten and Bridge with the Philharmonia in Norwich |
 The fourteen-year-old Benjamin Britten was already a prolific young composer, albeit without any formal training, when he heard Frank Bridge’s The Sea at the 1927 Norfolk and Norwich Triennial Festival. Hearing this performance and also meeting Bridge (who later became his composition teacher) were seminal events in the youngster’s life. In a letter written in 1963, Britten described himself as being “knocked sideways” by the effect of Bridge’s expressive tone-poem and was thrilled when Bridge agreed to look through his juvenile scribblings.
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| 29-Jul-2012 Royal Albert Hall | Prom 21: Death and dances from the Aldeburgh World Orchestra |
 Like an exquisite insect with a fleetingly brief lifespan, the Aldeburgh World Orchestra has been created as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, and brings together young people from 35 countries across all five continents for a few intense weeks of rehearsal, tutoring and performances under the baton of Sir Mark Elder. And what a programme: all of it musically and emotionally challenging, a huge demand for any seasoned orchestra, let alone a freshly formed one whose players have only just met.
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| 27-Jul-2012 Concertgebouw: Main Hall | Aldeburgh World Orchestra in Britten, Mahler and Shostakovich |
 The Aldeburgh World Orchestra, made up of 119 youngsters with 32 different nationalities, only started playing together 3 weeks before this concert. Armed with this knowledge, the expectations of a concert understandably lessen: you expect it to still be good but not brilliant. But the orchestra did end up playing brilliantly, especially in Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 5.
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| 21-Mar-2012 Barbican Centre: Hall | James MacMillan and Guildhall Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican |
 With countless accolades in recent years, and his chamber opera Clemency nominated for Best New Opera Production in this year’s Olivier Awards, James MacMillan continues to enjoy a place as one of Britain’s most prestigious living composers – not that this appeared to intimidate the young but highly capable throngs of the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, whom he conducted on Wednesday evening. Coached by LSO players as part of the LINK Alliance scheme, they graced the Barbican with a generally stunning delivery of an equally stunning programme.Read full review... | |
