Eloquence and elegance from the EUYO, Noseda and Cho

By Alexander Hall, 20 August 2018

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“Cho... created something akin to a moonlit atmosphere of beguiling charm”

Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 19 August 2018

Zubel, Fireworks (UK première)

Chopin, Piano Concerto no. 2 in F minor, Op.21

Chopin, Polonaise no. 6 in A flat major, "Heroic," Op.53

Tchaikovsky, Symphony no. 5 in E minor, Op.64

Berlioz, La Damnation de Faust, Op.24: Rákóczy March

Seong-Jin Cho, Piano

European Union Youth Orchestra

Gianandrea Noseda, Conductor

Exciting but inconsistent playing from the EUYO at Carnegie Hall

Cameron Kelsall, 6th August

Under Iván Fischer's direction, Mahler's First Symphony is notable more for bombastic passion than subtle artistry.

***11

Strong contrasts from Honeck and the EUYO at the Elphi

Alexander Hall, 17th August

No summer hols for the European Union Youth Orchestra as they tour European lands. With Benjamin Grosvenor as soloist and Manfred Honeck at the helm, they take on MacMillan, Prokofiev and Shostakovich in Hamburg's iconic hall.

***11

Buzzing energy from Vasily Petrenko, Jess Gillam and the EUYO

Alexander Hall, 21st August

Vasily Petrenko unleashes powerful and poetic sounds in Sibelius' Second Symphony and Jess Gillam dazzles in one of Michael Nyman's works while the European Union Youth Orchestra shows off its remarkable qualities.

*****

EUYO triumphs in Bolzano

Jane Shuttleworth, 19th August

An inspiring sight in a troubled year: a hundred young Europeans coming together in the European Union Youth Orchestra celebrating music and friendship.

****1

Noseda conducts Verdi and Mahler in Ravello

Lorenzo Fiorito, 27th August

Gianandrea Noseda conducts the EUYO at the Ravello Festival, in an unusual pairing of Verdi and Mahler.

****1

Vasily Petrenko and the EUYO in 20th Century symphonic rarities

Chris Garlick, 5th August

One Prom + two oddball 20th century symphonies = a strangely satisfying experience, especially when in the hands of a youth orchestra, evidently open to the technical challenges and quirkiness of this relatively rare concert material.

****1

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Alexander Hall

Alexander Hall divides his time between London and Hamburg, where he had a career in academic administration and teaching. He reviews for Bachtrack and Opera Today, and has also reviewed for Classical Source. A connoisseur of the great orchestras of the world, his musical memories stretch back to Karajan/Berlin Phil, Mravinsky/Leningrad Phil, Bernstein/Vienna Phil, and he has seen most of the great conductors from the past, including Böhm, Klemperer, Kubelik, Ormandy and Szell.

Prom 49: Eloquence and elegance from the EUYO, Noseda and Cho