:00:00. > :00:07.164 four young players from right across the country are here
:00:08. > :00:12.Prepare to be wowed by some of the most talented
:00:13. > :00:14.teenagers in the nation, as the National Youth Orchestra
:00:15. > :00:48.Hello, and a very warm welcome to a very special evening here
:00:49. > :00:50.at the Royal Albert Hall, as the National Youth Orchestra
:00:51. > :00:54.I'm Suzy Klein, and tonight we'll be hearing music
:00:55. > :00:56.conducted by Thomas Ades, with music by himself,
:00:57. > :01:00.by his protege, Francisco Coll, and his hero, Stravinsky.
:01:01. > :01:03.Many of the UK's leading musicians are NYO alumni:
:01:04. > :01:07.Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Judith Weir, Alison Balsam
:01:08. > :01:14.He's also one of the most celebrated composers
:01:15. > :01:17.of his generation, and we will be hearing one of his
:01:18. > :01:21.First, though, a piece by a composer who is something of a star
:01:22. > :01:28.Francisco Coll, who moved specially from Spain to London
:01:29. > :01:37.Tonight, we're going to hear the London premiere of Mural,
:01:38. > :01:42.a large-scale orchestral work in five movements,
:01:43. > :01:44.lasting around 24 minutes which was co-commissioned
:01:45. > :01:46.by the NYO, and two years in the making.
:01:47. > :01:50.Coll writes music about the modern world.
:01:51. > :01:52.He describes Mural as a "Grotesque Symphony."
:01:53. > :01:54."Alternating between festive dances and dreamlike harmonies,
:01:55. > :01:57.at times you can hear the hustle and bustle of the city
:01:58. > :02:13.and at others the calm stillness of a mountain range."
:02:14. > :02:24.And here comes the leader of the national youth Orchestra.
:02:25. > :02:28.Leora Cohen, a very big moment for her!
:02:29. > :02:33.I have heard her a few times before, a brilliant player with a bright
:02:34. > :02:40.future ahead of her. And here's Thomas Ades
:02:41. > :22:34.to conduct Mural by his APPLAUSE the London premier of Mural
:22:35. > :22:39.by the Spanish composer Francisco Coll. The national youth orchestra
:22:40. > :22:54.of Great Britain conducted by Thomas Ades.
:22:55. > :23:05.A huge piece as you can see used every part of the orchestra to the
:23:06. > :23:11.max. It says a lot for the talents of the
:23:12. > :23:16.composer Francisco Coll he impressed Thomas Ades enough, nine years ago,
:23:17. > :23:28.when he arrived in London and became Thomas Ades 's only pupil. Here she,
:23:29. > :23:40.joining Thomas Ades on stage. And shaking the leader by the hand.
:23:41. > :23:50.Not the first time that Thomas Ades has brought Francisco Coll 's work
:23:51. > :23:58.to the Proms. He conducted last year for Francisco Coll 's debut.
:23:59. > :24:00.Next tonight we're going to hear Thomas Ades conduct the NYO
:24:01. > :24:06.The piece in question is "Polaris: A Voyage for Orchestra",
:24:07. > :24:11.It's in one continuous movement, lasting about 15 minutes.
:24:12. > :24:15.Inspired by the heavens, the music conjures up a vast
:24:16. > :24:17.interstellar landscape that unfolds from a simple, very beautiful piano
:24:18. > :24:26.The melody is taken up by different sections of the orchestra ? each
:24:27. > :24:29.of them playing at different speeds and almost playing the same
:24:30. > :24:39.Can you tell us about the piece. The brass uninstruments in the orchestra
:24:40. > :24:45.are removed from the stage, because it was come posed for a whole
:24:46. > :24:50.designed by Frank Gearey. This inspired me to make a journey, where
:24:51. > :24:55.each group of the brass instruments plays part of a canon, you hear the
:24:56. > :25:00.trumpets will play the tune first, then joined by the high horn, then
:25:01. > :25:07.the trombones and then the tubas as a full stop. At the end of the first
:25:08. > :25:13.section, the 12th note in my magnet tick series, introduces a new note.
:25:14. > :25:20.When you get to the 12th the whole pole flips, reverses. It's a huge
:25:21. > :25:24.entry of the timpani. It goes manic. Then the whole canon is repeated,
:25:25. > :25:28.but upside down. Because of the nature of it, this sounds more
:25:29. > :25:34.remote and I suppose, it is in the minor mode and has a different feel,
:25:35. > :25:39.more stormy feel. And the third time through, it is the same process but
:25:40. > :25:46.with a new key centre you feel like you are reaching a harbour. Couldn't
:25:47. > :25:51.work out how to end it until I went to Grand Canyon for the first time
:25:52. > :25:55.and I saw this enormous view, ten miles in one moment and that gave me
:25:56. > :26:03.the idea of thousand end this piece. It sounds like a rocket taking off.
:26:04. > :26:05.And here he comes to conduct his own work,
:26:06. > :39:31.APPLAUSE APPLAUSE
:39:32. > :39:56.A magical mystery tour, through space, courtesy of Thomas adders,
:39:57. > :40:00.conducting his own work, Polaris. Formed by the national youth
:40:01. > :40:10.Orchestra of Great Britain. -- Thomas Ades. Written by Ades in 2010
:40:11. > :40:15.but that was its first performance here at the Proms, that was the
:40:16. > :40:23.perfect place for it, such a great space for a piece which takes us on
:40:24. > :40:29.a tour, inspired by the stars, and the polar Star. He's just one of the
:40:30. > :40:34.most vivid and authentic and adventurous forces in new music,
:40:35. > :40:45.Ades, every PC bushes and self into new territory. I was talking to the
:40:46. > :40:54.players from this Orchestra, about what it is like to work with Thomas
:40:55. > :40:58.Ades and they say that they love every moment of it, gives them the
:40:59. > :41:03.best notes, he is so visual, and he totally understands what it is like
:41:04. > :41:06.to be a player in this Orchestra, the way that he communicates with
:41:07. > :41:08.these young players has been such a pleasure for them.
:41:09. > :41:21.And Ades tonight made the decision to space five separate groups of
:41:22. > :41:26.brass around the Royal Albert Hall, giving the fantastic sense of
:41:27. > :41:30.traversing huge distances, he wanted the orchestra to feel like it was
:41:31. > :41:34.taking off in a ship, towards the sound of trumpets, and at the end,
:41:35. > :41:46.arriving at a huge destination. Since its foundation,
:41:47. > :41:48.NYO has given over 550 concerts and supported some 5000 young
:41:49. > :41:50.musicians, inspiring its members with a sense
:41:51. > :41:52.of personal responsibility Well, since it was founded in 1948,
:41:53. > :41:56.the National Youth Orchestra has nurtured some of the UK's brightest
:41:57. > :41:59.and best orchestral players ? today it's extended that brief to also
:42:00. > :42:01.work with aspiring young composers and reaching out to talented
:42:02. > :42:03.musicians beyond the orchestra The Proms and the NYO have a long
:42:04. > :42:07.history together, since their Proms debut back in 1955
:42:08. > :42:12.under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult! Since then, they have performed
:42:13. > :42:14.here with many of the world's greatest conductors,
:42:15. > :42:17.so we thought it might be nice to take a little trip down memory
:42:18. > :42:20.lane and see how some of the world's leading baton wavers have fared
:42:21. > :42:28.in the hands of the NYO. I'm not sure if any of us conductors
:42:29. > :42:40.will ever know what the limits of their capacity is.
:42:41. > :42:49.I was at Orchestra, aged from 13 to 19 and as ever, they sound like one
:42:50. > :42:56.of the great orchestras in the world. A live concert, when
:42:57. > :43:01.conducting an orchestra deliver, the celebration felt in the hall, there
:43:02. > :43:02.is no experience like it. I think young people must be exposed to
:43:03. > :43:12.that. You can see the stars of the future
:43:13. > :43:31.there. The marvellous thing with young
:43:32. > :43:36.people is their devotion, there is not a single moment of inattention,
:43:37. > :43:40.and when they perform, you see all these eyes on you. You feel much
:43:41. > :43:55.more responsible. I worked with the National Youth
:43:56. > :43:58.Orchestra just as I would rehearse any Orchestra, they do not like to
:43:59. > :44:05.see a difference, they like to be treated the same. I think that when
:44:06. > :44:09.you're working with any Orchestra, the interaction between the people
:44:10. > :44:12.is crucial, within a youth Orchestra, it is even more
:44:13. > :44:16.important, they have two really look each other in the eyes, and that is
:44:17. > :44:25.difficult to do when you are young, I think. The important thing is to
:44:26. > :44:31.challenge them, to stretch them, to get them to play in a way that adds
:44:32. > :44:37.they have never been able to before. Try to open up to them what is in
:44:38. > :44:40.the music. To dig down into their young selves and find feelings that
:44:41. > :44:49.have never come to the surface before. And to drag them in,
:44:50. > :44:50.emotionally. I cannot think of any better reason for having an
:44:51. > :45:05.orchestra, than that. Some of the great and good. We will
:45:06. > :45:08.end the programme with one of the most explosive pieces of music
:45:09. > :45:13.created in the last 100 years. The work was so shocking
:45:14. > :45:17.when it was first heard in 1913 that riots famously broke out
:45:18. > :45:19.at the premiere in Paris. It was visceral, violent,
:45:20. > :45:23.unapologetically strange and modern. Its impact is undeniable,
:45:24. > :45:25.and the piece remains a powerful It was, quite simply,
:45:26. > :45:31.a game changer. So what is it that is
:45:32. > :45:33.so mind-blowing about It tells the story of an ancient
:45:34. > :45:37.Russian tribe which makes a springtime sacrifice of a virgin
:45:38. > :45:40.to the fertility gods. So a fairly shocking starting point!
:45:41. > :45:53.The truly brilliant thing that In a revolutionary move,
:45:54. > :45:58.he makes the beat more important than the melody.
:45:59. > :46:00.There are tribal rhythms here - he changes the number of beats
:46:01. > :46:04.in a bar in quick succession, he forces the orchestra to run
:46:05. > :46:07.an obstacle course of changing It was conceived as two equal
:46:08. > :46:14.and complementary parts, each lasting about 15 minutes -
:46:15. > :46:18.The Adoration of the Earth, which takes place in daytime,
:46:19. > :46:22.and The Sacrifice of the Chosen One, But it's not all frenzied
:46:23. > :46:30.or aggressive ? in the introduction, which represents the reawakening
:46:31. > :46:33.of Nature, you'll hear a sinuous, evocative bassoon solo based on one
:46:34. > :46:38.a gorgeous Lithuanian folk tune. And here's Thomas Ades
:46:39. > :19:26.to conduct the Rite of Spring. A fantastic formance of Stravinsky's
:19:27. > :19:33.Rite of Spring giving here at the Proms by the players of the National
:19:34. > :19:37.Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Conducted by Thomas Ades.
:19:38. > :20:04.I said earlier that Thomas Ades is a... He is a force for good in the
:20:05. > :20:07.world of music, brilliantly talented, composer, conductor,
:20:08. > :20:11.gifted pianist, and the way that he communicates with these young
:20:12. > :20:14.players and gets that performance out of them, I think that they rang
:20:15. > :20:18.every ounce of juice they could from that piece. It is only really when
:20:19. > :20:22.you talk to these young players as I was doing today that you remember
:20:23. > :20:26.they are teenagers, when they are giggling, talking about hairstyles
:20:27. > :20:30.and Instagram, but when they are on that stage they play with incredible
:20:31. > :20:35.skill, commitment, virtuosity. CHEERING
:20:36. > :20:54.And, applause for Lucy, the bassoon player.
:20:55. > :21:17.Pretty triumphant end to the NYO's summer tour, they are off next to
:21:18. > :21:24.the south of France, they will perform and let their hair down
:21:25. > :21:30.after a very busy few weeks, and that is it for this evening, but
:21:31. > :21:37.make sure you tune in to BBC Four, 8pm, this coming Friday, for another
:21:38. > :21:44.Prom which promises to be a cracker. John Wilson returns with his
:21:45. > :21:46.incredible orchestra and an-all Rogers Hammerstein's
:21:47. > :21:49.smash hit, Oklahoma! But from all of us here
:21:50. > :21:55.at the Royal Albert Hall this