On Saturday 6 August, NYO concluded the Open Up: Free Spirits tour with a bang at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, packed with a buzzing audience. This boundary-breaking performance, conducted by Andrew Gourlay, was so sensational that Hollywood legend Danny Elfman himself tweeted:
NYO’s new commission Wunderkammer by Danny Elfman, swept the audience and the orchestra away with its cinematic soundscape, and Danny immediately became a role model for the young musicians. Gershwin’s splashy jazz-inspired Rhapsody in Blue with fantastic Simone Dinnerstein’s piano solo followed by an encore, created by NYO musicians in collaboration with Trish Clowes, based on The Man I Love, left the listeners bustling during the interval, while Ravel’s sumptuous ballet Daphnis et Chloé opened up NYO’s full power and mystic colour palette, with the orchestra singing (!) the chorus parts.
In addition, NYO associates created a vibrant atmosphere by treating people to musical performances in spaces in and around the hall before and after the performance.
Here is what reviews say about Open Up: Free Spirits tour:
Our performance at the Royal Albert Hall will be broadcast on BBC Four on Friday 19 August 8pm and is currently available to listen on BBC Sounds.
Photography by © Chris Christodoulou.