National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain; St John Passion/Polyphony; Rigoletto – review

Sage, Gateshead; St John's, Smith Square, London; Royal Opera House, LondonThe National Youth Orchestra's April concert began with a 170-person-strong sneeze and ended with a ceilidh. In between there were shanties, folk songs, marches, hornpipes and folk fiddlers; a crazed revamp of the national anthem, a few snatches of improvisation and a cluster of specially written premieres. This is the NYO as most of us have never seen it. These young musicians did not wave their shirts or wriggle into or...

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