Frankenstein faces the music on new Youth Orchestra tour
(Image: Jay Capperauld) NYOS, Scotland's national youth orchestra, is made up of 100 of Scotland's most prolific young musicians aged 14 to 22.
This summer the orchestra will undertake its first international tour since 2015 visiting Perth, Liverpool and Saffron Walden before travelling to Berlin to represent Scotland at the Young Euro Classic festival. They will present a macabre and fantastical programme featuring the new Capperauld piece alongside work by Anna Clyne and Berlioz.
(Image: NYOS)
Capperauld's commission is the latest in a succession, all sharing a gothic sensibility, by the young composer, a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, who has, for the last decade, been himself 'galvanising' the world of classical music with his virtuoso compositions.
What adds a fresh dimension to his latest piece is that the soloist will be Ryan Corbett, a BBC New Generation artist, who plays the accordion.
(Image: Ryan Corbett) Capperauld, who is the Scottish Chamber Orchestra's Associate Composer and who was commissioned by His Majesty King Charles III to produce a new work for the Honours of Scotland Ceremony, says: "The accordion can be a deceptively difficult instrument to compose for because it is essentially a mini orchestra within itself. This offers huge scope and sonic options, but also makes it hard to pin the instrument down with compositional rules.
'I collaborated with Ryan Corbett throughout the process, trying out bits of material so that his identity as a performer is imprinted onto the piece, and I am also excited to be working with the young musicians of NYOS in bringing this musical monster to life. The young players are always so enthusiastic and genuinely interested in exploring new music with a fresh sense of curiosity.'
Ryan, who has been hailed by composer Sir James McMillan as 'one of the most astonishing and surprising newcomers in Scottish music', who has won a string of accolades for his playing since being introduced to the accordion at the age of 11.
The new work that he will be playing for the NYOS will have its world premiere in Perth Concert Hall on Friday, 1 August, followed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and the Saffron Hall in Essex, before making its international debut in Berlin, on 6 August. Tickets for the tour are on sale now.
(Image: NYOS)
The concerto, which was commissioned with support from The Richard Chester Creativity Fund, is written in one continuous movement that reimagines the Frankenstein story in a set of infernal dances through the nightmarish image of a chorus line of dancing dead frogs' legs.
The accordion is shocked into animation by orchestral jolts, which set in motion an unfolding narrative of high-drama and macabre, tongue-in-cheek humour, with references to various musical dance forms, such as the tango, waltz, jig and tarantella.
This is a challenging score for young musicians, but the orchestra has been likened by critics as 'hard-worn professionals' and is more than ready to thrill audiences with its performance.
(Image: NYOS)
The vision of NYOS is to provide access to world-class ensemble music-making for all communities in Scotland, and the organisation works with young musicians between the ages of eight and 25, providing music-making opportunities, inspirational orchestral experiences and advanced artistic and career skills development.
Kirsteen Davidson-Kelly, CEO and Artistic Director of NYOS, said: 'This summer marks the first time since 2016 that the NYOS orchestra has performed outside Scotland, and the first time since our 2015 China tour that we have toured abroad.
"We are looking forward to sharing this electrifying programme with audiences at home and further afield, offering our young people the chance to represent Scotland on the world stage.'
The NYOS musicians are looking forward to performing at the festival in Berlin and sharing the new Capperauld concerto with audiences.
(Image: NYOS)
Aiden Macdonald, NYOS' principal viola, says: 'I have never been to Germany, so getting to perform there is an incredibly exciting opportunity. I love playing in this orchestra and I know that taking it abroad and performing the new commission will be an amazing experience for all of us.'
Full details of the NYOS programme are available from www.NYOS.co.uk
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