Ulster Youth Orchestra provides a highlight of summer music season after stunning concert at Ulster Hall

Under the baton of Jac van Steen, the Honorary Principal Guest Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra who is always welcome in our midst, this young ensemble produced a stunning all-round performance in a well-filled Ulster Hall on Saturday night.

The choice of a programme of what the Conductor himself described as “challenging” was an indication of the talent and confidence of the UYO in metaphorically and literally facing the music.

The feisty opening short overture by the Russian composer Kabalevsky from his comic opera Colas Breugnon is a highly-spirited piece which at times is reminiscent of his compatriot Shostakovich in his Festival Overture, and also Bernstein’s Candide. This required individual and ensemble musicianship of the highest order, and the UYO was more than equal to the task.

The same concert had been performed successfully on the previous evening in the Guildhall in Londonderry, and as a result the Orchestra and Conductor wisely decided to change the programme for Belfast and moved the Bartok to the first half, leaving the Prokofiev for after the interval.

Bela Bartok’s meaty Concerto for Orchestra is a remarkable work in its own right, but not easily accessible for some, but again the UYO matched every swirling mood of the complex score, and were particularly impressive in the Elegia and Finale.

We were on more familiar ground in the ten selections from Prokofiev’s well-known ballet score for Romeo and Juliet, a piece in stark contrast to the Fantasy Overture of the same name by his fellow Russian Tchaikovsky.

Again under the direction of Jac van Steen, the UYO showed a remarkable understanding of the music which tells a tragic story with a powerful and moving intensity, and at times great beauty.

The concert ended with a sustained, enthusiastic and deserved standing ovation, and much credit is due to a wide range of people for such an achievement.

They include the UYO manager Paula Klein, the guest conductor Jac van Steen and the many tutors and helpers behind the scenes, as well as the Arts Council and other sponsors.

Most of all, credit is due to the youthful players themselves, and hopefully some may move on to professional careers in music.

They have the talent but what they will need is much more funding and encouragement, in an age when the Arts are so poorly funded in general.