Music / Voyage of Discovery, Australian Youth Orchestra. At Snow Concert Hall, April 11. Reviewed by SARAH BYRNE.

To my Gen-X brain there is only one sound as gravid with the anticipation of pleasure to come as the noise of a dial-up modem connecting to the internet, and that’s the gorgeous cacophony of an orchestra tuning.

The AYO Symphonists took full advantage, tuning extravagantly and joyfully in situ as the audience arrived in what was clearly a vaunting of skills as much as a technical necessity. It made me smile.

The Australian Youth Orchestra is an astonishing institution, featuring the highest calibre of musicians between the ages and 12 and 17, led by gifted 16-year-old concertmaster Samuel Hooper, in a variety of configurations and under the direction of experienced conductors.

The baton was wielded by noted Singaporean conductor Chan Tze Law, whose generous approach and mastery of dynamics brought a first-rate performance from his talented charges.

The program was carefully curated to yield something for everyone, both audience and performer.

The first piece, from gifted young composer Naomi Dodd, was Run. This was such a brilliant demonstration of every aspect of the orchestra’s range that I thought it might have been especially commissioned for the AYO, but was in fact originally written in 2024 for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

A lachrymose and mellifluous opening of brass over strings built to a martial swell of noble woodwinds and percussion; every group featured and honoured, with some striking solo work from principal cellist Nathan Niessl. Dodd says this piece is influenced by EDM, but I heard Mussorgsky meeting Berlioz.

Highlight of the concert was the famous and insanely quotable Fantasy Overture from Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. Having missed OA’s Eugene Onegin a couple of weeks ago due to a calendar tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, I could not have been more thrilled to get this fix of possibly my favourite composer. This was performed gloriously and impeccably, with Law’s skilled nuance yielding dynamics from thunderous to gently heartbreaking.

The next piece was interesting: Syafiqua ‘Adha Sallehin’s piece Awakening. Opening with spoken word before moving into woodwinds and strings evocative of morning, and then through sounds inspired by traditions of Singapore and Malaysia, it is a unique and beautifully performed piece.

I wish the composer had let the lovely music stand alone, rather than include spoken word in places throughout where, in my view, it intruded on the harmony while adding very little, especially as it could not always be heard properly over the swell of the instruments.

Finally, the AYO gave us Elgar’s always lovely tone poem In The South, taking us finally to Italy, where the composer sought refuge and peace from the expectations of his English patrons. It’s a suitable settler, without as much drama as the earlier pieces, but no less enjoyable, and again the versatility and skill of every musician had a chance to shine.

These musicians are exceptional, and do not require the caveat “for their age” in any way. These are artists of professional standard, playing challenging music at an advanced level. I listened to the MSO performance of Run, by way of a benchmarking exercise, and could not identify a gap in quality.

The AYO is a remarkable initiative and their work is fully worthy of the attention of the serious aficionado of classical music. I hope each member will one day find a place in the difficult and competitive world of adult professional performance.