Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Sunday 29th June 2008

Hundreds of girls and boys aged from around three years old to teenagers, dressed in party frocks or beach clothes, arrived at Snape Maltings with parents, grandparents or music club leaders as escorts. After all, if you have a youngster interested in music (or you want them to be) what better way to inspire them than to come to a world-famous concert hall, to hear one of the top orchestra’s perform a work that was especially written to introduce children to what an orchestra is and what it can do.

Benjamin Britten was commissioned in 1945, by the Crown Film Unit, to compose this music, for the film “Instruments of the Orchestra.”

The stage at Snape Maltings Concert Hall was filled with the full orchestra impressively dressed in black and white tails  (no “dressing down” in colourful sweatshirts just because most of the audience was under sixteen), with instruments poised, as the conductor Michael Seal came on stage to the usual applause.

“Mummy, why are we clapping?” I overhead the four-year-old in the next seat asking.
“To say hello,” hurriedly whispered his mother in reply.

Good point really – usually clapping follows the performance, not precedes it!

Narrated by Diana Quick, the words of this version by Simon Butteriss, were first heard at the Aldeburgh Festival four years ago. As the instruments of the orchestra are introduced with rhymes such as “Like it or lump it, there’s nothing more expressive than the trumpet,” even the youngest member of the audience could learn something. For those of wider musical experience, there was the chance to hear some superb playing of Britten’s brilliant score weaving around the theme from “Abdelazar,” written by Henry Purcell, and ending in a triumphant explosion of sound. (I did spot a few of the younger children with their fingers in their ears at the start of the concert, but they soon came under the spell of the music and relaxed.) 

I actually found it quite emotional that this wonderful 20 minute piece was being performed so professionally for children, and then the orchestra, one hour later, would re-assemble on stage for a full concert, the finale of the Aldeburgh Festival for 2008.

Between the concerts orchestra members mingled with families as they picnicked in the sunshine, or visited the tearooms. Everywhere I heard children deciding their “best bits.” (Percussion seemed to be top favourite, by the way.)

Rachel Sloane

June 2008

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