Arts Diary: CLASSICAL: A special day for young talent; MYO/Rundell, Schwarz Philharmonic Hall.

Byline: Glyn Mn Hughes

A CONCERT by the Merseyside Youth Orchestra is always a special event, if only for the very evident feeling of anticipation, even of infectious enthusiasm, which one can feel in the air.

The opening concert of the new season was no less special. In fact, it was something of a landmark event, as musical director Clark Rundell pointed out. The second half of the concert was conducted by Gerard Schwarz, the musical director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He was taking up where his illustrious predecessor Sir Charles Groves left off in 1976. If nothing else, it shows the esteem with which the MYO is regarded.

It was a challenging programme for a young orchestra which only came together on Friday and performed two days later.

Walton's Portsmouth Point Overture was positive, striking and full of vigour, even if the strings felt a little understrength at times. More Walton, in the shape of the Shakespeare Suite from Richard III felt a little restrained at the outset but warmed up as it progressed.

The highlight of the first half was a brilliantly confident performance of Strauss's First Horn Concerto played by the hugely-talented 19year-old Angela Barnes. From the fortissimo opening, through a touching Andante and on to a rip-roaring third movement, this piece possibly showed that the MYO is in for a vintage season this year.

That was never more obvious than in Copland's Billy the Kid Suite, where almost every instrument is called upon to act as a soloist and, almost without exception, did so flawlessly.

And, with both Rundell's and Schwarz's amusing and informative introductions, this was a wonderful way to spent a wintry afternoon.