Ulster Orchestra/ Ulster Youth Orchestra Stephen Barlow

Festival Overture - Shostakovich

An American in Paris - Gershwin

The Planets - Holst

The Ulster Youth Orchestra meets regularly every summer for two weeks of intensive training followed by concerts. This additional event, which merged the two orchestras, gave the young players a valuable chance to perform with professionals. Together, they certainly produced a big sound, and in an enjoyable one-off extravaganza like this one won't quibble if they also sometimes produced thick textures.

Stephen Barlow, the artistic director of Opera Northern Ireland, obtained clean-cut, well-balanced performances from his potentially unwieldy forces. Mars, the first of The Planets, acquired an ominous truculence at his steady pace. Understandably, the rousing Jupiter and Uranus came off better than the subtler Venus and Mercury. Neptune, the Mystic remained unmystical, but featured steady singing from the girl choristers of Victoria College.