The Sage, Gateshead

Northern Sinfonia

Robin Ticciati

Britten: Symphony for Cello and Orchestra

Robin Ticciati has come a long way in a decade since the then 15-year-old member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain began his conducting career under the guidance of Sir Colin Davis and Sir Simon Rattle.

It was, to the say the least, a good start and what might have begun as youthful flair has since gathered substance, his programme for The Sage covering a challenging and appealing range of music.

The career of cellist Guy Johnston, similar in age to Robin, has risen just as rapidly since he won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 2000.   Similar, too, it seems is his desire to promote less familiar pieces; Britten's Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, a relative concert rarity.

Part symphony, part concerto, its orchestral colours are as extraordinary as its melodic invention.  Johnston found a balance of clear articulation and vivid expression.

David Whetstone