Royal Northern Sinfonia on performance tactics

29 April 2014, 23:16

Classic FM's Jane Jones catches up with Martin Yates and Bradley Creswick from the Royal Northern Sinfonia ahead of Classic FM Live 2014 at the Royal Albert Hall.

Classic FM's Orchestra in North-East England, the Northern Sinfonia, became the 'Royal' Northern Sinfonia, after the title was bestowed upon the orchestra by the Queen. They've built a distinctive reputation as a fresh thinking, versatile orchestra, performing repertoire spanning three centuries and regularly commissioned new work.

Jane Jones caught up with Martin Yates and Bradley Creswick ahead of their starring role in Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall and asked about the orchestra's vibrant history, and their newfound 'Royal' title.

Guest conductor Martin Yates shares a little of the logic behind orchestral playing - and what exactly goes through the players' heads as they perform on stage: "You would think by having small pieces, they're the bits you can kind of throw off and say 'oh that's fine, we'll do that one', but actually they're the problematic ones," he said. "You start playing the [Grieg] Piano Concerto which is nearly 30 minutes long and your mind is completely focussed on it."