The National Youth Orchestra’s first recording for Chandos is of the kind of repertoire it is uniquely placed to make its own: size matters if an orchestra is to capture the juggernaut roar of Holst’s Mars or the gruff, belly-shaking jollity of his Jupiter, and at 164-strong “the world’s greatest orchestra of teenagers”, as it not unjustifiably styles itself, is as big as they come. The two works here – Holst’s Planets and Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra – were recorded in Birmingham immediately after the orchestra’s Prom last summer, and the impact of Strauss’s iconic opening is reinforced by the heft of the Symphony Hall organ. Occasionally one misses the refinement of a professional outfit, but rarely: more often one is struck by the warmth and intensity of the string sound and the quality of the wind solos. Edward Gardnerdriven, finely balanced conducting ensures this is one for collectors as well as supporters.
