Bruce Kleinschmidt
I have listened to this Prom six times. Remarkable performances.

Tigg3r
My views on this Prom can be summed up with the phrase, "a brave attempt".I do understand that it was performed by a youth orchestra and thus they will not be as accomplished as orchestras I've heard before but I'm afraid, as a listener, the rough edges disturbed my enjoyment of some beautifully written work. The Sibelius 5 was particularly less than I hoped with brass sounding out of synch and the crescendos sounding rather messy all together.

Gary Koop
Excellent string playing throughout.Needed more 3rd horn in the Brahms 3 but very enjoyable!

Guida Mota
Margarida Mota-Bull Youth and experience, was the introduction printed on the BBC Programme for Prom 38 to describe the European Union Youth Orchestra under the direction of Sir Colin Davis. How very true! The oldest orchestra members are 25 and 2007 is the year of the famous conductor 80th birthday.They presented a very interesting combination of work by two rather different composers: Johannes Brahms’ Tragic Overture and Symphony No. 3, followed after the interval, by Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5. Sir Colin led the young musicians in a suitably dark rendition of the Tragic Overture and a very strong performance of Brahms’ shortest symphony, the No. 3. This is a difficult piece that demands fluid playing and ability to deal with extremes, as for example, the transition, in the opening movement, from one powerful strong first theme, to soft, undulating melodies, transmitting the soothing sound of water running, clearly showing the composer’s inspiration by the river Rhine. The second movement was delivered, as it should, with calm but not too slowly, leaving the audience with a pleasant feeling of peace and serenity. The third movement, the most famous and, to me, the most beautiful of the four is a kind of a melancholic intermezzo, with a daunting melody introduced by the cellos and followed by what sounds like pure teardrops from the weeping remaining strings. It was moving and deeply felt. The orchestra came together as one perfectly tuned instrument, a fact more obvious in the final movement, brilliantly played in a powerful, reflective mood, bringing out a glorious sound that culminated in the beautifully executed gentle finale.However wonderful the first part of the concert, it was in the second, with Sibelius Symphony No. 5 that the orchestra and Colin Davis really came into their own. The music was interpreted and delivered to perfection in one of the best and most magnificent performances I have ever heard of this particular work. Suitably powerful, uplifting and at the same time gentle and sensitive, giving the audience a graphical display of musical images, particularly during the celebrated Swan Hymn in the final movement. It left the public with a feeling of dazzling sunshine, glittering pictures of Finland’s thousand lakes landscape, clear mornings and of course swans flying above and gracefully landing on the water.Sir Colin’s direction was subtle and delicate. He gave the feeling of a venerable grand-father of music, gently coaching the young musicians, almost as if he was stepping back to give them centre stage.In short: another fantastic Prom.

Adrie
Colin Davis grossly underestimated the occasion and made a shoddy appearance with a truly wonderful youth orchestra. Shameful. You only had to look at the faces in the audience to note that most people were deeply unimpressed with the conductor's behaviour, despite the orchestra's outstanding performance.