“One of the great surprises on the program was “The Enchanted Lake” by Anatoly Lyadov, which I was hearing for the first time. What a beautiful and mysterious tone poem this is — full of quiet magical colors and intense post romanticism that may have influenced Rachmaninoff’s “Isle of the Dead.” The Youth Honors Orchestra sounded superb in this piece, and Khudyev’s expert direction gave us a lovely slow and drawn out ending that had us holding our breath way past the cessation of the last sounds. The concert ended with a lush performance of Smetana’s “The Moldau.” It was a passionate and intense performance that brought the audience to its feet for a rousing standing ovation. We can be very proud of our young musicians. By any standard this was a class act.”
