Mary Reid

I'm basking in the memory of a luminous Prom last night.

I try to get along to some of them each year, and for several years we have had the added joy of watching our nieces perform. They are both violinists and have each in turn gone through the National Children's Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra. And - even more amazing - thay have each in turn been leader of both orchestras! Those of you at the Mayor's Ball this year will have heard them play.

This year both are at the Royal Academy, so are no longer eligible for the NYO. But Alexandra delighted us all by announcing that she had been offered a place with the European Union Youth Orchestra. This takes her to a different level; it is a professional quality orchestra whose members are all students at the top music academies in Europe. They are performing two different programmes over eight concerts in seven countries, and by all accounts are being well looked after and having a great time.

The first half of the yesterday's concert, which you may have caught on BBC2, consisted of some familiar Brahms - the Tragic Overture, then the 3rd Symphony with its georgeous third movement. After the interval Colin Davies treated us to thrilling performance of Sibelius' 5th Symphony, which I can't remember having heard before. I loved the programme notes which described the end of the first movement at 'the nearest thing in music to a depiction of white water rafting'.