BBC Young Musician 2014

[Nick Armstrong]

Good to see that there seems to be agreement here! As usual I found the piano final by far the most compelling so far, and I thought the standard was especially high this year. The performances that gripped my attention were the 15 year old's Beethoven, the Nottingham lass's Scarbo (electrifying!) and most of what the eventual winner played. He was a way ahead of the others I thought and it would have been a travesty had he not won. (But then Wass and Ogawa are an ideally-chosen pair of judges, talk about two safe pairs of hands )

Fascinating to see the future winner with Snr. Fazioli in the preamble too. (Scary mom though... )

Ardy - the Barber is a terrific piece and the extract played was not the most engaging section of the piece although it's a mind-boggling conclusion in the right hands. I agreed with Ashley Wass that the player didn't quite let it speak as it should, all a bit martellato, but then again, not having heard the whole performance, who am I to comment. Stunning playing by any standards.

NB Wass's own recent recording of the Barber is exceptionally good - you can hear an earlier section of that Fugue finale as the sample for track 14 here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Future-Ashle...9684565&sr=1-1



PS: thank heavens for the fast-forward button to avoid the ghastly stilted simpering of the two presenters, though

[Mary Chambers]

I thought the 15-year-old was an interesting character. I googled him and he and his family seem to be pretty big in St Albans!

The Nottingham girl would bring in audiences, I'm sure.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

i also much enjoyed the playing of the lass who went first ... i feel she will grow into a recognised talent ...

[ardcarp]

PS: thank heavens for the fast-forward button to avoid the ghastly stilted simpering of the two presenters, though

I think we can all agree on that. What was the point of that stubbly bloke who popped up as a 'head' every so often and told us...well, nothing?

[verismissimo]

The Petrarch Sonnet that the winner played so well - one of my very favourites of Liszt.

[Thropplenoggin]

One potential way to spot the winner is whether or not they have entered the competition before. If yes, then they are sent on a jolly to Italy with a BBC camera crew in tow. Exhibits V and P: violinist and pianist.

[Nick Armstrong]

One potential way to spot the winner is whether or not they have entered the competition before. If yes, then they are sent on a jolly to Italy with a BBC camera crew in tow. Exhibits V and P: violinist and pianist.

I think you may be on to something... (In addition - maybe where the winner already has a website? http://martinjamesbartlett.com )

To be fair, the "jolly" was a Purcell School visit - no evidence that the BBC subbed it, rather than simply piggy-backing, that I know of.

Unless Mr Noggin QC can assist the court further?

[french frank]

(In addition - maybe where the winner already has a website? http://martinjamesbartlett.com )

Hasn't been updated yet, though: he's still only a finalist in the piano section.

It could have been a mistake spreading his 16 minutes so widely (Bach-Liszt-Moskowski-Barber), but he performed them all with such panache that it showed him off as a real performer. And, yes, of course it helps to have 'seen it all before', but they were all pretty impressive. Loved the family with all the siblings seated playing big sister's composition!

[Nick Armstrong]

Yes Frenchie, and I was proud for my home town too!

[ardcarp]

It could have been a mistake spreading his 16 minutes so widely (Bach-Liszt-Moskowski-Barber)

....but it paid off; and I for one found his programme really showed what he could do. I thought Ning's choice of the Six Pieces by Schoenberg was brave but ill-advised....do they really showcase piano technique? It threw the judgement onto the Chopin...such a mainstream piece that it is hard not to think of all the really great performers/performances out there.

[french frank]

I thought Ning's choice of the Six Pieces by Schoenberg was brave but ill-advised....do they really showcase piano technique?

They appeared to - I think both pianist judges praised that performance. The audience might have been less enthusiastic ...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I thought Ning's choice of the Six Pieces by Schoenberg was brave but ill-advised....do they really showcase piano technique?

Yes. They also showcase the performer's Musicianship, which - as it's supposed to be "Young Musician", rather than "Young Technician" - make for a very wise choice.

[Thropplenoggin]

What Ning did was allow for silence between the notes in both the Schoenberg and Chopin...very brave for a competition, I felt. Compare this to the young lass who massacred the Chopin nocturne with a very un-nocturnal tempo.

The home-schooled eccentric's Beethoven was astonishing given his age, and wholly unexpected, since the lead-in material showed him only once before a piano, when he sounded quite amateurish by the competition's standards. He came across as a pianistic wunderkind destined to disappear into ever-diminishing circles of eccentricity. I thought his choice of tempo, the way he weighted the phrasing, was remarkable for his age. The Ligeti equally astounding. A preternatural talent on display.

I have no complaints with the winner: he could do flash virtuoso, impressive counterpoint and poetic Liszt (Caliban wept). The neat way he managed to tie in his school's field trip to Italy with a BBC camera film crew in time for his appearance on the show was equally eye-opening

[ardcarp]

Ah. I can agree about Ligeti. That really did demonstrate (what I think of as) piano technique.

[Sir Velo]

I think Ning's selection of pieces was the most adventurous, with the Chopin far and away the most demanding piece of music from an interpretative perspective which anyone played (with the exception of the Beethoven); she and the young Auden lookalike deserved especial kudos for their choice of repertoire. Agree about the winner though: a bit good. His mum looked a bit excited though. Didn't like that comment: "All he's got to do is play his very best". Looked like there would have been no tea at home if he hadn't brought home the bacon.

Now for the brass...