BBC Young Musician 2014

[french frank]

The section finalists, broadcasts and presenters. This stands a half decent chance of being intelligently presented - we shall have to see what the production is like. Some thoughts occur but I shall suppress them

[teamsaint]

Thanks FF.

Thank goodness they didn't put a load of self congratulatory guff at the bottom about BBC arts, that would have spoiled everything.


Alison Balsom must have a good agent. Not that she doesn't play a good choon, of course.

[french frank]

Thanks FF.

Thank goodness they didn't put a load of self congratulatory guff at the bottom about BBC arts, that would have spoiled everything.


Alison Balsom must have a good agent. Not that she doesn't play a good choon, of course.

The idea being to grab a trio of glamorous under-40 role models who will impress the audience, I presume ... though I did smile at the BBC explaining the aim 'to put musicians centre-screen'. I hope they don't outshine the young musicians in the competition!

[mercia]

wasn't our complaint last time that too much time was spent looking at their home/school lives and not enough hearing them play ?

[french frank]

wasn't our complaint last time that too much time was spent looking at their home/school lives and not enough hearing them play ?

Yes, and as far as I remember, there was speaking over the music too. Not sure whether it was last time or the one before. The aim, clearly, to show that these are just 'ordinary' young people who do the kind of thing all young people do, hence not really freaks. Which is fine, but proper attention to the young people's performances would be equally (?) important.

[Barbirollians]

Two very talented musicians though - better than having it presented by Charles Hazlewood and Clemency Burton Hill .

How things have changed - the final used to be live on BBC1 .

[amateur51]

Alison Balsom must have a good agent. Not that she doesn't play a good choon, of course.

It's at times like this that I don't miss Mr Pee

Come to think of it ...

[teamsaint]

It's at times like this that I don't miss Mr Pee

Come to think of it ...

what you on about Amsy?

are you saying that Mr Pee is her agent? or that he would do a better job? I am quite literally baffled.

[amateur51]

what you on about Amsy?

are you saying that Mr Pee is her agent? or that he would do a better job? I am quite literally baffled.

Mr Pee often used to go into 'phnurr-phnurr'-mode when certain young female musicians were mentioned and Ms Balsom was one of his favourites

[teamsaint]

Mr Pee often used to go into 'phnurr-phnurr'-mode when certain young female musicians were mentioned and Ms Balsom was one of his favourites

ah, the green Oboe/clarinet/whatever......

Thanks for elaborating.................I don't want to take this excellent thread off topic with a series of smutty innuendos .............well I do actually, but I won't.

[french frank]

While we're waiting - this is what Jessica Duchen had to say about the competition in 2012. I think it must have been the previous one, though, that got all the flak.

No, it was 2008 (oh, how time flies!). This is what Susan Tomes had to say.

[Ariosto]

No one seems to be commenting on the string final which was broadcast (recording) on BBC 4 last night. Four fiddlers and a harpist. I would be interested in views from forum members.

[MrGongGong]

It's at times like this that I don't miss Mr Pee

Never heard of him

[Mary Chambers]

No one seems to be commenting on the string final which was broadcast (recording) on BBC 4 last night. Four fiddlers and a harpist. I would be interested in views from forum members.

I still don't like the way it's presented, but I was impressed by what music I heard. I always find the BBCYM very reassuring. It counteracts the deadly youth culture we're normally faced with.

It must have been very difficult to choose a winner from such a talented group. I'd have been torn between Ruisi and Dutton. Ruisi chose a more interesting programme, I thought, but Dutton had a completeness about him which was very appealing.

[teamsaint]

I'm afraid that I don't see it as reassuring at all.

Our society and culture encourages excellence in far too narrow a range of activities at far too young an age.
This is all too evident in schools, where very narrow academic criteria are lauded, and box ticking reigns.
Music , and young people with musical talent, of whom there are many,would be much better served by a much greater emphasis on creativity over very narrow performance criteria.BBCYMY is a reflection of all this IMO


I would agree that much of the Wider culture that surrounds young people is pretty disastrous.