BBC Young Musician 2024

[oddoneout]

In the event (ho! ho!) the BBC2 programme actually featured the whole of the final after all, with the programme on Scottish wildlife being dropped.

Wonder how many people switched on expecting, as I did, the Scottish programme, and were met by YM, and how many then thought OK, I'll watch this instead...

[Barbirollians]

Judging panel not quite what they were . This was 2006

Marin Alsop, Carlos Bonell, Peter Sadlo, Thea King, Sergei Nakariakov, Angela Hewitt and Kathryn McDowell.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Judging panel not quite what they were . This was 2006

Marin Alsop, Carlos Bonell, Peter Sadlo, Thea King, Sergei Nakariakov, Angela Hewitt and Kathryn McDowell.

No and there aren’t enough of them . I found their constant supercharged enthusiasm very wearing and their level of musical analysis needlessly oversimplified for a mass audience. I know they put a huge emphasis on not being “critical “ and being ultra supportive but let’s face it these three finalists are pretty much seasoned pros who’ve been performing in public in one case for over 10 years. The life of a solo travelling virtuoso is a pretty harsh one - grim hotels , dodgy pianos or worries about your expensive instrument , competitions , auditions, new talent taking your gigs away. By internationalising the competition through opening to foreign students they have raised the technical bar I think (if not the musical one). I’m beginning to wonder what the point of it all is really. There are so many pianists who can knock out a decent Rach 2 - do we need any more?

[DracoM]

Yes, YES, Y_E_S!!!

[oddoneout]

No and there aren’t enough of them . I found their constant supercharged enthusiasm very wearing and their level of musical analysis needlessly oversimplified for a mass audience. I know they put a huge emphasis on not being “critical “ and being ultra supportive but let’s face it these three finalists are pretty much seasoned pros who’ve been performing in public in one case for over 10 years. The life of a solo travelling virtuoso is a pretty harsh one - grim hotels , dodgy pianos or worries about your expensive instrument , competitions , auditions, new talent taking your gigs away. By internationalising the competition through opening to foreign students they have raised the technical bar I think (if not the musical one). I’m beginning to wonder what the point of it all is really. There are so many pianists who can knock out a decent Rach 2 - do we need any more?

Have the entry criteria changed* or is it just that we are seeing more foreign competitors - perhaps as the access to music performance opportunities through school in the UK has dried up? I wonder also if those competitors who are here to study are perhaps more likely also to want to put themselves forward for the competition.

*This is from the 2024 T&C sheet
•

You must be a resident of the UK, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, at the time of entry and for the duration of the competition (until October 2024)
UK residency includes those who live in the UK but study abroad, AND those who live abroad but study in the UK

[LMcD]

Have the entry criteria changed* or is it just that we are seeing more foreign competitors - perhaps as the access to music performance opportunities through school in the UK has dried up? I wonder also if those competitors who are here to study are perhaps more likely also to want to put themselves forward for the competition.

*This is from the 2024 T&C sheet
•

Following the example set by the Booker Prize, perhaps?

[Dave2002]

I’m beginning to wonder what the point of it all is really.

I really don't know. Maybe an attempt to "bring culture to the masses" - but for me this isn't the way to do it. I felt that there were many worthy young players who were eliminated earlier who would probably also have responded well in a final, but they weren't given a chance.

Also. how do the runners up or the "fell at earlier stages "competitors feel? Many of them have done really well - but although the point was made several times that many of these young players have played really well, for some of them this might be a huge disappointment, possibly with adverse consequences.

At least with the earlier formats it seemed that the winners of each section were given more recognition, though the problems for those who didn't quite make it would still have been there. Sometimes competitors in one competition go on to win a different one, or make some other form of "break through", and maybe in some other cases they just change the direction of their lives completely.

There are so many pianists who can knock out a decent Rach 2 - do we need any more?

If they have to play Rachmaninov, they could at least try number 3.

I would have liked it if one of them had chosen Prokofiev 1 - which had an interesting history - to enable Prokofiev to win a compeitition way back.

[oddoneout]

I really don't know. Maybe an attempt to "bring culture to the masses" - but for me this isn't the way to do it. I felt that there were many worthy young players who were eliminated earlier who would probably also have responded well in a final, but they weren't given a chance.

Also. how do the runners up or the "fell at earlier stages "competitors feel? Many of them have done really well - but although the point was made several times that many of these young players have played really well, for some of them this might be a huge disappointment, possibly with adverse consequences.

At least with the earlier formats it seemed that the winners of each section were given more recognition, though the problems for those who didn't quite make it would still have been there. Sometimes competitors in one competition go on to win a different one, or make some other form of "break through", and maybe in some other cases they just change the direction of their lives completely.


If they have to play Rachmaninov, they could at least try number 3.

I would have liked it if one of them had chosen Prokofiev 1 - which had an interesting history - to enable Prokofiev to win a compeitition way back.

My feeling is that the more it becomes a "show" the more likely it is to lose its value and increase the negative aspects of such a venture. Having sectional rounds, as in the original format, enables the competitors to measure themselves against others in their field and to have some experience of the kinds of things(good and bad) they may encounter as they continue their studies. At that level they will already have encountered pressure to do well - progressing through exams for instance - so that in itself isn't necessarily such a big concern.
However that doesn't make for interesting TV, as perceived these days, hence the management need to turn it into a kind of Britain's Got Classical Talent Show, with music giving way to 'human interest' and presenter witterings and hype, to justify keeping it going at all. It ceases to be a celebration of endeavour, talent, potential, and the joy of musicmaking, and becomes about who best convinces a non-specialist jury(I'm being polite here) they've got star quality.

[Nick Armstrong]

Two Rachmaninov pf conc 2s in one concert is too much but I agreed with the decision, in some ways an extraordinary concertante-like winning performance with the piano almost an orchestral instrument in the second movt imv.

Having only watched the TV version (mercifully free of too much intrusion - no effusive interviews of soloists seconds after coming off stage, and the like), I must say it was the first Rach 2 that I preferred… For one thing, the soloist launched it at a tempo which I think works better than the slightly lugubrious trudge adopted by the second soloist.

But I need to listen again, I think, radio only, free of visual distractions before making up my mind…

[CallMePaul]

Two Rachmaninov pf conc 2s in one concert is too much but I agreed with the decision, in some ways an extraordinary concertante-like winning performance with the piano almost an orchestral instrument in the second movt imv.

Can competitors not be encouraged to play less familiar pieces? How about Britten (both his piano and violin concerti), or a concerto by a less frequently-played British composer such as Tippett or Ireland for the pianists, and Delius or Moeran for the violinist - or are they not flashy enough?

[Pulcinella]

Can competitors not be encouraged to play less familiar pieces? How about Britten (both his piano and violin concerti), or a concerto by a less frequently-played British composer such as Tippett or Ireland for the pianists, and Delius or Moeran for the violinist - or are they not flashy enough?

More likely not necessarily in the orchestra's or conductor's regular repertoire, I'd have thought, and there'd be precious little time to become familiar with them as well as working with the soloists. I suspect that a list of 'suitable' concertos is given out.

[Barbirollians]

Can competitors not be encouraged to play less familiar pieces? How about Britten (both his piano and violin concerti), or a concerto by a less frequently-played British composer such as Tippett or Ireland for the pianists, and Delius or Moeran for the violinist - or are they not flashy enough?

Laura van der Heijden won with the Walton and Sheku with Shostakovich CC No 1.

I think the removal of the category final , the fact both pianists were far better technically than the ineffably bland head judge crossover Alexis Ffrench , the narrow scope of the judges meant a grimly disappointing finale . Mr Wang was the best but his performance reminded of a forgettable Raymond Gubbay concert .

Still baffled how Jamaal failed to make the final .

[oddoneout]

More likely not necessarily in the orchestra's or conductor's regular repertoire, I'd have thought, and there'd be precious little time to become familiar with them as well as working with the soloists. I suspect that a list of 'suitable' concertos is given out.

The T&Cs don't mention that approach, and from what I remember of competitions I saw years ago there were times when there were more unfamiliar than familiar concertos coming forward, especially when less common instruments got through to finals. http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/young-...M2024_TsCs.pdf
As the competition gets to be more of a show, and perhaps also as the contestants come from a narrower pool (able to afford tuition and perhaps more focused as a consequence on results such as competition wins) might that also lead to less variety in the commoner instruments - going for the big show-off concertos that play better to the less specialised jury's views.

[smittims]

I too feel that he inclusion of concertos by British composers would add some relief to the series,especially since there are 20th century British piano concertos quite as good as those by composers from other countries. .

In Russia they always play Russian concertos, in Germany German and Austrian ones,and so on. But in Britain, whenever the event is felt to have an international dimension, I sometimes feel that even the British organisers are ashamed of music by British composers . It's an old prejudice, I think,almost as if its a status symbol to be seen to be cosmopolitan. I think we're the only country (except perhaps India and Japan) that do this. They certainly don't do it in France.

[french frank]

As the competition gets to be more of a show ...

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