BBC Young Musician semi-final

[ardcarp]

Such an unsatisfactory thing. Gushing presenters and much recycled ****. Also I don't much like the idea of (effectively) choosing 2 losers.
However, I'm so glad the young pianist made it to the final. She's something special...and I'm so glad she ignored the advice she was given to 'just let it explode' if she felt like it.

[Bergonzi]

Again she showed outstanding ability and musicianship, and was a worthy winner. She will go far.

I also thought the cellist was excellent in this round and was clearly a quite close number two. He will be extremely successful as well, in my opinion. I actually wrote him off in the first round, but totally changed my opinion in this semi-final.

[BBMmk2]

The cellist and the pianist, i agreed with. I think that having losers is wrong. They are winners in their own right.

[Dave2002]

So now I have to guess the remaining finalist! We forgot to record last night's programme, so will have to watch on catch up. I won't read here again until we've done that.

[kernelbogey]

Such an unsatisfactory thing. Gushing presenters and much recycled ****. Also I don't much like the idea of (effectively) choosing 2 losers.
However, I'm so glad the young pianist made it to the final. She's something special...and I'm so glad she ignored the advice she was given to 'just let it explode' if she felt like it.

Watched for the first time on Friday night: totally agree with ardcarp. Oh, and the way they faded up the Theme Music in order to flash the title of the programme up in between artists.... So thoughtless and tasteless immediately after the soloists. Not a serious programme imv.

I thought the pianist's technique awesome (appropriate word, for once) and, as one of the judges commented, her technique allowed her to inhabit the music deeply.

I seem to have encountered a Final result spoiler below, but will hope to be happily surprised about my own prediction on seeing the Final.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It's a circus.

How can you seriously compare (for example) a pianist with a bassoonist, a percussionist, a violinist or a horn player?

[Lordgeous]

The pianist was my first choice but I must add a word of praise for the trombonist - phenomenal, on such a difficult instrument.

[ardcarp]

It's a circus.

How can you seriously compare (for example) a pianist with a bassoonist, a percussionist, a violinist or a horn player?

Agreed. I suppose any competition is good in parts.....

I suspect the judges had to choose between the percussionist and the saxophonist to leave out. Based on what I saw, I might have kept the percussionist in. He played without music for a start. Also the sax player..clearly a very, very musical guy...had one or two intonation problems which were also there in the category final.

[Constantbee]

Another competition goes by and I’m totally at odds with the jury - again Evidently the studio experience is something else, and anyway, as Nicola Benedetti said quite rightly last night, what do we know about their performances.

There’s a surprising amount of agreement among Forumites, though. On the whole I agree but with some exceptions. I thought Lauren Zhang’s playing was impeccable and comfortable and but she sounded as though she was performing for examiners and not for an audience. Actually, I found it a bit dull, and she didn’t look as though she was enjoying herself. An audience needs to feel that a soloist is enjoying entertaining them, imho. The pianist I think has got the furthest to go is probably Mariam Loladze-Meredith. She’s actually a year younger than Lauren but gave a mature performance for someone of her years. She has what I call ‘stage presence’

Apart from that, I enjoyed guitarist Torrin Williams in the string section, and clarinetist Tom Myles in the woodwind. For a state school pupil from Ulster I think Tom was outstanding. I agree that maybe he could have chosen a better programme. Something like the Artie Shaw concerto I came across on R3 this week would have suited him.

Then I have to remember that for every young person who makes it to the finals there are thousands worldwide who work just as hard and get nowhere I wonder just how good competitions like these are for young musicians

[Nick Armstrong]

Oh, and the way they faded up the Theme Music in order to flash the title of the programme up in between artists.... So thoughtless and tasteless immediately after the soloists.

Yes that is really terrible, what a crass production idea

The only way to watch this stuff is on a recording, fast-forwarding whenever the musicians aren't actually playing.

I wasn't overwhelmed by any, but the pianist would have got my vote, with the saxophonist too, I think - he made me listen to repertoire I wouldn't normally go for. I still think the cellist wasn't up to the Stravinsky...

[LMcD]

Having read all these posts and others on this year's coverage, I'm glad I decided to save myself for the final.

[french frank]

I wonder just how good competitions like these are for young musicians

Good for the ones who win. There must be dozens who are just as good but who aren't even in the competition. But entering competitions and doing well is what gets them noticed. How else?

[ardcarp]

I thought Lauren Zhang’s playing was impeccable and comfortable and but she sounded as though she was performing for examiners and not for an audience. Actually, I found it a bit dull, and she didn’t look as though she was enjoying herself. An audience needs to feel that a soloist is enjoying entertaining them,

Like when they watch Lang Lang?

Actually, I disagree with you about Lauran. Her playing was more than impeccable...it was superb, and I was certainly transported by it. Her face and her response when Nicola Benedetti suggested she might 'explode' if the moment took her said it all. She is personally 'contained' but able to communicate through the piano not via her face.

The test will come with the concerto. Some of the other competitors were clearly very experienced musicians (e.g. the percussionist who didn't get through) and had perfect rapport with their accompanists. That skill is not tested in a pianist...until the concerto arrives!

Having read all these posts and others on this year's coverage, I'm glad I decided to save myself for the final.

Let's hope The Grand Final will dispense with some of the production garbage. If we get another slo-mo of the judges I shall throw something at the telly. It is being broadcast on R3 too, so maybe that will have a sobering effect.

[Tevot]

Let's hope The Grand Final will dispense with some of the production garbage.....

Hello there,

Have you read some of the promotional stuff for the Final ?

I quote from the BBC News / Entertainment website : "The three finalists for BBC Young Musician 2018 are cooler than three cucumbers in a freezer in an igloo during the last ice age."

Seriously .....

Listening now to the finalists - I find myself in agreement with an earlier post about pianist Lauren Zhang being too cool and detached ; listened to the cellist Maxim Calver and liked it a lot (as a layman I hasten to add that I have little idea how well these pieces were executed) The saxophonist Rob Burton is now playing with apparent assurance.

In short I have no idea who will win. Perhaps it is a circus after all ? Nevertheless - I am in awe of and humbled by the talent of these young people who have graced the competition.


Best Wishes,

Tevot

[Constantbee]

Listening now to the finalists - I find myself in agreement with an earlier post about pianist Lauren Zhang being too cool and detached ; listened to the cellist Maxim Calver and liked it a lot (as a layman I hasten to add that I have little idea how well these pieces were executed) The saxophonist Rob Burton is now playing with apparent assurance.

In short I have no idea who will win. Perhaps it is a circus after all ? Nevertheless - I am in awe of and humbled by the talent of these young people who have graced the competition.

I'd second that. Mind you, I was pleased they decided to give one of the special awards to Will Duerden, the double bass player I thought that was good news for him, and good news for the instrument, too. After all, that was how Jess Gillam's career got off such a good start. The performance award (whose name I'm afraid I can't remember) seems to have worked in one case at least for instruments that maybe don't have the range of repertoire or public appeal that, say, piano and violin have.