Episode 3 All Together Now: The Great Orchestra Challenge

We are a nation of enthusiasts. We love our dogs, our football,

our green fields and, of course, our music.

Across Britain, thousands of people play in amateur orchestras...

We want to make music but we want to have a laugh at the same time.

I love the orchestra.

..juggling busy work schedules and family life

with their love of music.

Whoa! That was loud!

To celebrate these talented men and women, we're on the hunt

for the orchestra that best captures the spirit of amateur music-making.

What an amazing noise!

Last time was all about opera, and the remaining orchestras

from London, Devon, Stirling and Birmingham went head-to-head

in a dramatic showdown.

Sadly, we said goodbye to Birmingham's The People's Orchestra.

Now, three orchestras remain and the contest is about to get tougher.

Bam! Bam! More, more!

We're not quite on it. He's not quite on it.

And the result is carnage.

We've got work to do. We have indeed!

The battle is on

to find one winner who will perform at the BBC Proms in Hyde Park.

We are in it to win it. Not messing about here!

THEY CHEER

This time, the challenge is to perform a concerto.

And it's getting personal, because each orchestra

has to pick its soloist from within its own ranks

and stage a concert in its own hometown.

To find their soloists, each orchestra has been sent an e-mail

calling for volunteers to step into the limelight.

"In each instance, we want to find the future soloist,

"to be drawn from the ranks of the orchestra itself."

"We want to encourage lots of you to put yourself forward

"to audition for the role as soloist."

"You should prepare an audition piece which shows off your skills."

Well, that's me out!

"The final audition will be down to those members of your orchestra

"who audition you on the day."

Very exciting!

The concertos will be judged by world-famous conductor Paul Daniel.

A concerto is a soloist

playing in front of and supported by an orchestra.

In this round, each orchestra will really be able to show off.

I want them to develop the whole way they play, how they encourage

their soloist, and how well they present to their audience.

While Paul will spur on our orchestras with a masterclass,

our mentor, world-renowned double bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku,

will be on hand, this time helping our soloists reach for the stars.

I have the task of finding the perfect mentor

for our three soloists.

Matchmaking, if you like!

Paul and I are about to find out

who the chosen soloists are,

starting with North Devon Sinfonia.

We're here for our first masterclass.

We got through the second challenge and something's gone...

SHE CLICKS TONGUE ..in my brain and now

I do actually feel slightly... SHE GASPS

Hello, North Devon! How are we?

Are you all excited to be through to the third round?

ALL: Yes!

So, this round, it's concerto round, which is great.

But most exciting of all is that

you have chosen a soloist from amongst you all.

And that soloist is...

Let's have a look - it's Simon! Come on up.

Now, what are you going to play?

Erm, the third movement of Derek Bourgeois' Trombone Concerto.

Have you ever played this before? ORCHESTRA MEMBERS: No...

No! Have YOU ever played it before? No! LAUGHTER

This is going to be great!

TROMBONE PLAYS NOTES

Music teacher Simon lives in Ilfracombe.

He has two little music students of his own -

twin sons, Jude and Alfie.

Whoa! That was loud!

So the perils of having two six-year-olds

is that every practice session is interrupted.

Erm, I wouldn't have it any other way.

It means that there's short snippets of practice

that you can grab here and there.

Which is why I thought the van was a safe place!

Simon is taking his soloist role very seriously.

Simon puts absolutely everything into everything that he does.

He so passionate and enthusiastic.

He will absolutely do the very best that he can.

It is really important for me to get this right.

When I was at college, I failed my final year recital,

which was a real shock.

So I'd like to prove how well I can play to myself, if no-one else.

Here we go.

ORCHESTRA PLAYS

Paul asked the orchestras to choose their own music.

Devon has picked Derek Bourgeois' Trombone Concerto.

It's fast and furious.

It's a big challenge for the orchestra because

lots of different interplay between different parts of the orchestra.

Rhythmically quite intricate and complex.

Can you all play it like there's nobody else here

and you're somewhere really fun, like a big echoey toilet?

THEY LAUGH

First, though, can you imagine

you've had at least three gin and tonics?

ORCHESTRA PLAYS

PAUL: Actually, Emma... Emma?

Emma!

You could hear that, couldn't you?

The trombones are actually...you're not doing a great job of

being with your friends in these two rows.

You're not listening to the woodwind.

You're rushing me! Quite right.

That rhythm, that constant rhythm, has to be so carefully played,

so really together, that Simon can just dance on the top of it without

feeling that he's being pulled or held back or stressed in any way.

What are you feeling? Erm, I'm feeling that...

That's a really interesting question.

I feel like we're a bit rocky at the moment.

It's just finding the groove.

And when we get the groove, it will work. Go again! Emma? Hello!

Try letting them play it without, without you. Oh, good! Yeah.

It's all a bit higgledy-piggledy.

BRASS SECTION PLAYS

When Emma stepped back and didn't conduct, the orchestra,

of course, changed completely.

Suddenly, they were taking control.

Then the rhythm, I think, immediately got better.

You are, like, responsible for what you're playing.

So I was listening to the wind at the back.

I never listen to the winds. It's really bad, isn't it?

It changed the balance of power a little bit.

It felt like I was there, leading the orchestra much more.

And it also gave the orchestra just a little bit more of

a push to listen to each other. It was good. It was useful.

It did work, didn't it? My God! It really did. I know.

I think, power to the people!

Next stop, we're in the capital.

And it's London Gay Symphony Orchestra's turn

for Paul's masterclass.

In the last round, Paul thought their playing caught fire.

But they have had a tendency to hold back in the past.

I'm a little bit nervous about today's session.

I think Paul might push us, push us to our limits, hopefully.

We've got a long way to fall at this point.

And I think this is the thing -

we're now going to have to work even harder.

The orchestra has chosen Nathan as the soloist and he's picked

Richard Strauss's Oboe Concerto.

THEY CLAP AND CHEER

We're starting the andante before figure 22.

ORCHESTRA PLAYS

Nathan, from West London, uses music as a way of sharing his emotions.

I'm quite a buttoned-up sort of person,

in that I don't kind of reveal all that much.

I'm not someone who goes around telling people how much I love them.

I tend to express myself through playing a piece of music.

Lubrication! Cheers, darling!

He's going to dedicate his solo to his partner Justin.

'Justin and I have been together for six years.'

He's beaten my longest relationship record now by about a year.

When I made those pieces of artwork, when we first met,

here he is on a ladder, handing down the stars to me.

And here's the star! I know, it's so ridiculously soppy!

But, uh, it was special!

I think the way that I feel about Justin will be expressed

through the way that I play the piece of music, because for me,

it's kind of like a love song. It's a love song without words.

This concerto finds the elderly composer, Strauss,

reflecting on his life.

It's a kind of nostalgic piece. It's full of memory.

It's full of an autumnal kind of richness.

The danger for any orchestra, and particularly for this orchestra,

that they will be too reticent.

Every single person's little, tiny note on the violin

or a cross on the cellos -

every single thing counts in this music.

Sing down the line.

Good. Erm, Chris, Nathan,

it's nothing, is it, to play? it's just bu, bu, bu.

And every note has got to sound like something incredible. Yeah.

Just play it together without you, now.

Cos you've got to be at least as beautiful as the way...

he's played it.

OK.

Very choppy.

And he doesn't chop it up at all, he just plays...

It's like a river, when you play it.

You sounded like the logs on the river.

LAUGHTER

Rude!

Oh, it's all coming out now.

LAUGHTER

It was so scary with Paul standing there,

conscious of every tiny little...

thing that I did wrong.

We all fall into this kind of trap, particularly, I think,

Paul is picking up on it,

which is that when we see a few notes on a page,

we kind of think we haven't got very much to do,

and we're not very important. And what we're learning is,

actually every note is important.

I must say that they have to really take a quite big step quite soon

to turn this very simple music into something

that is really extraordinary.

At her West London home, Chi-chi is on Skype to Paul.

When he starts the phrase, you need to sense immediately

what it is he wants to express.

To get the soloists ready for their big day,

she needs Paul's feedback after their first masterclass.

It's a really fantastic piece for him. He, at the moment,

is thinking very carefully about how he is going to organise himself,

he's a very contained, organised kind of person.

Chi-chi is going to find each soloist an expert

to maximise their potential. The reason I'm not going to

mentor them for their solo pieces is that I don't play

any of the instruments. I could help them

with musical interpretation and things like that,

but technical issues,

I probably wouldn't be able to help them enough.

What I'm phoning you about, I'm really keen

that you're going to mentor our trombone soloist, Simon.

I mean, he's a wonderful player but Paul wants to see Simon

take some more risks and be the firework.

Chi-chi has enlisted the help of virtuoso trombonist

Carol Jarvis, who's worked with major UK orchestras

as well as pop greats like Sting and Seal.

But today she's going to work with Simon from North Devon Sinfonia.

I've got a few ideas, going to try and take him out of his comfort zone

a little bit, take a few risks,

and, yeah, try and get his character out a little bit.

So, shall we start from this section

and we'll sort of play through it...? Yeah, yeah.

Really love your playing, but it's all very contained. Uh-hm.

We need to go like that.

We need to make it really exciting. OK. I want you now to sing that.

# La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. #

Yes, good.

Making any musician sing really helps to let the whole thing flow.

# La, la, la, la, la La... #

Yes! Once he did that and came back

to the trombone, it was so different.

Yeah, that's really getting there, that's really getting there.

It's just the character now, you've got to get this real end,

this real heroic...

# La, la, la, la, la, LA! #

I want really cocky. You're a soloist. Yeah, yeah.

I don't naturally do cocky. I know, but this is an act. OK, then.

This is an act. Let's try standing on a chair. OK. Yeah?

Stand on a chair. OK. This is taking you out of your comfort zone.

You've got to be aware about balancing now, as well.

I think it's a really good idea to get people to just...

do something completely weird,

so that if you can do it in that situation, then on the day

it's going to be so much easier and you can relax

and get into it and enjoy it.

Yes, yes!

Today's session has helped with the risk-taking.

In conclusion, it's to be less square and be more exciting!

Up in Scotland, Paul and I have arrived for our third and final

concerto masterclass. This time, it's with Stirling Orchestra.

The competitive spirit is definitely coming out,

we just would love to make it all the way.

They've picked retired engineer and music tutor Douglas

as their soloist.

At first glance, he wouldn't appear an obvious candidate

to step into the spotlight.

I'm quite...quiet, generally.

Even in company, I'm, I'm quite quiet.

But I don't lack self-confidence -

that's a different thing altogether and, er...

So maybe I do like to use music to express myself more than...

doing stand-up comedy, something like that.

Douglas plays the flute in the orchestra

and a number of different instruments in his spare time,

but one stands above the rest.

Piping is much more than a hobby, so it's become....

an obsession, really.

I just want to be better at it.

Let's get started.

Shall we just give this a go?

Douglas has chosen An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise

by Peter Maxwell Davies. Not technically a concerto,

but it's one of the only orchestral works with a bagpipe solo

and it demands snappy Scottish fiddling.

If you look at the score, it's just peppered with wonderful,

wonderful effects and I think they're going to have

a lot of fun with this,

you know, there's so much to get in this piece,

so many different accents, rhythms...

The piece depicts a drunken wedding celebration

and ends with a bagpipe solo

symbolising the rising sun over Caithness.

What an amazing noise!

LAUGHTER

Great!

Talking as a...southerner here, I feel like a real impostor,

but they've got to sound really Scottish, haven't they?

All those snaps...

I want to learn how a real Scots snap sounds, can we...?

First and seconds, yeah, first and seconds.

We're doing, like, a bit of a knock on the string,

it's got to be like a...

HE IMITATES THRESHING

Then it becomes theatre, you know...

3, 5, 3. And see if we can get this kind of... Like, real zing.

No, nowhere near.

Stephen, Stephen...

It's nowhere near.

LAUGHTER

We've got work to do!

You have indeed. We've got a lot of work to do.

They've got to go and work out how to make that folk melody work.

Yeah, because not all of them are Scottish fiddlers. No, exactly.

Let's talk about Douglas. How do you think he got on?

Something that we haven't even begun to look at yet

is how he's going to bring a sense of theatre to this.

He's got to become like the star! You know, or the sun!

Three orchestras have had three masterclasses,

but judge Paul wants to raise the stakes in this penultimate round.

This time, he wants the orchestras to stage their concerto

in front of a home crowd.

So now the orchestra is on its own turf.

I'm looking for orchestras in our contest who will really

inspire and engage the audience

and really have something to give them.

They have just three weeks to organise their event.

London kicks off with a pre-rehearsal meeting.

I think venue is going to be the key issue with this.

As does Stirling.

So, did we decide the dress code? Is it going to be

all black...? Yeah, yeah, I think so.

In Exeter Cathedral, Devon's orchestra takes a break

from rehearsals to brainstorm ideas.

I think it would be really nice to go somewhere

most people wouldn't expect to hear classical music.

Somewhere like a shopping centre. What about the Pannier Market?

Yeah, I think a lot of people see that as sort of

the central hub of town and quite a community place.

I really like the idea of doing something in Ilfracombe -

if you remember,

we just had that really successful film-music concert.

You live in Ilfracombe! And I live in Ilfracombe!

LAUGHTER

What about the lifeboat station? How big is that?

I think the lifeboat station is about this size

and there is also outside space to stand.

I thought St John's Garden Centre, though I haven't in any way

done anything more than think it.

I thought we could have the violas near the violas!

LAUGHTER AND GROANS

Oh, wow. Here it is.

First things first, they need to find a venue large enough

to accommodate an audience and an orchestra.

Five desks of violins on each side

and then... It's really tight, actually.

While London Gay Symphony Orchestra

and Stirling Orchestra recce their local music venues...

It's huge.

..Devon has gone left-field by sound-testing a garden centre.

SHE SINGS A SCALE

That's quite a nice acoustic!

They want to bring classical music to a wider audience.

I love classical music and I think everyone

has the potential to love classical music

if they are just opened up to it in the right way, and if we can use

this challenge to open a few more minds to give it a whirl,

then that's great.

In London, Chi-chi is getting on with recruiting her experts.

She has just the right person

for Nathan from the London Gay Symphony Orchestra -

someone she's worked with in the past.

Hi there, Nick.

I've got a proposal for you.

She's sending him for a session with oboist Nick Daniel,

who shot to fame when he won Young Musician Of The Year in 1980,

and has had music written for him

by some of the best composers in the world.

To Nathan, he is a bit of a legend.

My best friend at school bought me an LP which had him playing.

I loved that music and then played it myself,

so he kind of inspired me...

..to really take it seriously. Thank you.

See you later.

I've heard from Chi-chi that it's possible that

he needs to be somehow unlocked and brought out of himself

so that the whole thing, the openness

of this great piece is clearly visible for the audience.

How are you doing?

I'm fine, I'm Nick. I'm Nathan. Nice to meet you.

Look, why don't we just... I'll to play the piano part for you.

OK.

LAUGHTER

You know, that's really beautiful what you're doing, actually,

it's so colourful.

There's a few places that I can help you with a better breath.

Would you mind if I just felt your stomach while you breathe in?

OK?

I got it, OK.

Just turn around and face the wall.

Imagine you are breathing in against my hand.

Yes, that feels a bit startled, do it a bit slower.

Oh, that was good.

'I encouraged him to breathe deeply to somehow'

help his body be more open, so that the emotions which always

go with the body can flow freely.

Let's play the first phrase again.

Remember to inflate your lower back as well.

That was really, really moving.

Congratulations.

So, Nick helped me to kind of breathe from my pelvis,

but also I think the key thing was about relaxing, and I did get

quite emotional and quite tearful at one point and...

Erm...

Yeah, I think that that's about allowing stuff to come,

to come through.

The concerto round isn't just about the one up front. The orchestras

will be mainly judged on how they accompany their chosen soloist.

In Stirling, they've taken on board Paul's feedback

and brought in folk fiddler Dan Thorpe

to make themselves sound, well, more Scottish.

Hello. ALL: Hello.

You're all making me very nervous already, and we've not even started.

So, what I thought we'd do is

start off by me hearing exactly how you play it at the moment.

Cool.

The grace note on your really short note at the beginning

of that first main bar is a bit of a nightmare, isn't it?

I will just play the first couple of bars.

Do you hear how I'm really...

making those grace notes almost main melody notes?

One...

Yeah, good. So, erm...

Rather than...

Yeah?

Much better, good.

Excellent.

I think by the end it sounded more Scottish,

but that's maybe just me being kind to myself.

We needed somebody to drag us away from...

Our regimented...

..orchestral style. Tear us into the Scottish folk or traditional scene.

And mix the two together.

I think fusion is a sexy word to use nowadays for these things, isn't it?

In restaurants and stuff. Fusion, fusion, yes.

Good word, Peter. So we are fused.

Down in the capital, the London Gay Symphony Orchestra

are also working on fusion -

and their relationship with their soloist.

What's really important is the way that every time we play something

we have to ask how the line that we are playing

connects with the soloist.

I think one of the things that we will be working on today

quite a lot is to get the whole thing to flow more.

I think this is something that Paul

was really focusing on when he came in.

If we can just find that sound, that mixture between flow...

But with a lift.

Can you just play me the very first note and hold it?

Yeah, that's the one.

Wind, can we try not to separate the sound? So we get...

HE SINGS SCALE

So, it continues as an idea through...

Great.

I think tonight it's really sounding together,

and it's sounding like it's just those waves of sound,

rather than choppy and stopping and starting, as it was before.

At home, soloist Douglas is trying to master the piece

in front of his wife, Joyce.

He is using just the chanter part of the instrument,

which creates the melody.

The score has detailed instructions from composer Peter Maxwell Davies

designed to ramp up the drama of his composition.

So among the other notes, it says,

"Before final rehearsal, you'll need to discuss

"the most suitable entrance with the conductor.

"There are 34 strides from the time you enter playing

"until you reach the conductor.

"You will need to be wearing full ceremonial attire."

If it was me, I would wear a T-shirt.

I know, but it needs to look the part.

You wouldn't be wearing a T-shirt at a wedding.

As Douglas's mentor, Chi-chi has picked a top bagpipe player,

Rob Jordan.

He played An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise in 2014 at the Proms

and understands the showmanship required to pull off the role.

To help him raise his game,

Rob is taking Douglas to a beach in North Berwick.

So, this would have been the environment in which

Peter Maxwell Davies would have really looked to

when he was composing that piece of music.

So, I thought we would come here and we'd play,

and then in your mind's eye on the day of your performance,

you can recreate that moment.

I'll pretend to be the conductor

and you just emerge and walk towards me in tempo,

trying to stay in tune, how's that?

Yeah, let's try that.

As a top tip, just make sure you're putting a lot more air through, OK?

What we want to do is make sure

we have got a continuous sound through the chanter.

Chi-chi asked me to make Douglas's performance

full of drama and theatre.

Douglas has to march.

He has to go through the audience, it's about that impact moment.

And that's what will set him aside from the other performers.

Well done.

So I want you to own the piece, you know,

feel as though it's like a military...

bit of drill that you're doing. OK?

And you know, in all bits of drill

it all starts with the left foot, so...

HE HUMS

And that will help you think about

the emphasis at the beginning of each bar.

HE HUMS

You can give it a little bit of the... A bit of swagger.

Rob did talk about using a bit of swagger

walking towards the orchestra.

I think having been here will probably help that.

I'll remember what Rob has said, anyway,

and walking up the beach towards him...

playing the pipes.

Over the next few weeks, our soloists embrace their mentors'

advice and our orchestras get busy rehearsing how best to support them.

London practises musical flow...

..Stirling works on Scottish snaps...

..and Devon grapples with the tempo.

At speed, it just sounds ridiculous, like pigs round the trough, really.

In Ilfracombe, soloist Simon is on his hometown beach.

His mentor told him to take greater risks,

so he is about to play an impromptu concert.

But his wife Jac seems to be finding the situation uncomfortable.

Because I've grown up in this town I know so many people,

and the thought of my husband now standing on a beach

in the middle of our town just randomly playing the trombone

makes me feel a little bit funny, a little bit anxious.

HE PLAYS TROMBONE

I'm so mortified.

Have you seen all the people watching?

Honestly, my stomach is in knots on his behalf.

Look how confident he is.

I'm becoming more comfortable with where I am.

Initially, seeing people gathering watching me just do some practice

was a little bit strange and felt quite uncomfortable, but I almost

feel like they are getting a little bit onside with what I am doing.

APPLAUSE

Thank you.

I feel a little bit more relaxed now.

It's really lovely to see him kind of relaxed

and just enjoying what he does.

Our orchestras are counting down to their concertos.

They've worked hard, with masterclasses,

rehearsals and mentoring sessions.

With the clock ticking, London's soloist, Nathan,

is getting ready for his moment in the spotlight.

Three days now before the performance,

so this is one of the final steps.

I've got my outfit and Michael is now doing my hair for me

so that I look... Fabulous. ..I'll look fabulous on Sunday.

And let's just hope I play fabulously.

Hello. Hi.

Across town, other members of the orchestra have hit Soho.

They're drumming up interest in their event.

We've got a concert on Sunday. Would you be interested in coming along?

It will be a nice atmosphere, it will be really, really good.

We have a free concert on Sunday. Oh, exciting!

Will you take some flyers? Sure.

We would love to come. We're visiting from Australia.

We're serving cakes and tea and there will be... Cakes and tea.

Oh, yeah, we are there! Would you be interested?

THEY PLAY "SWEET CHILD OF MINE"

In blustery Devon, they have similar ideas

and are not going to let the elements get in their way.

We're just hoping to attract a different audience

to what we normally have and if it's one person or ten person

or 100 people, it doesn't matter.

Hello, are you going to be here Wednesday?

We are in the RNLI's lifeboat house.

We're called the North Devon Sinfonia and we're just

trying to up the profile. I'll spread the word.

I was going to say, take it to the station.

I will, I'll put it up on the notice board. Lovely, thank you.

They seem really enthusiastic.

As soon as you say free concert, that was a big thumbs up.

So raising our profile, I think we have done,

I think we've ticked that box.

All the orchestras are keen to add a personal touch

to their concerto events.

We want to make nice decorations for our cellos to kind of spruce up

the orchestra. Well, I'm making loads of seaside bunting.

We thought it was good to, like, jazz it up a bit.

London's orchestra have chosen an afternoon tea theme

and are making some rather special treats.

I was thinking well, actually, it would be great if we did

something around Nathan because he is our soloist

and he has got quite an iconic moustache,

and I'm a little bit jealous myself of that.

But I was thinking if we do some moustache biscuits

that would be fun. Oh, look, here they come.

Oh! What do you think of those?

Bravo!

Ready? Two bars in.

With time running out,

North Devon Sinfonia gather for their last rehearsal

before the finale, and Simon has decided to take even more risks.

He is upping the tempo.

I'm so sorry. Would you like to go slower?

I...have not coordinated the first bit properly.

I don't know quite why. When I play it without everyone else I feel...

Perfectly happy. Yeah.

And then I can't get it to fit. Somehow we're...putting you off.

That start at 39 is the weakest part.

You were late on the opening, weren't you? It's just...

We slightly car-crashed into that.

For the first half of the rehearsal, I think I was just fractionally late

coming in for my first note and then I was constantly behind myself.

We're not quite on it, he's not quite on it,

and the result is carnage.

It's the morning of the concert, and Nathan is waiting for the arrival

of some very important guests -

his parents, who have come all the way from France.

It's the first time they have heard me play live probably in...

..23 years, something like that.

Something that's been going through my head this week is that my nan,

when she was dying herself, the last words that she said to me was...

.."do your parents proud."

And I suppose that's been going through my head today

because I do want to do them proud.

We have come a long way, we have come from Brittany,

but I'd come from the other end of the world to see this.

I'm very proud of him.

The orchestra has decided on the Conway Hall near Soho

for this semifinal concerto.

Is rainbow sellotape of any use to you?

Everyone's really enthusiastic,

everyone's really looking forward to it, but the pressure's on.

It's all a bit manic,

but it's going OK, it'll be fine.

I've got every confidence we're going to get there.

Paul and I appear to be in for a treat for two.

The orchestra has chosen an afternoon of tea and cakes

to accompany the concerto.

What do you reckon? Nice? Would you like tea or...?

Despite the amazing spread of tea and cakes,

we are not judging them on the way they have set the concert up.

We are not doing a tea and cakes competition, no.

So what are you going to be judging this orchestra on today?

I want to see how well they play for Nathan. How well they support him.

And then, of course, how well Nathan can play it.

It's a really big demand, you know,

this wonderfully simple music but very difficult.

And what's important for this round, which we haven't had before,

is how well they connect with their audience.

They have to really turn them on.

APPLAUSE

To compere the afternoon,

the orchestra has booked host Timbalina.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce

the London Gay Symphony Orchestra.

The programme starts with a selection of chamber music.

Backstage is Nathan. He's up next.

I'm nervous.

My hands are shaking a little bit.

But I'm trying to get to the calm place at the centre of the storm.

Presenting soloist today, Nathan Evans.

APPLAUSE

So, we've not seen this orchestra for three weeks,

not since your masterclass.

What are you looking out for today?

The music has got to flow through.

They've got to find a freedom in the music.

It's very intimate, it's very chamber music, it's very quiet.

On top of all of that, Nathan must not be bottled up.

APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Now, I know you've got to keep your counsel, but...first impressions?

Do you know what? I was so pleased for Nathan that he did...

He really kind of took charge of that music,

and it meant something to him, of course,

but he was able to really communicate.

There were some moments when the orchestra left him a little bit

high and dry, I have to say, particularly at the end.

I think I did it as well as I possibly could. So I'm...

I'm, I'm pleased and I'm proud.

He was great,

he looked great and the orchestra were brilliant behind him.

Just a brilliant performance. I really enjoyed it.

I really hope that that performance did get us through to the finals.

I know we'll all be really upset if we don't get through now.

I am so proud of him. I love him to bits. He is... As I said,

he's a very talented man.

There's always been a special place in my heart...for him. Always.

Three days later and it's North Devon Sinfonia's turn

to perform its concerto.

Looking for a new audience, they've come to Ilfracombe,

and the only place big enough is the lifeboat house.

The orchestra have been really into it, this concert,

particularly - they have been running up bunting,

they've been going out into Ilfracombe and playing,

so if they put as much effort into practising their music for tonight

as they have done into getting the event ready

then I'm sure we'll be fine later.

Word has spread, and the crowds are gathering.

This is a beautiful seaside town but Paul has a job to do.

So we couldn't ask for a nicer spot for this concert,

but what are you hoping to hear when they start to play?

Well, the music is what counts, isn't it?

What I want to see them do today is that they have disciplined

their rhythm, if you like, and that they are controlled,

that they're not rushing ahead of each other, so that when they come

to accompany Simon he has something that he can dance very securely on.

We want to just see him jumping and jiving with this music

and really, really taking the floor.

We've got the...

Just a little bit of that kind of nervous butterflies but it is

really exciting and we are going to raise the already really high roof.

He's not the only one who's feeling the pressure.

When I arrived this evening, my stomach had been churning

to the point where I felt quite ill earlier.

I'm that nervous for him.

I've really, really got to be concentrating and on my game.

I know I can do this.

It's just I've got to really concentrate

on what the orchestra's doing, and Simon,

so I don't want to let him down.

APPLAUSE

You wanted Emma to stand back

and trust the orchestra a little bit more.

How are we going to be able to tell if she's achieved that?

You'll be able to tell that the orchestra's playing within itself,

that they're playing off each other,

that they're listening to each other.

There will be a confidence in the rhythm.

You'll be able to see it, I think, in their faces.

The orchestra has picked a programme it hopes will appeal

to everyone - famous film scores.

This is Tom.

LAUGHTER

So this absolutely must be Jerry.

And, of course, the trombone concerto.

Let me tell you about the piece.

It's by an English composer called Derek Bourgeois.

And he lives in Dorset, I believe, so a West Country man,

which is super.

So, let's get on with it. Are you ready?

APPLAUSE

Amongst all the things that you're taking into account,

one of the key things is how well the orchestras support the soloist

in this concerto challenge.

How did they do?

They were rhythmically together. They were really careful.

They played very well as a unit, so they were stable.

But unfortunately, right at the beginning

of the little concerto extract, Simon just slipped up.

I was behind the time and that made me fluff the first two bars,

so I was really irritated.

Erm... Yeah.

Yeah, not happy at all.

Finally, we had to Scotland

for Stirling Orchestra's concerto finale.

They've chosen the imposing Dunblane Cathedral,

not far from their hometown,

and they're working hard to get it ready.

I think people are much more... A sense of one step away.

As Indiana Jones said,

that's usually when the floor falls out from beneath your feet.

BAGPIPES PLAYING

Soloist Douglas is warming up his pipes.

All eyes are going to be on Douglas.

I mean, he's going to really have to be the showman.

And I think he will, don't you?

He will, I hope.

He's really got to come alive and he's got to really dominate

the piece with the way he performs as an actor as much as a musician.

We'd really like to make it to the final,

because I think we'd knock the spots of it.

But if we have to take the long walk, then we shall.

You know, I think there'd be a lot of us pretty gutted

if we walked away from this.

This has been such an amazing experience.

It's unified us so much as an orchestra.

We've just had the best time.

We're having such a laugh doing this.

We're now going to play a little bit of ceilidh music

and this is called Riverside Reel.

CLAPPING ALONG AND WHOOPING

So, what are the particular challenges for the orchestra?

They have really got to connect the piece to their audience.

But to really come alive,

they have to attend to every single little detail.

The snaps, the Scotch snaps in the rhythms...

It's a very, very complex little piece of music to play

and they've got to find every single detail.

CHEERING

So, gut reaction, cos that was a lot of fun, wasn't it?

Yeah, of course the piece is fun,

but they really made it even more fun.

Let's talk about Douglas, the piper,

who I thought was very impressive as he came in. The audience were

on the edge of their seats, weren't they, of their pews?

Yes, he was built up very well,

of course, by the music and by the whole concert.

He was just a little bit guarded.

And that took the edge off his performance, I think,

and thank goodness the orchestra were so buoyant.

Do I want to get to the next round?

I'm happy enough to go into the next round.

I think the orchestra would like to get to the next round.

It came together brilliantly, it was an excellent...

I was a really fun night, it was great fun.

I do really hope that was enough to get into the final.

I mean, I don't think we could have done anything more

and the audience seemed to love it, which was wonderful.

Three orchestras have performed three concertos.

Today will be the end of the road for one of them.

Their conductors and soloists are in London

to find out who's in and who's out.

So, Paul, this is never going to be easy,

but which way are you leaning, who's going to stay, who's going to go?

Trying to bring all of these elements together -

the orchestra, the soloists, the way they engage with

their audience - there are so many pluses and minuses all around it.

They've started at completely different levels,

and I've always said that it doesn't matter where you start technically,

it's how well you can improve.

So, Paul, decision time.

I have made a decision.

But it's probably the most difficult decision of the whole contest,

and certainly one of the most difficult I've ever had to make.

We've had this rather painful wait for the week

so it's going to be a relief to find out the result and, of course,

we want, we want to get through.

There's no doubt the orchestra would love to be in the final.

I think they'd also be deeply, deeply surprised.

Sometimes I feel really positive, cos actually

surely he's going to respond to

how much energy, excitement and fun there was?

And he'll forgive us a few little mistakes, too.

No, we made mistakes, we're in big trouble.

So, hello, all of you, thank you for coming,

and can I just say, we have had the best time.

Which has made it a nightmare for Paul.

I know he's had sleepless nights coming to a decision

about which orchestra is going to go home.

The first thing I want to say is just a big, from my heart,

a big, big thank you and a huge congratulations.

London Gay Symphony Orchestra, I thought the orchestra

supported Nathan really well.

The string playing was really flowing.

The trickiest place for me was when Nathan was coming to the end

of the final phrase,

the orchestra slowed down just a bit more than he wanted to.

And actually you slightly left him a little bit high and dry.

Just to go on to Nathan.

Your playing, I loved what you'd done, it was poetic,

you'd really risked a lot

to find what you wanted to express emotionally through the notes.

The audience was jolly, they were very happy,

but I just got the impression

there was a chance for them to kind of come into your musical lives

a bit more, but apart from that I thought it was a really good show.

And then the Stirling Symphony Orchestra.

The music was a huge challenge, but well done for carrying it off.

You supported Douglas really well.

Douglas, great job, but try and push the character a bit.

Your audience, there was a fantastic sense

of everybody really being in the thing together.

And then to North Devon, and Emma and Simon.

You picked an incredibly difficult piece -

it was probably the most difficult, technically speaking.

Simon, you played one phrase and you slipped,

but it matters much more that you recovered from it really quickly

and not one note was dropped in the orchestra as a result.

After that, fantastic performance across the board.

The audience clearly enjoyed every second of it.

You took the trouble to present the orchestra,

you described and demonstrated the idea of what this piece was.

So, good for you.

Now we're facing what is our final.

We can only allow two orchestras to go forward into this final.

I'm really sorry to say that the one orchestra that's not going to

go forward...

..is...

..the London Gay Symphony Orchestra.

I'm very sorry.

You played so beautifully. I'm a bit gutted.

Wonderful, absolutely wonderful. Thank you.

Congratulations, you've been a fantastic orchestra. Thank you.

The orchestra are going to be disappointed at the result, because how could they not be?

But actually, I think we can hold our heads high and I think

certainly Nathan can.

And I think we did the best that we could.

Taking everything into consideration, how well

the orchestra supported Nathan, it was almost all there, but not quite.

And in terms of the sense of the atmosphere

and the way the engagement worked with the audience,

I felt that the other orchestras just pipped them to the post.

Stirling, North Devon, congratulations,

we're so delighted that you're in the final, we loved your concerts.

You're probably wondering why we're here, though.

And the reason is that -

the Royal Albert Hall, because, in the final,

you are going to be performing in the Royal Albert Hall in a playoff.

So good luck!

I've never played there. I've always wanted to.

Be super. The guys will love it, they'll absolutely love it.

Absolutely. A lifetime moment for a lot of them. Yeah, it will be.

Hello. How are you doing? Well, we're through to the final.

CHEERING

You're going to be playing at the Royal Albert Hall.

CHEERING

Next time, the final two orchestras come together

for a musical boot camp.

We're sizing up the competition here,

it's suddenly getting very real.

Things heat up.

Ah...ah... Not that fast.

No, no, no, no!

Good, I'm glad you can't play it!

It completely blows every other challenge out of the water.

Some bits are really not working.

And one orchestra is crowned winner...

..and plays at Proms In The Park.

Good luck. Is that through gritted teeth?

No!

50 years ago, they became superstars in astronomy,

leaders in their fields.

They represent the most productive period astronomy has ever had.

And now, they're taking an anniversary trip.

Hello, everyone, I'm Jimmy Carr.