0:00:02 > 0:00:04Meet Lloyd Coleman.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08He's 19 years old and comes from Bridgend.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12He's on Facebook and Twitter and likes watching Formula One racing.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16But Lloyd's different too.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Well, he's going to be another Mozart, isn't he?
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Lloyd's a gifted musician
0:00:25 > 0:00:29who's studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32He conducts as well. But most of all he wants to be a composer.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35It's a big ambition for anyone.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39And for Lloyd, it's even greater.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43He's partially sighted and has severe hearing loss in both ears.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45But he's not the first composer with problems.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Think of poor old Beethoven, who was completely deaf.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50His inner ear was perfect.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52He's basically a genius.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55On top of that, he's disabled but he doesn't use that.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58It doesn't hinder the creativity he comes out with.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03The music he writes might not be to everybody's taste...
0:01:03 > 0:01:06I don't think it's going to end up in the charts.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10..but Lloyd's determined to prove he can make it as a top composer.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13My life so far has been about my music.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17So this is a chance for me to prove myself musically.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Lloyd has been commissioned to write a 30 minute orchestral piece
0:01:21 > 0:01:24called Breaking The Wall. He wants it to inspire anybody
0:01:24 > 0:01:27who's battled through physical difficulties
0:01:27 > 0:01:29to reach their goals.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32If he does a good job, it will be played
0:01:32 > 0:01:35by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
0:01:35 > 0:01:37in a live concert performance.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40But first, he has to write it.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Writing for orchestra is always a challenge
0:01:42 > 0:01:44and the blank page is always terrifying.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47We've been following Lloyd for the past year
0:01:47 > 0:01:51to see how he coped with this massive musical challenge
0:01:51 > 0:01:54and find out whether or not he can break through
0:01:54 > 0:01:56his own barriers to success.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08The Royal Academy of Music in London
0:02:08 > 0:02:11is Britain's oldest conservatoire.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Previous students include Sir Simon Rattle,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Annie Lennox and Sir Elton John.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20But one first year composition student from Wales
0:02:20 > 0:02:23has something most of his classmates would kill for.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Lloyd Coleman has a dream commission.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29the chance to write a piece for full orchestra.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33And today he's facing a very demanding audience.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35He's showing some early sketches of the piece
0:02:35 > 0:02:38to his composition tutor, Gary Carpenter.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40HE PLAYS PIANO
0:02:41 > 0:02:45# Dee, da, da, da, da. #
0:02:45 > 0:02:46Yeah, yeah.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49To tell you the truth, I think the low B and the low C
0:02:49 > 0:02:53- make quite a big difference to the texture of that.- They do.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Over the next year or so, Lloyd will show every stage
0:03:00 > 0:03:03of Breaking The Wall to Gary, who is a composer himself.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07- I mean, this is a canon by version, right?- Yeah.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11If he's not convinced by the piece, it's unlikely the musicians
0:03:11 > 0:03:14of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales will be either.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Hmm.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18'The relationship you form'
0:03:18 > 0:03:21with your first steady tutor at the Academy
0:03:21 > 0:03:23is the most important one, really.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26They are obviously your main guiding light
0:03:26 > 0:03:29throughout your time studying composition.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Forget that for a minute. That bar is a repetition of that one.
0:03:33 > 0:03:34So it's just the same bar twice.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38- Oh, no. It changes there.- Yeah.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42- I wouldn't dare repeat the same bar twice, Gary.- Perfect.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47May 1992 and there's a new baby in Bridgend.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Lloyd was born with a mop of white hair, which was very unusual.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56So he was literally taken around the maternity ward
0:03:56 > 0:04:01being shown off with this mop of white hair.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05It was only when he went for his eight week check.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08He wasn't following the finger,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10the finger test over their eyes.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13He wasn't following them as he should.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16He was given his first pair of glasses at five months.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18He has never, ever removed his glasses.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21From the first time he was given a pair of glasses,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24they've remained on his head.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29As Lloyd started to grow, life returned to normal.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33But Julie knew something wasn't right.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36There was something there, a niggle at the back.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38I couldn't put my finger on it
0:04:38 > 0:04:43and I thought there's more to Lloyd than just his visual impairment.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Sometimes he wouldn't respond if his name was called.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Or if he had his back to us as a baby,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52there was very little response. He had all the tests.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54He passed them all
0:04:54 > 0:04:58and it was only just before starting school
0:04:58 > 0:05:00that he was referred
0:05:00 > 0:05:03to the audiology department
0:05:03 > 0:05:07and diagnosed with severe hearing loss in both ears.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Whatever the cause of his deafness,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Lloyd quickly got used to wearing hearing aids in both ears.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19There was also a new and very interesting toy in his life.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- Actually, can you realise any of that on the piano?- Yeah.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27- Can I hear it?- Yeah.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30'You're basically trying to find your own voice,
0:05:30 > 0:05:31'where you fit in the world.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35'So the composition teaching here is very much geared towards
0:05:35 > 0:05:40'the student being able to find their own way of saying things.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43'The composition course at the Academy,'
0:05:43 > 0:05:47to put it simply , it is a process of self-discovery.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Lloyd began to discover he could be a composer
0:05:52 > 0:05:53when he started at school.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Well, when he started in Litchard Infant School at the age of...
0:05:59 > 0:06:02What was it? Four and a half.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05This white-haired little boy coming to school.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10I knew that he had a hearing impairment and sight as well.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13But, you know, I don't think that...
0:06:13 > 0:06:16That didn't, you know, stop him at all.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Even in school, you know, his work in school.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25Well, he was a normal little boy, although he had all these problems.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27From a four-year-old in reception class,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29he was sat in the middle of the class
0:06:29 > 0:06:33with another child. He couldn't see the board,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36so without even mentioning it to the class teacher at four,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40he asked his little pal could he pick up the other end of the table.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42And the two of them picked up the table
0:06:42 > 0:06:46and moved it across the room in front of the board.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47And the teacher just stood there,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51watching these little four-year-olds carrying the table across,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54putting it down in front of the blackboard so he could see
0:06:54 > 0:06:56what she had written. And that is Lloyd.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59All we've got to do is just look at those harmonic things.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Just, you know, check them through.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05And having a look at the proportions can be absolutely fine.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- It's going in the right direction though?- Oh, yeah. No question.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11With Breaking The Wall well underway,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Lloyd heads back to Bridgend.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17He's returning to the ordinary school
0:07:17 > 0:07:21where an extraordinary schoolboy with no background in music
0:07:21 > 0:07:23met somebody who changed everything for him.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- Hello!- Oh, how are you, my little boy?- Very good, thank you.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33- So this is where it all started. - It is.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35On that piano there. Yeah.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38He wouldn't show
0:07:38 > 0:07:42that he was interested in music.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47I didn't realise until he showed me these pieces of compositions then.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52One day Lloyd had arrived at school
0:07:52 > 0:07:55with some strange drawings he'd made.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57These sheets of music,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00which were like a piece of art, actually.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03But you know, I could see that they were music.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10And I thought, "Mm, there's something going on here."
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Before long, Mrs Davies was teaching Lloyd to read music.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19But very quickly, he wanted to make some of his own.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22As soon as he put his hands, you know,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26his little fingers on the keyboard, he took it...
0:08:26 > 0:08:31Well, like a duck to water as they say. You know, marvellous.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33This is Coleman Opus No.1,
0:08:33 > 0:08:38the first piece of music Lloyd wrote for Mrs Davis.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41He was seven years old.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47It's been a while since he played it.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50HE STOPS PLAYING I can't remember the rest of it.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53HE RESUMES PLAYING It must be an A, just over and over again.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58He can read music so quickly to start off with and, you know,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02I'd give him a piece of music and it was note perfect
0:09:02 > 0:09:06and fluent within a couple of days.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09And we were going from one book
0:09:09 > 0:09:11to the other. I've never...
0:09:11 > 0:09:16You know, no pupil or mine has gone so fast through books.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21HE PLAYS JAUNTY TUNE
0:09:21 > 0:09:23HE LAUGHS
0:09:23 > 0:09:27'He's got the drive. You know, he wants to do it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31'That's how I felt when he was with me as a pupil. He wanted to do it.'
0:09:31 > 0:09:33I didn't have to bully him
0:09:33 > 0:09:37at all, you know. He wanted to do it.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41He was so easy, so easy to teach.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45'It was absolutely wonderful actually. It was really,
0:09:45 > 0:09:47'really nice to see Mrs Davies.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50'It made me feel strangely... Well, I'm only 19
0:09:50 > 0:09:53'and it made me feel nostalgic in a way.'
0:09:53 > 0:09:54I absolutely loved my time here
0:09:54 > 0:09:58and it was really nice to see everyone again.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Back home with his family, Lloyd is thinking about the challenge ahead.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11You know, it's going to be a large orchestral piece,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13so it's going to be about half an hour of music
0:10:13 > 0:10:15for full symphony orchestra.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19That's way beyond anything I've ever done before.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21But I don't think my hearing impairment makes any difference
0:10:21 > 0:10:25at all to my inner ear, because obviously you're not actually...
0:10:25 > 0:10:29By using your inner ear to hear sounds,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31you're not using any external source.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35It's a kind of memory game really.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Because you're trying to store up in your head
0:10:39 > 0:10:42a bank of sounds
0:10:42 > 0:10:47that you know work and don't work.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Notes that you know work well together
0:10:50 > 0:10:53and maybe don't work so well together.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56You develop that in your head. I don't have to use my ears anymore.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01I can just use my brain and I can internalise it.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06But Lloyd is also partially sighted, which brings its own challenges.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14That's also part of the reason why I use Sibelius the computer programme
0:11:14 > 0:11:15to produce my full scores.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18On this computer screen, I have my mouse here
0:11:18 > 0:11:22and I can just simply move around the page,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24or the pages, of music.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28I can scroll right into that.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32You know, and I can scroll up and down,
0:11:32 > 0:11:33move up and down the page.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37I'm really, you know, close into it and if I put my glasses on,
0:11:37 > 0:11:42I can see that very clearly now and it's a lot easier to, you know,
0:11:42 > 0:11:46do it that way than it is to do it on tiny manuscript paper like that.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50It's not the most exciting thing to watch, coming up with all these
0:11:50 > 0:11:55wacky ideas, but it's not really a spectator sport, if anything.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Friends, Romans, countrymen. Lend me your years.
0:12:17 > 0:12:202010, that's a very good year.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24Lloyd's in Neath, working with a charity called UCAN.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27They encourage young people who are partially sighted
0:12:27 > 0:12:29to get involved with the arts.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34They spotted Lloyd when he was thirteen years old
0:12:34 > 0:12:36and have been key to his development ever since.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39UCAN commissioned Breaking The Wall
0:12:39 > 0:12:44and eventually want to use it as part of their education programme.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47But they also supported Lloyd
0:12:47 > 0:12:50all the way through his teenage years.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54The main thing, first and foremost, is to make friends.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57A lot of visually impaired people we found
0:12:57 > 0:13:00when we first started out are actually quite isolated.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04And so UCAN is a way to bring them together
0:13:04 > 0:13:06and to have some fun.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10This week we've been in Neath
0:13:10 > 0:13:13with a group from UCAN
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and we've been working on a bit of my Breaking The Wall piece.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19I've basically written
0:13:19 > 0:13:22a kind of mock-up of part of the piece
0:13:22 > 0:13:26and we've started to create a dance piece based on that.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30He's rare because I've only a couple in my life as an artist
0:13:30 > 0:13:32and he's one of them.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34He's basically a genius.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38On top of that, he's disabled which is an incredible handicap
0:13:38 > 0:13:41to have for someone like Lloyd.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45But he doesn't use that. It doesn't hinder his creativity at all.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49In fact, he uses it as a kind of thing
0:13:49 > 0:13:52to make him a little bit more focused.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56The work we've been doing this week, I really appreciate it personally
0:13:56 > 0:14:00because obviously it's the start of my piece coming to life.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03It's a long project, you know.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06This will build up to next year, summer 2012,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08so I really appreciate you putting the work in now,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12because you're like a template to what we'll take around Wales.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Very exciting times ahead. Thank you very much everyone.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17APPLAUSE
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Lloyd's already written a number of pieces of music
0:14:22 > 0:14:24that have been performed.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28This evening in a church near Bristol, four students
0:14:28 > 0:14:31from the Royal Academy of Music rehearse a quartet by Beethoven.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36And also something more recent, written by Lloyd.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38DRAMATIC STRING MUSIC
0:14:45 > 0:14:49It's a string quartet he wrote when he was sixteen...
0:14:49 > 0:14:50Which one?
0:14:50 > 0:14:54..and he's here to make sure the Vasari quartet get it right.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57It's very simple, it's just made of a triplet.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- Well, I think we were off that. - You weren't, you were perfect up
0:15:01 > 0:15:03until two or four.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05The piece is flipping hard, you know.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08It's really, really difficult.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Some of the stretches that the violin players have to do
0:15:12 > 0:15:15towards the end of the piece are very, very wide
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and very, very uncomfortable on the hands.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20VIOLIN MUSIC
0:15:27 > 0:15:29It's incredibly exciting to play.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33It's very physical and it's very demanding to play
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and it just requires absolute, 100% concentration
0:15:36 > 0:15:40because the whole thing can be over in seconds
0:15:40 > 0:15:42we're not on it all the time.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45- INTERVIEWER:- Did you make it like that deliberately?
0:15:45 > 0:15:47No, I think the mixture of things is like that.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50I wrote the piece about two or three years ago now,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52so I was a little bit less experienced.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56I wasn't quite so aware of how difficult
0:15:56 > 0:15:59some of those passages were to the violin.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01But having said that, I did want to,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04you know, give the chord a work out.
0:16:04 > 0:16:05HE LAUGHS
0:16:05 > 0:16:07I must have been a very angry boy at the time!
0:16:07 > 0:16:10FRANTIC STRING MUSIC
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Angry or not,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Lloyd's music is at the cutting edge of contemporary taste.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25And even those closest to him
0:16:25 > 0:16:27sometimes wonder what it's all about.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34I enjoy music with a little bit of a tune, shall we say?
0:16:34 > 0:16:38And we've had lots of debates, because Lloyd's music
0:16:38 > 0:16:41is quite contemporary, as he keeps on reminding me.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Yeah! No, that was brilliant. That was the best you've ever done it.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Please do it like that tonight!
0:16:57 > 0:16:59With rehearsals out of the way,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02it's time for Lloyd to meet his audience.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06APPLAUSE
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Tonight, we're looking at the idea of energy in this piece
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and I'm certain, no matter what happens,
0:17:12 > 0:17:14you will get that idea loud and clear.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16LAUGHTER
0:17:16 > 0:17:18ENERGETIC STRING MUSIC
0:17:41 > 0:17:43APPLAUSE
0:17:47 > 0:17:50The concert's been a welcome distraction
0:17:50 > 0:17:52from the business of composing.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
0:17:54 > 0:17:58in Cardiff have offered Lloyd some space and time
0:17:58 > 0:18:00to get on with Breaking The Wall.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04The piece itself is based on a Greek legend.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09It's about an ancient Athenian herald called Pheidippedes.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Pheidippides was sent from the battlefield of Marathon
0:18:13 > 0:18:18to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20He ran the entire distance without stopping,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23but died after passing on his message.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26His story inspired the modern Olympic marathon event.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33So it's a very heroic story.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Very inspiring.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41I found it interesting because I think it can serve
0:18:41 > 0:18:44as a kind of metaphor of disability.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46- INTERVIEWER:- Do you consider yourself to be disabled?
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I don't think of myself as being disabled, no.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52I am disabled technically. I do have impairments.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55I have a visual impairment and a hearing impairment,
0:18:55 > 0:18:56so you could label me disabled,
0:18:56 > 0:19:01but I certainly don't seek to be labelled in that way.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03PIANO MUSIC
0:19:08 > 0:19:10I think on a personal level,
0:19:10 > 0:19:15it is obviously about this idea of overcoming adversity.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18And overcoming barriers.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27For me, it might be the barrier of disability,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31but I think it could be anything really, that barrier.
0:19:34 > 0:19:35Well, the 28-minute piece,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39the most important thing is having a structure in place.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40The music can't dip.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44You don't want your audience to get bored or be too repetitive,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48so he has to have a very clear frame for such a long piece.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Writing for such large forces, obviously,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53he needs to be able to control the orchestra over large spans of time
0:19:53 > 0:19:57as well as keeping the ear engaged
0:19:57 > 0:19:59in more bar-to-bar detail.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02So it's kind of a juggling act between detail
0:20:02 > 0:20:05and keeping the sweep of the music going.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Oh, that's nice.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23I like that. That's OK.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27So, in context, it would be...
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Oh, no, I've forgotten it! That's annoying.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49I did it and now I can't remember the chord.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51That's really annoying.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Er...
0:21:03 > 0:21:07While Lloyd tries to remember, the world moves on.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12He's been setting himself a daily writing target.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17Today he's aiming to get two minutes of draft score on to the page.
0:21:17 > 0:21:18Wow!
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Two minutes, 11.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24I was probably playing it a bit slow to make it longer.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26HE LAUGHS
0:21:26 > 0:21:29No, that's good actually.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Because it's quite a slow section with not very many notes in it,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36I've actually managed to get quite a lot done there,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38so I'm quite pleased with that.
0:21:41 > 0:21:42In search of more ideas,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Lloyd has decided to meet some Paralympian hopefuls in Cardiff.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50With Breaking The Wall's Olympic inspiration
0:21:50 > 0:21:54and London 2012 around the corner, their insight could be invaluable.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59And they know better than most how tough breaking the wall can be.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01You're throwing the same distance over and over again
0:22:01 > 0:22:05and you're trying to break through that wall to get a further distance.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10It's so frustrating it's unbelievable and it gets you down.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14You try so hard to break it, it can affect your technique
0:22:14 > 0:22:17because you're trying to put so much effort and force into it
0:22:17 > 0:22:22that you forget about technique, and it breaks down completely.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25I think about breaking that wall, getting through it,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29as in making my technique better, making myself more flexible
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and getting that power in the right place
0:22:32 > 0:22:36and just trying to hit it as hard as I can but in the right way.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Is that a big motivating factor to be able to say
0:22:38 > 0:22:41you competed in the Paralympic Games in Britain?
0:22:41 > 0:22:42Yeah, exactly.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44That's what's making me go a bit more
0:22:44 > 0:22:48cos it's not just any Paralympics but the one everyone will remember,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52so when I feel tired or at training I'm not doing as well,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56because I've got that aim, that makes me motivated.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59And seeing everyone, cos we train in a group,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02seeing them train, especially this year
0:23:02 > 0:23:06everyone's going for it, so that makes me train a bit more.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09And when I'm tired and can't be bothered to go training,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12I'll go cos it's one step closer hopefully.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18They all said in one way or another
0:23:18 > 0:23:22that, basically, that is kind of what's keeping them going.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26That long-term goal is what helps you when you're struggling
0:23:26 > 0:23:30or having a bad day, or when things aren't going well
0:23:30 > 0:23:34and, in a sense, that's exactly the way it is with composition as well.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Back in London,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Lloyd has an appointment with one of Britain's greatest living composers.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Students regularly workshop their pieces
0:23:46 > 0:23:50with some of the brightest musical minds in the world.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Sir Peter Maxwell Davies is one of them.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Lloyd has brought along the opening section of his piece.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01This is the opening sections of it.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Yeah, the opening few minutes.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07I'm whizzing through very quickly just to get the overall...
0:24:08 > 0:24:13Everyone's eyes are on Breaking The Wall, including Sir Peter's.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16And he's not likely to miss anything.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20You see, I would have thought that that there, without telling me,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25sounds a C and corresponds to that C there which comes out of it,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27but it isn't. It's a G.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31I would look at that and say, "What does he mean? Why has he done that?
0:24:31 > 0:24:34"Is there a distinction in the quality of the sound?"
0:24:34 > 0:24:36And I don't think there is.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39There isn't.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42He's doing an orchestral piece which is very difficult
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and you can't put an old head on young shoulders.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49I look back at the orchestral pieces I wrote when I was his age
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and I think, "You didn't know much, did you?"
0:24:54 > 0:24:57And he's doing fine. He's doing very well.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01He's got a very good imagination, so that is very exciting
0:25:01 > 0:25:03for the other students and for me,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06just to watch and listen to how this is coming on.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10But it is confusing if you've already done that.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Yeah, so if I can eliminate that?
0:25:13 > 0:25:16- If you eliminate that then that one is clear.- OK.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Another lesson learned.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24With Sir Peter's advice fresh in his mind,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Lloyd gets on with writing Breaking The Wall.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30But after a while, we hear he's having problems.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34He's facing something every composer dreads - a block.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39A few weeks later, we catch up with him at the Wales Millennium Centre.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42He's performing at the annual UCAN Festival.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48And the chance to play his clarinet
0:25:48 > 0:25:51rather than confront his block is a welcome one.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54It's going to be interesting
0:25:54 > 0:25:57because I don't really know where I'm at.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I've spent the last year composing a lot at the Academy
0:26:00 > 0:26:04with my composition course. Haven't done so much playing
0:26:04 > 0:26:06so today will be an interesting test of,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10you know, how much talent have I lost?
0:26:22 > 0:26:25UCAN has changed many lives, my own included.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28They are completely absorbed
0:26:28 > 0:26:31in creating opportunities for other people.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Breaking The Wall is about overcoming adversity
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and extraordinary people and in UCAN,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41everybody is an extraordinary person.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47After the concert, Lloyd does some interviews
0:26:47 > 0:26:51and it isn't long before the subject of that block comes up.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54I've actually got to write the piece first before they can play it.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57- And how's that coming along? - Thanks for asking.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00There is no worse feeling
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I think than a block.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06And it's just a horrible feeling
0:27:06 > 0:27:10because you just cannot see a way past
0:27:10 > 0:27:12where you're at,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15so you reach a certain point
0:27:15 > 0:27:18and suddenly you just don't know what note to put next.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23It's not nice at all.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26There's no easy way out of it either.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29I'm not going to worry about it too much
0:27:29 > 0:27:34because it's par for the course and something you have to accept.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38These things are going to happen.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43You have to break through the wall, if you'll excuse the pun.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Lloyd manages to break through his block
0:27:52 > 0:27:56and today he's returned to the Royal Academy of Music in London.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02It's a big day.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04The final part of Breaking The Wall
0:28:04 > 0:28:06is getting a full orchestral workshop
0:28:06 > 0:28:08at the Academy's prestigious Duke's Hall.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12I'm beginning to feel quite nervous now.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14About an hour to go before it's rehearsed for the first time
0:28:14 > 0:28:18by the RAM Orchestra.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20I've been working on this piece for 18 months now
0:28:20 > 0:28:24and it's been in my head and I've heard electronic versions of it,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27but this is the first time I'm going to hear live instruments
0:28:27 > 0:28:31and musicians play it, so, for me, that is really nerve-wracking.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34I don't know whether all composers experience this.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35I've spoken to some friends
0:28:35 > 0:28:38who don't get nervous before their pieces are played.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42I'm just one of those people who are really worried,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45not because I'm worried what other people will think,
0:28:45 > 0:28:49but I'm just worried about whether I've done myself justice.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Whether the music I've written on the page
0:28:52 > 0:28:55is going to work as I wanted it to.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57So, wait and see.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01Pheidippides then, as well as having run there to fight...
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Before the workshop,
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Lloyd has a chance to explain Breaking The Wall to the orchestra.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10You'll have to excuse me if the music's a little bit bombastic
0:29:10 > 0:29:15but please appreciate it is the last six minutes of a very long piece.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19And then at last the waiting is over.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24ENTIRE ORCHESTRA PLAYING
0:29:48 > 0:29:50The workshop's conductor is Christopher Austin.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54He's got years of experience
0:29:54 > 0:29:57and can offer Lloyd plenty of support and constructive advice.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Lloyd, after figure 11, page 31, here.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Tell me about the relationship between players in an orchestra.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12- Yeah.- Musicians.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14- Yeah.- And composers.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16HE LAUGHS
0:30:16 > 0:30:19- And then this. - And then on the chord again, please.
0:30:19 > 0:30:20For the first trumpet?
0:30:20 > 0:30:24'The problem with the composer is to know when to speak to
0:30:24 > 0:30:28'the conductor and say, "X, Y and Z need fixing" or when to leave it
0:30:28 > 0:30:31'and know the conductor knows that and doesn't need telling.'
0:30:31 > 0:30:36That kind of dynamic of talking to the orchestra through the conductor
0:30:36 > 0:30:38is very difficult to get right when you're a composer.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42If you keep interrupting you'll annoy the conductor and orchestra.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44So, Rob, actually...
0:30:44 > 0:30:48'But if you leave it until they've finished rehearsing
0:30:48 > 0:30:52'on the day of the concert, and you say, "This, and that is wrong,"
0:30:52 > 0:30:56'they'll say, "Why didn't you tell me yesterday when I could fix it?"'
0:30:56 > 0:30:57So that is really difficult
0:30:57 > 0:31:00and something Lloyd will get through experience.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06Tutti at ten. Thank you.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09STRINGS PLAY
0:31:11 > 0:31:13OK, thank you.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16Bar by bar, the orchestra take the closing section
0:31:16 > 0:31:18of Breaking The Wall apart
0:31:18 > 0:31:21and then put it back together again.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Two things.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39With Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies listening to every bar,
0:31:39 > 0:31:41the workshop is finally over.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43Thank you so much, everyone.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45APPLAUSE
0:31:45 > 0:31:47It's like going from black and white to colour in a way
0:31:47 > 0:31:52and it's very easy to not appreciate in the case of this section,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55quite how epic it is.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58But he's a super-talented young man
0:31:58 > 0:32:01and we're very lucky to have him in our academy.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03I'm really happy with it.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08All that time it's been in my head it's now finally been played live
0:32:08 > 0:32:12and it's really inspired me to really go and complete the piece
0:32:12 > 0:32:15and finish it and refine it to the absolute best it can be.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17So thank you so much for your work all day,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20for your skill, your patience and your musicality.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24It's very, very much appreciated. Thank you from all of us.
0:32:24 > 0:32:25APPLAUSE
0:32:31 > 0:32:35Six weeks later and another city,
0:32:35 > 0:32:36another concert hall.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39But now the stakes couldn't be higher for Lloyd.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44The BBC National Orchestra of Wales get their first look
0:32:44 > 0:32:48at Breaking The Wall just 24 hours before its debut performance.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53It will be played by more than 80 of the country's best musicians,
0:32:53 > 0:32:55in front of a packed house
0:32:55 > 0:32:59with a live radio audience listening in for good measure.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04No wonder Lloyd's starting to feel the pressure.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06Little bit nervous. Well, very nervous.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08The moment before they start playing,
0:33:08 > 0:33:10I always get really nervous.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13I'm probably more nervous now, before the rehearsal,
0:33:13 > 0:33:15than I will be before the performance tomorrow
0:33:15 > 0:33:18because this moment before the rehearsal things can go wrong.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20I might have made a mistake in the score.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24I don't think I have but that remains to be seen.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28If there is a problem, Radio Three listeners
0:33:28 > 0:33:32tuning in live to tomorrow's concert will probably spot it.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37But before the rehearsal starts, there's a last chance for Lloyd
0:33:37 > 0:33:42to talk to conductor Sian Edwards and then he has to let go.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45I can't wait to hear a professional orchestra
0:33:45 > 0:33:49as good as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales play my piece.
0:33:49 > 0:33:54It is daunting in a sense because it's the first time
0:33:54 > 0:33:59I've had my piece played by a full professional symphony orchestra.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02These musicians know exactly what they're doing.
0:34:02 > 0:34:03They know what to expect.
0:34:03 > 0:34:08They know what's good music and not-so-good music,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11so it's daunting in the sense that I'm basically putting myself
0:34:11 > 0:34:13out there straight away.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18ORCHESTRA START PLAYING
0:34:22 > 0:34:25It's a big piece. It's well constructed.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29The bits that need to be heard can be heard cos it's very well-written.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31It's very well orchestrated.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35He makes sure that the score is separate where it needs to be.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38It's separated out where it needs to be. There's not a confusing muddle.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45There are one or two sections that are really tricky
0:34:45 > 0:34:48to get fingers and thumbs together, but that makes it a challenge.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59It's a very well-written violin part because there's lots to do for us,
0:34:59 > 0:35:03and it's quite challenging as well, which is good.
0:35:03 > 0:35:04I think it's a great start, actually.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07We were all saying how impressed we are with this piece
0:35:07 > 0:35:11and, for someone so young to be writing stuff like this
0:35:11 > 0:35:13is really quite encouraging.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16So I'm quite excited to see what happens next.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18The third trombone goes to forte
0:35:18 > 0:35:21but everybody else could you go to mezzo forte
0:35:21 > 0:35:26and then very quickly diminuendo, so it's quite short?
0:35:26 > 0:35:28The rehearsal's gone well.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32but the real test will come at tomorrow's performance.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35In the meantime, there's a chance for the players to offer
0:35:35 > 0:35:37some last-minute thoughts.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41- It seems like quite a lot of it is second violin parts.- Yeah.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43'It was a really good experience. I really enjoyed it.
0:35:43 > 0:35:48'Obviously I'm just delighted how the orchestra are playing my piece.'
0:35:51 > 0:35:53It's the big day at last.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57Breaking The Wall gets its public debut. The concert's sold out.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03And with Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Karl Jenkins on the bill too,
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Lloyd's in good company.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10Backstage, the players tune up.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14And with just a few hours to go,
0:36:14 > 0:36:17Lloyd's here early to watch final rehearsals.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22But there's not much he can do to change things now.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33This afternoon's concert is about to begin
0:36:33 > 0:36:36and with the audience taking their seats,
0:36:36 > 0:36:38there's one last crisis for Lloyd to deal with.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45- TANNOY:- This afternoon's live broadcast will begin in two minutes.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47One of his most important guests still hasn't arrived.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50I'll go downstairs and have a look.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52Lloyd's first music teacher Mrs Davies
0:36:52 > 0:36:54couldn't find a parking space.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57Hello. I'm really sorry, I've got to run, but here are your tickets.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01- We've literally got to go in now. - I know, two minutes!
0:37:01 > 0:37:02- You all right?- Yeah.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07It's been 18 months in the making,
0:37:07 > 0:37:09but now, with his mother sitting next to him,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Lloyd's moment is finally here.
0:37:24 > 0:37:29I think Lloyd's music is incredibly strong and powerful
0:37:29 > 0:37:31and one thing which really works when we performed it just now
0:37:31 > 0:37:34was that the orchestra could really get hold of it.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36They could really get into the sound of it
0:37:36 > 0:37:39and make something very dramatic and very powerful,
0:37:39 > 0:37:43so I think that in itself just shows how much Lloyd is thinking
0:37:43 > 0:37:47orchestrally and how much his imagination is already
0:37:47 > 0:37:49translating across the page to the players.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58He's considered criticism very, very maturely.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01He's defended his corner as and when appropriate
0:38:01 > 0:38:03and done very good job.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05I'm proud of him.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18Absolutely fantastic.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22He's overcome all those problems which is wonderful
0:38:22 > 0:38:26and I'm so glad I was a little part of it.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29Very, very proud. Amazing.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32And I actually enjoyed the piece, which is even better!
0:38:42 > 0:38:44This Breaking The Wall piece
0:38:44 > 0:38:47has been completely kind of consuming for me.
0:38:47 > 0:38:52It has taken over my life and it has been such a challenge to write it,
0:38:52 > 0:38:56that it's been hard to switch off from it and to not think about it.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02APPLAUSE
0:39:02 > 0:39:03I'm really happy.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06There's loads of words I could use to describe how I feel right now.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09It's all a bit manic really.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12But I'm proud of what I've done
0:39:12 > 0:39:16and now I've got to move on from it really and keep going.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19APPLAUSE
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd