0:00:43 > 0:00:47Two years ago, 16-year-old Lara Melda captivated us
0:00:47 > 0:00:51with a breath-taking performance of the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2
0:00:51 > 0:00:54and was named BBC Young Musician 2010.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56It was an enthralling final,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59featuring three very talented young people
0:00:59 > 0:01:02and in Lara we found a truly special winner.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05She's already in demand on the professional stage
0:01:05 > 0:01:09and I know we'll be hearing a lot more from her in years to come.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Tonight, we begin our coverage of BBC Young Musician 2012,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30and I can tell you that we have some exceptional young performers.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Over 450 applied.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Just 25 remain.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Over the next four weeks, we'll be following their journey
0:01:41 > 0:01:44as they stake a claim to become the next BBC Young Musician.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50One thing's certain - there's no overnight success here!
0:01:50 > 0:01:54It takes huge amounts of talent, dedication and passion
0:01:54 > 0:01:56to reach this standard.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59But we're looking for something even beyond that.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Something extra special.
0:02:03 > 0:02:09You can expect tension, drama and some magnificent music-making.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Welcome to Cardiff, and BBC Young Musician 2012.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24It gives an opportunity they can't possibly have anywhere else.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26It helps you understand what performance is.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30To get every note, you know, to the highest possible standard.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It's a very stimulating experience.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37I remember watching it and thought, "Wouldn't it be great?" The exposure provides many things.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40It starts off your career, if you like, on a different level.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42It's clearly a great start to your professional career.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49It really does open doors for people.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51My life has been changed.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03It's a very important competition.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06I wouldn't be here right now if I hadn't won it. It's amazing.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Lots to look forward to over the next four weeks.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19This year, we're at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff
0:03:19 > 0:03:22for these category finals and the semifinal.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26This is the second year that the college has played host to BBC Young Musician at this stage
0:03:26 > 0:03:30but, since the competition was last here in 2008,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32the building has undergone a major new facelift,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36including the addition of a fantastic new concert hall.
0:03:36 > 0:03:42Last-minute preparations still going on in the hall ahead of tonight's Keyboard category final,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45which opens BBC Young Musician 2012.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Very soon, we'll be hearing five brilliant young pianists
0:03:48 > 0:03:52perform on this stage. Their aim - to convince our expert jury
0:03:52 > 0:03:55that they've got what it takes to be named category winner
0:03:55 > 0:03:58and book that all-important place in the semifinal.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Before we meet them, here's a quick guide to how all of our category finalists reached this stage.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09From the very start, the standard has been incredibly high -
0:04:09 > 0:04:13you have to be Grade 8 or above just to enter this competition.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18Over 450 musicians applied, with auditions held all around the UK.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25But just 25 have made it through to this stage - the category finals.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28That's 5 finalists in each instrumental group -
0:04:28 > 0:04:33Brass, Woodwind, Strings, Keyboard and Percussion.
0:04:33 > 0:04:39Our category finalists are now competing for an all-important place in the semifinal,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43which will bring them a step closer to the coveted title,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45BBC Young Musician 2012.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51The final will be broadcast on 13th May on BBC Two
0:04:51 > 0:04:54from The Sage, Gateshead, where just three competitors
0:04:54 > 0:04:59will have the chance to perform a full concerto with the Northern Sinfonia,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02conducted by acclaimed maestro Kirill Karabits.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10We'll be here on BBC Four for the next four weeks with extensive
0:05:10 > 0:05:12highlights of the category finals.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15We'll also be going behind the scenes to meet the jury
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and find out how they make those agonising decisions
0:05:18 > 0:05:21as well as getting to know all of our finalists a bit better -
0:05:21 > 0:05:23starting with tonight's pianists.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28Let's meet the five competitors who've made it through to this year's Keyboard category final.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39The first of our five is 16-year-old Dominic Degavino, from Chesterfield.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47It's very exciting actually. When you're performing you want to say something to the audience.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54I think enjoying yourself is a part of it.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59Whether you win or not it's down to playing on the day
0:05:59 > 0:06:02and we'll see what happens, but I'd love to win.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12Originally from Seoul, South Korea, 18-year-old Victor Lim studies
0:06:12 > 0:06:16here in the UK, making him eligible to compete in BBC Young Musician.
0:06:16 > 0:06:22I'm usually OK. Half an hour before it starts kind of getting crazy.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26I'm not feeling the nerves yet, but that'll come.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30It will be good experience just being here whatever the result is.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34I feel really privileged.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Having reached this stage two years ago,
0:06:47 > 0:06:5215-year-old Yuanfan Yang is a veteran of this competition.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57I'm really excited to be honest. I'm looking forward to tonight's performance.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Performing in front of the judges, I'm going to try my best.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10I've done a really contrasted programme and it means a lot to me, this repertoire I'm playing today.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Hopefully they'll like it.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18It doesn't sound too much?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Also 15,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Adam Boeker is from Canada but studies in Manchester.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33Although I am looking forward to it I'm slightly anxious and nervous.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37The standard is so high this year, but I'm really looking forward to playing it.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48When I see the judges on stage I'll do my best to impress them.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Finally, Martin Bartlett, who's 15 and comes from Essex.
0:08:02 > 0:08:03I'm so excited.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06I think I'm going to consider it as a performance rather than
0:08:06 > 0:08:09a competition and just play to everyone.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15The judges aren't too far away.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19I don't see them as any different to anyone else in the audience
0:08:19 > 0:08:21because everyone's come here to listen to music.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It's lots of hours spent at the piano beforehand,
0:08:30 > 0:08:34but then it turns into 20 minutes on the stage.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36You have to make the most of the time you have on there
0:08:36 > 0:08:40to show everything you've been working on.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45There we have our five finalists.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50We're not far from hearing our first Keyboard Finalist.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Two years ago it was this category that gave us
0:08:53 > 0:08:56our overall winner with 16-year-old pianist Lara Melda.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59She joined an impressive list of previous winners including
0:08:59 > 0:09:02violinist Nicola Benedetti, pianist Freddy Kempf
0:09:02 > 0:09:05and cellist Natalie Clein, all of whom have gone on to have
0:09:05 > 0:09:09international careers as soloists and recording artists.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Two years on we have been catching up with Lara to find out
0:09:12 > 0:09:15what it meant to her to win BBC Young musician 2010.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21The BBC Young Musician of 2010.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25We were holding hands and shaking and like, "Oh, God."
0:09:25 > 0:09:27So intense.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32- Lara Omeroglu. - APPLAUSE
0:09:32 > 0:09:34'It was an amazing occasion.'
0:09:34 > 0:09:39To see her win, I was overjoyed for her.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46It's been a busy two years for Lara since winning the title.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58The competition has opened a lot of doors for me.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02I've been giving concerts non-stop. It's been such a pleasure.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05She's thriving. She's loving all the opportunities.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13I've been loads of places. I've been to Venice, Switzerland, I've been to Turkey three times.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14I really enjoy it.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20In addition to her many performances,
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Lara still has to find time for her studies at The Purcell School
0:10:24 > 0:10:27and the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Good.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36'Achieving the level she did'
0:10:36 > 0:10:40to be crowned BBC Young Musician was absolutely fantastic.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Having to build on her performances
0:10:48 > 0:10:51and make sure that every performance is of the quality that
0:10:51 > 0:10:55one would expect of someone of that standard.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02I would not be here right now if I hadn't won it. It's amazing.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07APPLAUSE
0:11:09 > 0:11:12It gives me goosebumps just to remember her performance -
0:11:12 > 0:11:16that rare combination of superb musicianship,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19technical artistry, and a gigantic soul.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Qualities that I'm sure our jury will be looking for in tonight's
0:11:22 > 0:11:23category finalists.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26So, let's meet our decision-makers.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34They are...celebrated concert pianist Ronan O'Hora -
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Winner of the Keyboard category final, 1980...
0:11:38 > 0:11:43What one is really looking for is a sense that they can react to
0:11:43 > 0:11:45and empathise with the music they are playing
0:11:45 > 0:11:48'and that they can communicate that in their own voice.'
0:11:48 > 0:11:53..Richard McMahon, Head of Keyboard at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56I'm expecting every performance to be musical,
0:11:56 > 0:12:01well finished performances that help the music speak directly and hopefully movingly.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03..and our General Adjudicator -
0:12:03 > 0:12:07conductor and founder of Sinfonia Cymru, Gareth Jones.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10They have 20 minutes to give us as much of a profile of what
0:12:10 > 0:12:14they're about, what they have to say, how they feel about the music.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16You have to focus on your own strengths.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21You have to have a real conviction in the programme you have put forward and a belief in it.
0:12:21 > 0:12:28That I think is a very key point in what distinguishes memorable performances from praiseworthy ones.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32I'm going to try and find that elusive quality that marks out the winner.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44With the audience ready and the jury taking their seats in the Dora Stoutzker hall
0:12:44 > 0:12:49we are fast approaching the first performance of BBC Young Musician 2012.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54I think we can safely describe tonight's Keyboard category final
0:12:54 > 0:12:57as the battle of the specialist music schools.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01The competitors all come from either The Purcell School in Watford,
0:13:01 > 0:13:06Wells Cathedral School, or Chetham's School of Music in Manchester.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13Our first finalist, Dominic Degavino, is one of three pianists from Chetham's,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17where I suspect there's more than a bit of friendly rivalry going on.
0:13:29 > 0:13:3316-year-old Dominic Degavino lives in Chesterfield.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36His introduction to the piano came about quite by chance.
0:13:36 > 0:13:44One day at my first school we all got a letter from Yamaha keyboard classes
0:13:44 > 0:13:50asking us if we wanted to go along and have a try.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53For some reason, maybe it was fate,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57I decided that I wanted to have a go and see what happened.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03It seemed to come very naturally to me to be honest.
0:14:03 > 0:14:10We were talking to my old piano teacher, who suggested that
0:14:10 > 0:14:12I think about going to Chetham's.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17We'd not heard of Chetham's before, had we?
0:14:17 > 0:14:20I didn't even know a music school existed, a specialist school.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25We went along to the audition thinking he had no chance of getting in, and straight away
0:14:25 > 0:14:29they said, "He's got amazing potential, he can come here."
0:14:29 > 0:14:33When I got there it was just a place completely full of music.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36It just really appealed to me.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42'We didn't want Dominic to leave home.'
0:14:42 > 0:14:46We didn't think that a child of ours would ever leave home at 10 years old,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48but we felt we had to give him the opportunity.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49It has changed my life.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53It has allowed me to do what I love doing most.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00I started teaching Dominic six years ago when he was 10.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03'He had just attained Grade 4 piano.'
0:15:03 > 0:15:05SHE HUMS
0:15:05 > 0:15:06Missed pedal.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11He was moved up to about Grade 8 standard within six months.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14It's been incredible to have her as a teacher.
0:15:14 > 0:15:19He is voracious, he's a sponge for learning.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32When I'm performing I feel very much at home.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36I can express myself very easily - more than
0:15:36 > 0:15:39I would necessarily express myself when I'm talking to people.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46At the very beginning at Chet's we had jazz improvisation class
0:15:46 > 0:15:48for all the pianists.
0:15:48 > 0:15:55'Again I found it quite natural and after a while it was fairly easy'
0:15:55 > 0:16:00for me to put ideas through and it's such an interesting thing and it really pulled me in.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07'I found that quite extraordinary.'
0:16:07 > 0:16:10To me he's a born performer. He can do almost anything you ask him to.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Life without music would just be so incredibly difficult.
0:16:20 > 0:16:27I can't imagine at all what I would be like as a person now
0:16:27 > 0:16:30if I had not taken up the keyboard classes.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37- It just makes you feel really proud. - It's astounding to watch him play.
0:16:37 > 0:16:43He is so full of confidence. He has changed so much in that way.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48And so to open this year's BBC Young Musician Keyboard Final here is Dominic.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53He is going to begin with Scarlatti's Sonata K20 in E Major.
0:19:17 > 0:19:23Dominic Degavino making an assured start to his programme with Scarlatti's Sonata K20.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Next he has chosen Chopin's Nocturne in C Sharp Minor.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31It's a very, very beautiful lyrical piece.
0:19:31 > 0:19:37You have to create a sort of mood and an atmosphere, which is very difficult but hopefully
0:19:37 > 0:19:44something which will come across to the audience and be very captivating.
0:22:14 > 0:22:20The final piece I'm playing is the last movement of Dutilleux Piano Sonata.
0:22:20 > 0:22:26'This piece has got all sorts of different moods to it. It is Choral And Variations.'
0:22:26 > 0:22:29It is really incredible.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34APPLAUSE
0:26:34 > 0:26:36A dazzling display from Dominic,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40getting this Keyboard category final off to an impressive start.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43His parents certainly look happy, but what will the jury think?
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Dominic, you didn't look nervous at all. Were you feeling it?
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Not too much actually, no.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Maybe some healthy nerves.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54I was more excited, I think.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56To play a piece like Dutilleux,
0:26:56 > 0:27:00which he clearly not only knows so well, but feels so deeply,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02he shaped it so well, articulated it so well.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06Particularly liked the quiet moments in his Chopin.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Was there a moment you particularly enjoyed? Any of the three pieces?
0:27:09 > 0:27:13I enjoy all of it, really, every second of the programme.
0:27:16 > 0:27:17So we're up and running.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Dominic Degavino with a flavour of what we can look forward to
0:27:21 > 0:27:23over the next four weeks.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Next on, it's 18-year-old Victor Lim.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Originally from Korea, Victor is a full-time student
0:27:37 > 0:27:39at Wells Cathedral School.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42But during the holidays he returns home to his family in Seoul.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46I go home three times a year.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49At school, I've got a lot to do every day,
0:27:49 > 0:27:53but at home I can relax quite a lot.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01It's a time to talk to everybody, to catch up with everyone.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05It's the family and the care and the food which I miss the most.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Victor was just 12 years old
0:28:29 > 0:28:32when his father's work brought the family to the UK.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37It was here that Victor first started to take his piano playing seriously.
0:28:41 > 0:28:42After two years,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Victor's parents made the decision to move back to Korea,
0:28:45 > 0:28:49with Victor staying in the UK as a full-time student
0:28:49 > 0:28:51at the Wells Cathedral School.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54I liked the country so much and I wanted to stay here.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02I love the culture and the prosperity in music
0:29:02 > 0:29:05and the cultural arts.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13What struck us was, first of all, his great enthusiasm and commitment
0:29:13 > 0:29:16and his pianistic and musical potential.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Listen to your bassline, come on.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21More.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23Quite full here.
0:29:25 > 0:29:26Good.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29When I came to Wells,
0:29:29 > 0:29:34I was more interested in the study of music than the piano.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Now I've picked up an interest in the piano even more.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41As a pianist, the thing about Victor is he's a very warm and communicative player.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43There's an immediacy of communication to his playing,
0:29:43 > 0:29:45great sincerity and warmth.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51I've done chamber music and composition.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54I've been able to explore lots of different musical things,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56other than the piano.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00I've found it really helpful in terms of the piano playing as well.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03His commitment and his passion for music is very evident.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07He approaches his studies in a very probing and intelligent way.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09He's a thinking musician.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11As a school study group leader,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Victor has developed a taste for teaching.
0:30:14 > 0:30:15In the future,
0:30:15 > 0:30:17he's hoping to combine this with a performing career.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20What year was Bach born in?
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Bach was born in 1685.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27I just find the whole process of teaching really, really exciting.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30See you next week. Can I have your music prep, please?
0:30:32 > 0:30:35Next to piano, it's the thing I enjoy the most.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38See you next week, Monty. Bye, George.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41That's what I want to do in the future, for definite.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48Victor opens his BBC Young Musician recital
0:30:48 > 0:30:51with the first movement of Haydn's Sonata in B Minor.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13There aren't that many minor sonatas by Hayden.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15It's one of the very few
0:32:15 > 0:32:19and the first movement is a very driving and energetic piece.
0:32:19 > 0:32:26Whilst we kind of regard Hayden as a quite light and fun composer,
0:32:26 > 0:32:31this is quite a menacing, nearly violent actually,
0:32:31 > 0:32:34quite passionate and masculine piece.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42From the classicism of Haydn,
0:33:42 > 0:33:46Victor's programme now moves to the early 20th century
0:33:46 > 0:33:51and the sonata Opus 1 by Alban Berg.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41This is a piece where every single note
0:35:41 > 0:35:43has some kind of direction from Berg.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47Sometimes the directions contradict each other.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51It's a very fun piece to play, to analyse and to study,
0:35:51 > 0:35:55and it's really exciting, really passionate, quite agonising,
0:35:55 > 0:35:59a really complicated, emotionally, work,
0:35:59 > 0:36:00which I really enjoyed playing.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23I'm really enjoying Victor Lim's performance so far.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25He clearly had such an affinity with that Haydn,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28and then to hear that Berg, it's such a difficult piece,
0:38:28 > 0:38:32but very, very beautiful, and I think he just really made it his own.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35And now a complete change of mood, and a complete change of scene
0:38:35 > 0:38:39with this Bach, a transcription of a chorale.
0:38:39 > 0:38:40I'm really enjoying this one.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57APPLAUSE
0:39:57 > 0:40:00A gutsy performance there from Victor Lim,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03in what was a very technically demanding programme.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Has he done enough to win over the jury?
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Beautiful use of the piano, tremendous command in the playing.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14My legs are still shaking, so I can't really talk.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16He showed a real maturity, depth and intelligence.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Sometimes, perhaps, he needs to just have
0:40:19 > 0:40:21almost a little more fun to go with it.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23There were a few slips all the way through.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26It's really just because I was a bit nervous.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28The pedal was a little bit awkward,
0:40:28 > 0:40:32my position, my legs, but hopefully it didn't come across.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35Really high standard set by our first two performers.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38Still to come, Adam Boeker and Martin Bartlett,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41but first a familiar face from two years ago
0:40:41 > 0:40:4215-year-old Yuanfan Yang.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04Back in 2010, Yuanfan left a lasting impression on the competition,
0:41:04 > 0:41:08with his virtuosic performance during the category finals.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11It was a really good experience in 2010.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13I got to go and play 20 minutes
0:41:13 > 0:41:16with a big audience and good adjudicators.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19Although he didn't win his category,
0:41:19 > 0:41:23he was awarded the Walter Todds Bursary for musical promise.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25I was really pleasantly surprised.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29It's very useful. I mean, £1,000 to help you towards learning.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33I think it's very useful and I'm very happy I received it last time.
0:41:35 > 0:41:40Two years on, he's back and taking another shot at the main prize.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43My friends and family urged me, "Why not give it another go?"
0:41:43 > 0:41:44And I'm pleasantly surprised
0:41:44 > 0:41:46I managed to get to the third round again.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49Yuanfan's talent for the piano
0:41:49 > 0:41:51came as a bit of a surprise for the family.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23After buying a piano and finding him a teacher,
0:42:23 > 0:42:26it was suggested that Yuanfan apply to Chetham's.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29Originally we were struck by the incredible warmth
0:42:29 > 0:42:32and extrovert energy
0:42:32 > 0:42:36and creativity coming out of every pore of his being.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45As well as performing, Yuanfan is passionate about composing.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49Yes, so you're thinking in your piece of perhaps involving some Chinese sounds.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53Maybe the harp to imitate all those Chinese zithers.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55'It's not just about, you know,'
0:42:55 > 0:42:58like playing music, it's about creating new music, as well.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09With the piano, he's got this first-rate technique,
0:43:09 > 0:43:12and he writes in a way that uses it very effectively.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15I think they're mutual, piano playing and composition,
0:43:15 > 0:43:17they both help each other, as well.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22- The heart, maybe, I don't know. - To symbolise... - The arrival of the goddess.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25He really does have an extraordinary knack of finding
0:43:25 > 0:43:29colours and sounds in a very exciting way.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33It's very good, I get to play my own ideas and I know that's exactly how I want it to be.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37Well, two years on from Yuanfan's first BBC Young Musician appearance,
0:43:37 > 0:43:39will this be his night?
0:43:39 > 0:43:43Yuanfan is incredibly hungry as a performer.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48Since the last Young Musician he's matured beyond all measure.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52To play music, to compose music, I think it's absolutely fantastic,
0:43:52 > 0:43:55and whatever I become I must be in the music world.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58APPLAUSE
0:43:58 > 0:44:01He starts his programme with the first movement
0:44:01 > 0:44:03of Beethoven's Sonata in E Flat.
0:46:10 > 0:46:15Dazzling stuff, and next a piece by one of his favourite composers.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18For modern composers I absolutely love Debussy.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22How he creates the wonderful atmosphere in his music is unbelievable.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25Particularly this piece, La Terasse des Audiences du Claire de Lune,
0:46:25 > 0:46:27which means, "The terrace of moonlit audiences".
0:49:45 > 0:49:49Tremendous delicacy in his Debussy there. Next in his bid to impress
0:49:49 > 0:49:53the judges, Yuanfan performs one of his own compositions.
0:49:53 > 0:49:57I finished composing this earlier this year.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01It is called The Haunted Bell, which represents a bell of a clock tower.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04You can hear this strange bell that keeps sounding throughout the piece.
0:50:04 > 0:50:0913 times in fact. It represents midnight as well
0:50:09 > 0:50:12and strange, eerie, ghostly things that happen around the bell.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48The Haunted Bell, composed and performed by Yuanfan Yang.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52To end his bid for this year's Keyboard title
0:52:52 > 0:52:57Yuanfan is performing the last movement from Chopin's Sonata in B Minor.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59It's a really virtuosic showpiece.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09APPLAUSE
0:54:09 > 0:54:14Yuanfan bringing his programme to a close with a flourish.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16A fantastic reception from the audience,
0:54:16 > 0:54:18but how does he rate his performance?
0:54:18 > 0:54:22Congratulations, Yuanfan. What a fantastic performance.
0:54:22 > 0:54:23How are you feeling?
0:54:23 > 0:54:26- It was all right, I think. - Oh, you think!- Well, I think...
0:54:26 > 0:54:30I mean, I really enjoyed that feeling on the stage. It's a fantastic hall.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32It was a great experience for me.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35He was able to very much empathise with the different styles
0:54:35 > 0:54:37of the composer whilst communicating
0:54:37 > 0:54:39a very personal tone of voice throughout.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41You were playing your own piece there. How did that go?
0:54:41 > 0:54:43Yeah, I really enjoyed playing.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46You know, it showed what my feelings were in the first piece
0:54:46 > 0:54:47and it really meant a lot for me.
0:54:47 > 0:54:51Really beautiful sound worlds he created, both in the Debussy Prelude
0:54:51 > 0:54:55and in his own work, which is a very, very impressive piece.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59The judges sounding very positive about Yuanfan's performance.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02But what will they make of his Chetham's classmate, Adam Boeker?
0:55:10 > 0:55:12Adam is from Canada
0:55:12 > 0:55:15and is our third competitor from Chetham's.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17As a full-time student,
0:55:17 > 0:55:20he's eligible to compete in BBC Young Musician.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24But holidays mean a chance to catch up on life back home.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28When I'm here in the UK, I miss my family mostly
0:55:28 > 0:55:30and just Canada in general, cos I grew up there.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35Usually when I go home for breaks and Christmas,
0:55:35 > 0:55:38I usually just listen to music
0:55:38 > 0:55:42and go skiing and skating with my brother.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45I'm not very good at ice hockey, but I still love to play it.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48I wouldn't be able to make a team,
0:55:48 > 0:55:50but it's still something I enjoy doing.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54When he's here, he's either practising or he's listening
0:55:54 > 0:55:56to music really loud, constantly.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04We take him to the airport on the day of his departure...
0:56:04 > 0:56:06ENERGETIC PIANO MUSIC
0:56:06 > 0:56:09When we get back, it's so silent.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11It's like a morgue in here without him
0:56:11 > 0:56:13and it just... It's so sad.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20It was a childhood curiosity that first drew Adam to the piano.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23We inherited our piano from my grandparents.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26We'd had some sheet music which we also inherited.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31He was always looking at the sheet music and one day said,
0:56:31 > 0:56:34"I really want to learn."
0:56:36 > 0:56:40Adam's interest in music may have begun in Canada, but it wasn't
0:56:40 > 0:56:43until the family moved to the UK that he began to flourish.
0:56:43 > 0:56:48We really didn't know how talented he was until we were in England.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51My old piano teacher advised that I try
0:56:51 > 0:56:53maybe auditioning for a music school here.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56He went to Chetham's and they said, you know,
0:56:56 > 0:56:58he really should be attending here.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03But the excitement of being accepted by the school
0:57:03 > 0:57:07was tempered by the news that the family were to return to Canada.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09It was really a question of do you leave him
0:57:09 > 0:57:11on his own in a foreign country?
0:57:15 > 0:57:17He was nearly 13 and we let him stay on.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20It's a bit of a mother's nightmare, ongoing.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29When the flights get cancelled, I can't help
0:57:29 > 0:57:31but imagine him in airports, stranded.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36They've been really very, very supportive.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40Without their consent and letting me come to the school,
0:57:40 > 0:57:43I don't think music would ever have opened up for me as a career.
0:57:43 > 0:57:47I think you want to terrify out of their wits the audience.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50I think he's a very creative young man.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54I think he's full of mischief in his music making,
0:57:54 > 0:57:58but also full of incredible intensity.
0:58:03 > 0:58:06What drew me to the piano most
0:58:06 > 0:58:09was just the ability to express myself through music.
0:58:10 > 0:58:14The journey of learning to master an art is quite interesting.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23He can bring alive this incredible genre of music.
0:58:23 > 0:58:25I think that's a huge gift,
0:58:25 > 0:58:29to be taught by a 15-year-old music appreciation.
0:58:29 > 0:58:31I was not expecting at all to make it this far.
0:58:31 > 0:58:35It was a real shock for me, but I was overjoyed.
0:58:35 > 0:58:36APPLAUSE
0:58:36 > 0:58:38So here is 15-year-old Adam Boeker
0:58:38 > 0:58:41to perform in the Keyboard final
0:58:41 > 0:58:43of BBC Young Musician 2012.
0:58:43 > 0:58:45He begins with a rondeau
0:58:45 > 0:58:48from the Partita No. 2 in C Minor by JS Bach.
1:00:31 > 1:00:33A rondeau from Bach's Partita No. 2.
1:00:33 > 1:00:38A dramatic change of style for Adam's next piece.
1:00:38 > 1:00:41A movement from the Sonata in C Minor by Prokofiev.
1:00:41 > 1:00:44I think it's one of the greatest piano pieces of the 20th century.
1:00:44 > 1:00:46For Prokofiev, it's very introverted.
1:00:46 > 1:00:49It was written right after one of his friends,
1:00:49 > 1:00:53Maximilian Schmidthoff, committed suicide, so you can really
1:00:53 > 1:00:57feel his agony and the oppression of the people in Soviet Russia.
1:03:28 > 1:03:31For the finale, I've chosen Liszt's Rigoletto Paraphrase,
1:03:31 > 1:03:35which is a marvellous paraphrase of Verdi's opera Rigoletto.
1:03:35 > 1:03:38He transcribes the quartet from Rigoletto in such a way
1:03:38 > 1:03:42that he manages to capture all four voices on the piano.
1:03:42 > 1:03:47It's full of anger and passion and happiness and seductiveness,
1:03:47 > 1:03:51and it's very difficult to play on the piano,
1:03:51 > 1:03:55but it's a very beautiful piece.
1:07:27 > 1:07:29APPLAUSE
1:07:29 > 1:07:31A programme full of contrasts from Adam.
1:07:31 > 1:07:35His mum, who's travelled all the way from Canada to watch him compete,
1:07:35 > 1:07:39certainly seems delighted with his performance.
1:07:41 > 1:07:44Adam, you look incredibly relaxed right now.
1:07:44 > 1:07:47- Were you feeling nervous before you went on?- Terribly nervous, yes.
1:07:47 > 1:07:51Adam's a very gutsy player, there's a real drive and purpose in the playing.
1:07:51 > 1:07:56The Rigoletto Paraphrase, which was technically again mightily impressive.
1:07:56 > 1:07:59His Liszt was a terrific tour de force.
1:07:59 > 1:08:01Despite his nerves, Adam Boeker seems to have
1:08:01 > 1:08:05impressed the jury with a technically assured performance.
1:08:05 > 1:08:08Next, we're going to hear Martin Bartlett from Essex,
1:08:08 > 1:08:11the last of this year's Keyboard finalists.
1:08:24 > 1:08:27For the past two years, 15-year-old Martin has been
1:08:27 > 1:08:30a full-time pupil at the Purcell School.
1:08:30 > 1:08:34But his musical education began at home.
1:08:34 > 1:08:36When I first started to play the piano,
1:08:36 > 1:08:38my mum taught me for two years.
1:08:42 > 1:08:44Initially, we started when he was five.
1:08:44 > 1:08:47I was quite a difficult student, quite temperamental.
1:08:47 > 1:08:50It's a miracle that she wanted to teach me.
1:08:51 > 1:08:53My mum decided, when I was seven,
1:08:53 > 1:08:59that I should go for an audition at the Guildhall and the Royal College.
1:09:02 > 1:09:04The main reason I chose the Royal College
1:09:04 > 1:09:07was because it had very luxurious biscuits.
1:09:09 > 1:09:13And so now, every Saturday, Martin travels to London
1:09:13 > 1:09:16to attend classes in the junior department.
1:09:17 > 1:09:20It starts off quite early with a piano lesson.
1:09:20 > 1:09:22I have to get up actually around 6.30.
1:09:24 > 1:09:28If Martin's teacher looks familiar, she's Emily Jeffrey,
1:09:28 > 1:09:32who also taught Lara Melda, winner of the last BBC Young Musician.
1:09:32 > 1:09:36I first met Martin when he was about seven years old.
1:09:36 > 1:09:40It was immediately apparent that he had a very special musical gift.
1:09:41 > 1:09:44Let's try that section again from the first time...
1:09:48 > 1:09:50Good, keep singing.
1:09:52 > 1:09:55We've been happily working together ever since.
1:09:55 > 1:09:57It was quite daunting when I first went there,
1:09:57 > 1:10:01but I've been there for seven years, so I've grown accustomed to it.
1:10:01 > 1:10:04Now we're going to keep the shape here as well.
1:10:04 > 1:10:07Don't come down too much.
1:10:07 > 1:10:11It's non-stop at the college as Martin goes from one class to the next.
1:10:11 > 1:10:13I have my piano lesson.
1:10:13 > 1:10:14Wind quintet.
1:10:16 > 1:10:19At the age of eight, he started the recorder,
1:10:19 > 1:10:20then he started the bassoon.
1:10:22 > 1:10:26By the age of 12, I got Grade A in all three, actually.
1:10:26 > 1:10:29And then I have symphony orchestra where I played the piano in.
1:10:29 > 1:10:32And then I also have my piano quintet at the end.
1:10:34 > 1:10:37So I do quite a lot of chamber music during the day
1:10:37 > 1:10:39as well as my main piano lesson.
1:10:40 > 1:10:44Studying at the college has offered Martin some great opportunities,
1:10:44 > 1:10:49including expert tuition from one of the world's finest pianists.
1:10:49 > 1:10:52I had a masterclass with Lang Lang in 2010.
1:10:52 > 1:10:57Ya-da-da-da-da. First time, ya-da-da-da-da.
1:11:00 > 1:11:03I played Scarlatti's Sonata in F Sharp Major.
1:11:03 > 1:11:06He's such an amazing artist, you can learn so much from him.
1:11:06 > 1:11:13He loved meeting Lang Lang. You know, they're both very charismatic individuals.
1:11:13 > 1:11:16You play a little bit close and then now open.
1:11:16 > 1:11:20After he'd finished working with me, there was so much more colour in it and so much more vibrancy.
1:11:24 > 1:11:28Well, his piano playing has changed out of all recognition.
1:11:28 > 1:11:35Particularly in the last year. He has worked very, very hard... to get here.
1:11:35 > 1:11:38You have to have confidence in yourself. You have to practise.
1:11:38 > 1:11:39Simple!
1:11:41 > 1:11:44He does come alive in performances.
1:11:44 > 1:11:46I hope to just be the best I can be.
1:11:48 > 1:11:52Calmer, actually, for just a few minutes up there on the stage
1:11:52 > 1:11:56and you think, yes, lovely, it's worth it.
1:11:56 > 1:12:00- APPLAUSE - Time to find out if those hours of practice have paid off,
1:12:00 > 1:12:04as Martin opens his programme with a piece he played for Lang Lang
1:12:04 > 1:12:07Scarlatti's Sonata in F Sharp Major.
1:14:44 > 1:14:47Just captivating playing there by Martin.
1:14:47 > 1:14:53One of two pieces by Scarlatti that he performs in his bid for this keyboard title.
1:14:53 > 1:14:55Next, we're going to hear him take on Chopin,
1:14:55 > 1:14:57the Nocturne in D Flat Major.
1:14:57 > 1:14:59The Chopin is very beautiful.
1:14:59 > 1:15:03It's so passionate and it's full of so much emotion
1:15:03 > 1:15:06and the left hand is incredibly difficult to control.
1:15:06 > 1:15:09You don't want the left hand overtaking the right hand, in a way.
1:18:55 > 1:19:00This is a mesmerising performance from Martin Bartlett, I have to say.
1:19:00 > 1:19:01Completely drawn in by him.
1:19:01 > 1:19:04His tactical mastery is quite superb,
1:19:04 > 1:19:10but what's really coming across for me is just an extraordinary musicality and soul
1:19:10 > 1:19:13and total command of that keyboard.
1:19:13 > 1:19:15Very exciting to watch.
1:20:20 > 1:20:22I'm playing an Etude de Sonorite,
1:20:22 > 1:20:25which is all about the sonorities of the piano
1:20:25 > 1:20:28and bringing out every single part of the piano,
1:20:28 > 1:20:31using harmonics at the end to create the sound
1:20:31 > 1:20:35and also just see the extent you can use the pedal and everything.
1:20:35 > 1:20:39So it's basically just...shows you everything you can do with the piano.
1:21:30 > 1:21:34APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
1:21:41 > 1:21:45Martin, goosebumps all the way, especially in your Chopin.
1:21:45 > 1:21:48Do you think you could go all the way? The audience absolutely loved it.
1:21:48 > 1:21:51Well, I hope so but, you know, we'll see what happens.
1:21:51 > 1:21:54I'm just happy that I've played, in my eyes, really well.
1:21:54 > 1:21:58He played with remarkable finesse and delicacy
1:21:58 > 1:22:01that also still has an intensity
1:22:01 > 1:22:04that communicates right to the back of the hall.
1:22:04 > 1:22:07I loved his first Scarlatti, beautiful sounds he produced.
1:22:07 > 1:22:11He has a very understated way of playing which actually
1:22:11 > 1:22:13requires a lot of nerve and composure.
1:22:16 > 1:22:17Martin Bartlett,
1:22:17 > 1:22:21bringing this Keyboard category final to a stupendous close.
1:22:21 > 1:22:24We've had five wonderful young musicians tonight,
1:22:24 > 1:22:25each of them giving their all.
1:22:25 > 1:22:29I've been very impressed by the sheer range of what we've heard tonight,
1:22:29 > 1:22:31but it's not up to me to decide, thank goodness.
1:22:31 > 1:22:32That's down to our jury.
1:22:34 > 1:22:36Making the decisions:
1:22:38 > 1:22:41Celebrated concert pianist Ronan O'Hora.
1:22:49 > 1:22:52And our general adjudicator:
1:22:58 > 1:23:00The first piece we heard, Dominic Degavino.
1:23:02 > 1:23:05I thought it was a very brave and bold
1:23:05 > 1:23:10and enterprising choice and it's clearly a piece he has a great passion for.
1:23:13 > 1:23:15An incredibly complex piece of music
1:23:15 > 1:23:20and at this stage in his career to be playing it at all is quite marvellous.
1:23:20 > 1:23:23Each of the night's pianists has picked a big, pivotal piece.
1:23:25 > 1:23:28In Victor's case we heard second the Berg Sonata.
1:23:30 > 1:23:34He's someone with a very serious sense of purpose in the playing.
1:23:39 > 1:23:43He showed himself to be a musician of real integrity.
1:23:43 > 1:23:45We then heard Yuanfan Yang.
1:23:48 > 1:23:52It was probably the best assembled program we heard.
1:23:52 > 1:23:55And not least because he's got his own composition.
1:23:59 > 1:24:02A very big, colouristic range.
1:24:02 > 1:24:05- I think that was there throughout all the different styles.- Yes.
1:24:05 > 1:24:08He showed a clear stylistic awareness but always with that sense of colour.
1:24:08 > 1:24:11- A wonderful opening to the Debussy. - Absolutely.
1:24:11 > 1:24:13The first notes of that...
1:24:13 > 1:24:17well, for every piece he played but particularly that one can remember.
1:24:20 > 1:24:21We then had Adam.
1:24:24 > 1:24:28I think the list for me I needed more vocality, maybe.
1:24:29 > 1:24:31The pyrotechnics were all there.
1:24:31 > 1:24:33But we're talking about melody.
1:24:33 > 1:24:36We're talking about that sense of colouring and shape.
1:24:39 > 1:24:41It's a very complicated piece.
1:24:41 > 1:24:44Finishing we had Martin, who started his program
1:24:44 > 1:24:45with two Scarlatti pieces.
1:24:49 > 1:24:52I have to say I loved his sound,
1:24:52 > 1:24:55I thought his sound was absolutely beautiful.
1:24:56 > 1:25:00You feel, even within what appears to be quite a limited dynamic range,
1:25:00 > 1:25:03- such a large sense of space in the sound.- Yes.
1:25:03 > 1:25:04And a lot of range of colour.
1:25:09 > 1:25:13I think he can, in his big playing, which is very immediate and exciting,
1:25:13 > 1:25:17he can develop still more colour in that to match
1:25:17 > 1:25:22the very communicative and eloquent colour that I think is there.
1:25:22 > 1:25:24I would agree with that.
1:25:25 > 1:25:27So, we have to make a decision.
1:25:31 > 1:25:35We've got five very anxious musicians waiting backstage,
1:25:35 > 1:25:38all wondering if they've done enough to win over that jury.
1:25:38 > 1:25:41To announce the winner of the Keyboard category final
1:25:41 > 1:25:45and the first competitor going through to the BBC Young Musician 2012 semi-final,
1:25:45 > 1:25:48it's our general adjudicator, Gareth Jones.
1:25:48 > 1:25:53APPLAUSE
1:25:59 > 1:26:04And the winner of the BBC Young Musician 2012, Keyboard category,
1:26:04 > 1:26:09the person that will go through to the semi-final, is...
1:26:09 > 1:26:11Yuanfan Yang.
1:26:11 > 1:26:14APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
1:26:16 > 1:26:20So, second time lucky, the winner of BBC Young Musician 2012,
1:26:20 > 1:26:23Keyboard category, is Yuanfan Yang.
1:26:36 > 1:26:40The standard has been extremely high, five very good programmes.
1:26:42 > 1:26:45For me Yuanfan had great presence on stage.
1:26:45 > 1:26:48From the very first moment of the Beethoven
1:26:48 > 1:26:51right through to the end of the Chopin,
1:26:51 > 1:26:53everything was clear, in command.
1:26:55 > 1:26:58The greatest sense of joy in communicating
1:26:58 > 1:27:00what he felt about music to an audience.
1:27:05 > 1:27:08It feels absolutely amazing and incredible.
1:27:08 > 1:27:10I thank my family and my friends for supporting me
1:27:10 > 1:27:12and my teachers for making all this possible.
1:27:12 > 1:27:13I'm really grateful.
1:27:16 > 1:27:19Did you secretly hope that this was going to be your year?
1:27:19 > 1:27:21Inside, sort of, but I didn't know what was going to happen.
1:27:21 > 1:27:25The main thing I wanted to do was enjoy myself and that's what I really did today.
1:27:25 > 1:27:28APPLAUSE
1:27:36 > 1:27:38Congratulations to Yuanfan.
1:27:38 > 1:27:41We'll be hearing from him again in four weeks when coverage
1:27:41 > 1:27:46of BBC Young Musician 2012 switches over to BBC Two for the semi-final.
1:27:46 > 1:27:49In the meantime, join me here on BBC Four again next week,
1:27:49 > 1:27:52when it's the turn of the Brass category to take centre stage.
1:27:52 > 1:27:55Here's a little taste of what you can expect.
1:28:07 > 1:28:09Beautiful sound.
1:28:09 > 1:28:12They're the sort of things I dreamt about when I was nine or so.
1:28:12 > 1:28:16Getting up to that top E flat right at the end.
1:28:16 > 1:28:17What an amazing technique.
1:28:17 > 1:28:21Industrial-size earmuffs would come in handy.
1:28:24 > 1:28:27It's a great, fun piece to play.
1:28:27 > 1:28:29He played it with real style and panache.
1:28:29 > 1:28:35The winner of the BBC Young Musician 2012, Brass category, final...
1:29:09 > 1:29:10Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd