0:00:02 > 0:00:06The winner of the BBC Young Musician 2012 Brass Category Final is
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Alexander Kelly.
0:00:08 > 0:00:13Last week, we saw 16-year-old bass trombonist Alex Kelly
0:00:13 > 0:00:16impress the judges with his rich sound and musicality,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21to win the brass category title and a place in the semi-final.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24He joins 15-year-old pianist Yuanfan Yang,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27whose dazzling playing won him the keyboard prize.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Tonight, the focus is on strings,
0:00:30 > 0:00:34as three violinists and two cellists compete
0:00:34 > 0:00:37in the category finals of BBC Young Musician 2012.
0:01:03 > 0:01:0617 young performers have been named BBC Young Musician
0:01:06 > 0:01:11since it was launched back in 1978 - seven of them strings players,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14making this historically the strongest category.
0:01:15 > 0:01:21They include cellist Natalie Clein who triumphed in 1994.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26Six years later, it was the turn of fellow cellist Guy Johnston.
0:01:26 > 0:01:33In 2002, violin prodigy Jennifer Pike took the title, aged just 12.
0:01:33 > 0:01:39And in 2004, another violinist Nicola Benedetti lifted the trophy.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44This year, the standard is incredibly high again,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47and tonight's final promises to be a little bit special.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50But remember, it's not just the strings title that's at stake.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53There's also that all-important spot in the semi-final.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01For those who make it through, it's a big step towards the main prize.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Whoever wins this competition is suddenly presented
0:02:04 > 0:02:06with a lot of engagements.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I feel very grateful to the competition for really helping
0:02:09 > 0:02:11to launch a very exciting career.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18We have to get every note to the highest possible standard you can,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22and that, of course, develops you as a musician.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25It's hard work, but it's a labour of love.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28I'm sure you will not have a single performer here
0:02:28 > 0:02:32who doesn't absolutely love what they do.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37It's just a wonderful, wonderful thing.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42I wouldn't be here right now if I hadn't won it. It's amazing.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52In a short while, we'll see the first of our strings finalists
0:02:52 > 0:02:54perform on this very stage,
0:02:54 > 0:02:59here in the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama's Dora Stoutzker Hall.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04It's not only our expert jury they will have to convince,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07they'll also have to deal with the pressures of the TV cameras -
0:03:07 > 0:03:10tonight, they're literally in the spotlight.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14But this is just the latest step in a journey that began back in October.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Here's a reminder of the competition's structure
0:03:17 > 0:03:19and how our five strings finalists made it this far.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29Just over four months ago, a flood of young hopefuls arrived
0:03:29 > 0:03:32for auditions at the Royal College of Music in London.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38These 122 musicians had been shortlisted
0:03:38 > 0:03:41from over 450 original applicants.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48After playing their hearts out to an expert panel,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51just 25 were chosen to go through to the televised stage -
0:03:51 > 0:03:54five from each instrumental category.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58The winners of each category will take their place
0:03:58 > 0:04:00in the semi-final
0:04:00 > 0:04:03and go head-to-head for just three places in the final
0:04:03 > 0:04:05of BBC Young Musician 2012.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18The five string players getting ready to compete for the category title -
0:04:18 > 0:04:21and that all important place in the semi-final - are...
0:04:23 > 0:04:25violinist Julia Hwang, aged 16,
0:04:25 > 0:04:26from Bristol...
0:04:28 > 0:04:30When I first entered this competition,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34my original aim was to just get through the first round,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38and whatever the outcome, I'm very happy that I've come this far.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42..17-year-old cellist Joel Sandelson,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44from London...
0:04:46 > 0:04:48It's a competition I've really grown up with.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50I've watched it since I was very young.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53I remember thinking, "I'm never going to make it."
0:04:53 > 0:04:56So it's a really exciting opportunity.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02..Juliette Roos, a 16-year-old violinist from Surrey...
0:05:03 > 0:05:08My dream is to become a solo violinist, as I love it so much.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09I love playing.
0:05:12 > 0:05:18..cellist Laura van der Heijden, from West Sussex, who, at 14,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20is the youngest performer still in the competition...
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I can't really describe how I feel about being here.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25It still doesn't feel real, although it's the day today.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31I have already gained so much out of the previous rounds
0:05:31 > 0:05:35and I am really very, very lucky to be here.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39..and finally violinist Cristian Grajner-De Sa, 17,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41from Bedfordshire...
0:05:43 > 0:05:45When I got the news that I was going to come down here,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48I was over the moon, so I think it's a real life-changer,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51this competition, something that'll be great for any of us to win.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Now, I might be a bit biased,
0:05:56 > 0:05:57but as a violinist,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59I'm particularly excited about this final.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02The word on the street is that we're in for a real treat,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and it's going to be close.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07So for three important people, there's a tough night of decision-making ahead.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09I'm glad I'm not in their shoes!
0:06:12 > 0:06:14They are...
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Lesley Hatfield, a respected solo violinist
0:06:16 > 0:06:20and leader of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales...
0:06:21 > 0:06:25I shall be looking for somebody who has great musical maturity,
0:06:25 > 0:06:30somebody who can really inject a bit of magic into the performance,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32that can really touch the audience.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35..Rosie Biss, a soloist and chamber musician,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39she's principal cellist with the orchestra of the Welsh National Opera...
0:06:39 > 0:06:42What I'm really looking for tonight is someone who can really speak
0:06:42 > 0:06:45as an artist but who shows me their craft as well,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48someone who had the technique to back up their musical ideas
0:06:48 > 0:06:51and really speaks to the audience.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57..and our general adjudicator Gareth Jones,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01conductor and founder of Sinfonia Cymru.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04We will be looking for as balanced a programme as possible,
0:07:04 > 0:07:09demonstrating that, through the technique that you have,
0:07:09 > 0:07:10you are able
0:07:10 > 0:07:15to encompass music of different periods and different characters.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Well, preparations are over. There's a real sense of anticipation building in the hall.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Our five strings finalists are waiting nervously backstage.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38And first on, it's 16-year-old violinist Julia Hwang.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56Julia Hwang is no stranger to appearing on television.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Last year, she was invited to perform
0:07:58 > 0:08:02for the BBC Four documentary on The Lark Ascending.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05She plays regularly in public and has made two CDs.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10I recorded the first CD when I was 11, and the second CD,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14called My Recital, was recorded when I was 12.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19And that was all recorded in one day, which was quite tiring!
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Julia is a pupil at Clifton College in Bristol.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29It was here, aged 7, that she first began to play.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32My teacher said, "Why don't you start an instrument?"
0:08:32 > 0:08:35So I said, "Oh, OK. I'll have a go at the violin."
0:08:35 > 0:08:38And it kind of started from there on.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43She's currently studying for her GCSEs.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46It can get a bit hard,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49trying to juggle the music and the academic commitments,
0:08:49 > 0:08:53but my teachers and all my friends are so supportive of me.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56And my friends will help me by getting the worksheets
0:08:56 > 0:08:57that I may have missed, and so on.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Somewhere between her musical and academic life,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04Julia manages to keep up other interests.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08As well as being an avid reader, she's also a keen artist.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10I also love drawing everything,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14so it may range from my friends' portraits
0:09:14 > 0:09:16to a piano to a hand to manga,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18which is a Japanese style of drawing.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22I do enjoy it, because you can express so much with manga,
0:09:22 > 0:09:27and I have quite a lot of pictures I stick up on my wall.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38In addition to doing hours of practice,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Julia rehearses several times a week with her accompanist,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44music teacher James Drinkwater.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48It's a fascinating relationship working with Julia,
0:09:48 > 0:09:54because she demands a sort of zero tolerance approach to rehearsals,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57which makes for a really intense rehearsal process
0:09:57 > 0:09:58but very productive.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00This gets quieter here.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05I think the way also she speaks so maturely about the music
0:10:05 > 0:10:07means you get a real sense of her interpretation
0:10:07 > 0:10:11being out of a deep understanding of the music.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Julia is playing a rare 17th-century violin
0:10:22 > 0:10:24that has been lent to her by a local well-wisher.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31We went to hear a concert in Clifton College Chapel,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34and Julia was playing, aged 9,
0:10:34 > 0:10:39on a three-quarter-size violin, which wasn't nearly good enough
0:10:39 > 0:10:40for her playing.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Hello, Julia! Come on in.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48'My wife and I immediately thought why don't we ask her
0:10:48 > 0:10:51'if she'd like to use our violin, which is a special violin.'
0:10:51 > 0:10:56The violin is thought to have been made around 1698.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01It's one of just a few made by Peter Guarneri of Mantua.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06It has an incredibly warm sound, and when I play on the bass strings,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09it really sings to the people.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13I'd like to think that when I play it well,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15it can touch people's hearts.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21It's a loan that she repays with interest
0:11:21 > 0:11:25with a performance at a local senior citizens' club.
0:11:31 > 0:11:37Every Sunday morning at 6am, Julia travels from Bristol to the Royal College of Music in London
0:11:37 > 0:11:39for a four-hour lesson with her teacher,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Professor Rashkovsky.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44She is a real performer.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49Not only does she like to perform, but she likes to affect the listeners
0:11:49 > 0:11:51and to connect to the audience.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Her musicality is developing with time and age.
0:11:55 > 0:11:56She became more mature.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I see a very promising future here.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06APPLAUSE
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Here is Julia to open this strings category final.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12She begins her bid for the title with a piece
0:12:12 > 0:12:15by the 20th-century Polish composer, Lutoslawski.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17It's titled Subito.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Subito means, literally, suddenness.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42I chose the piece because of the varied dynamics,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44which vary from forte to piano,
0:13:44 > 0:13:49and it's a bit like cat chasing mouse, so it's very exciting to play.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19APPLAUSE
0:15:23 > 0:15:26To follow the cat and mouse of Lutoslawski,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Julia is going to play a piece by the Czech composer Josef Suk,
0:15:28 > 0:15:33Pisen Lasky, which means love song.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36The Pisen Lasky is an incredibly delicate piece
0:15:36 > 0:15:40and requires a lot of different colours from the violin,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44which is a challenge but is also exhilarating
0:15:44 > 0:15:48when I get the different vibratos and tones from my instrument.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38I think Julia has got the strings final off to a cracking start.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41The Lutoslawski is a really difficult piece.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Interesting opener. Quite nerve-racking, I'd have thought.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Not necessarily the most audience-pleasing either,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49but she really held it fantastically well.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Then to go into that beautiful Suk piece,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56an arrangement for the violin, means Love Song,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59and she infused it with a huge amount of expressiveness and soul.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04So far, she's shown off that she's got the technical firework capacity,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07that she's got emotional expressiveness as well.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13To finish, Julia has chosen a fiendishly difficult set of variations
0:19:13 > 0:19:16on tunes from Rossini's opera, The Barber Of Seville.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55It's such a technical piece,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58but it's so fun when you've mastered the technicality
0:19:58 > 0:20:03that you can put in the different nuances and the glissandos,
0:20:03 > 0:20:08which adds the humour to the already fun and exciting operatic piece.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38APPLAUSE
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Well, I enjoyed Julia's performance. Sounds like the audience did too.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Let's see what the judges thought.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Her performance was very compelling
0:21:51 > 0:21:54and very brilliant and very enjoyable.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56She obviously loves playing the violin.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Did you feel that energy in that room?
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Certainly the audience love your playing.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06It was a very warm audience, which really helped
0:22:06 > 0:22:07settle the nerves.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12I was able to get controlled and yet play with such passion.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Very exciting, but I would have loved to hear a softer side, longer phrases.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21It was dispatched with great security and aplomb
0:22:21 > 0:22:26and very strong communication with the audience.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28I really loved the whole experience.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- Do you feel like you want to go back up there and do it all again?- Yes.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35We'll keep our fingers crossed. Very best of luck. Congratulations.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39A great start to this strings category final.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Next to face the jury is cellist Joel Sandelson.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50APPLAUSE
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Fencing is one of a handful of hobbies that Joel pursues when he's not playing the cello.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17I like fencing, because it's not a huge amount of exercise
0:23:17 > 0:23:21and it's one of the few sports I don't have to worry about injuring my hands.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23BLADES CLANG
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Joel is in his last year at St Paul's School for Boys in London.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34He's doing A Levels in music, English literature and French.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:23:37 > 0:23:41The big issue has been how to reconcile his academic studies
0:23:41 > 0:23:43with his cello practice.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50I'm the first one to get to school in the morning. I get here an hour before school starts.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52I do an hour then.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54By now, I have quite a few free periods,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57so I get another hour or two from there,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00then in lunch break.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03After school, I stay for however much longer I have to
0:24:03 > 0:24:04until I've done the job.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08It usually works out about four hours a day.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11I've always wanted to be a soloist.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13I've always wanted to be a cellist.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15I can't remember a time when I didn't.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20When he wants to take a break, Joel heads to the senior common room.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27The thing I find surprising about Joel
0:24:27 > 0:24:32is his ability to turn off that side of his life.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35He's just a great mate.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37He's also got one of the best senses of humour.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39He's probably the funniest of my friends.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43If you ever have a conversation with Joel,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46you know it's going be either an enlightening conversation
0:24:46 > 0:24:49about something really deep
0:24:49 > 0:24:50or it's just going to be a laugh.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57I occupy a slightly strange position in my year.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59I'll say in lunchtime I'm going off to practise,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03and they'll say, "Haven't you done enough practice...for your life?
0:25:03 > 0:25:07"Don't you know how to play the cello yet?"
0:25:10 > 0:25:13School over, it's back to the family home and yet more practice.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21From the moment he started learning the cello at the age of five,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23it's been the main focus of his life.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26He's been a very determined musician
0:25:26 > 0:25:29with a great ambition.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Joel practises a lot at home.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38I've got used to it now. It's just like background music
0:25:38 > 0:25:39whenever he's here.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44But, you know, at least it's nice music!
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Given that he's a teenager, we could have had a lot worse.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Yeah, exactly.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Time to find out if all those hours of practice have paid off.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Joel's made a bold choice to open with -
0:25:56 > 0:26:00opting for restraint over showy virtuosity.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04I chose Brahms - E Minor Cello Sonata, the first movement,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07because it's so emotionally sincere,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10and there's so much to communicate to an audience
0:26:10 > 0:26:15and such a big range of colours in cello playing that you can get across,
0:26:15 > 0:26:20and so it's nice to get away from pure virtuosity for once piece.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37The thing that really strikes me about Joel
0:29:37 > 0:29:38is he's incredibly musical,
0:29:38 > 0:29:41and that really came through in his Brahms.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Despite the fact that he's playing with that music which is wonderful,
0:29:44 > 0:29:49he seems to me slightly less engaged with the audience and therefore the judges
0:29:49 > 0:29:51than perhaps the judges will want him to be.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53But it's a fantastic performance,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56and, as I say, he's really impressed me so far with his musicality.
0:29:56 > 0:30:02He's just getting some absolutely luscious sound out of that cello.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13APPLAUSE
0:34:13 > 0:34:1617-year-old Joel Sandelson with an impressive performance
0:34:16 > 0:34:20of that challenging piece by the contemporary Polish composer
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Krzysztof Penderecki.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24In his 20-minute programme,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27he also played Spinning Song by David Popper.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34Fantastic playing, beautiful programme,
0:34:34 > 0:34:35very brave start with the Brahms.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39It's incredibly difficult to go out and start so gently and quietly.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43I would like maybe the piece to then open out a little more after that,
0:34:43 > 0:34:47but it kind of stayed a little, for me, slightly cocooned.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Any hairy moments or did it all go to plan?
0:34:50 > 0:34:51No, it all went OK, yeah.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Were you thinking about the judges?
0:34:53 > 0:34:57I was trying not to. I was trying to just play to the audience,
0:34:57 > 0:35:00but when they're on a panel right in front of you, lit up,
0:35:00 > 0:35:01it's a bit difficult.
0:35:01 > 0:35:06There were some really beautiful moments,
0:35:06 > 0:35:09but there were times when I was just lacking intensity
0:35:09 > 0:35:12towards the ends of the phrases sometimes.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18We've heard from two of our fantastic strings players.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22Still to come, 17-year-old violinist Cristian Grajner-De Sa,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25as well as the youngest finalist left in this year's competition,
0:35:25 > 0:35:2814-year-old cellist Laura van der Heijden.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32But first, 16-year-old violinist Juliette Roos.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54Juliette is by no means the only talented musician in her family.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59My sister is a violinist. Her name is Tanya,
0:35:59 > 0:36:02and she is a year and a half younger than me.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06So how about for that second time we do it not as loud,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09because we still have the fortissimo later and it's still in piano?
0:36:09 > 0:36:13Maybe a bit more legato too. To make it richer.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17Us both wanting to go into the same field is a negative
0:36:17 > 0:36:20and also a positive at the same time,
0:36:20 > 0:36:21but we learn a lot from each other
0:36:21 > 0:36:26and we really mean a lot to each other.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Juliette was always very interested in sound,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36and you could tell that from a very early age.
0:36:36 > 0:36:41I remember my early memories of her just tinkling on the piano,
0:36:41 > 0:36:43barely able to reach,
0:36:43 > 0:36:46but, yeah, that's how she started.
0:36:46 > 0:36:51Another notable musician in the family is Juliette's grandmother,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54concert violinist Lydia Mordkovitch.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58When I was five, I went to see my grandma do a concert
0:36:58 > 0:37:01and I really enjoyed it and I asked my mum if I could play,
0:37:01 > 0:37:03so she let me.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06When she was five, we decided to start.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12Today both Juliette and her sister
0:37:12 > 0:37:16are pupils at the Yehudi Menuhin school in Surrey.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Yehudi Menuhin's philosophy
0:37:19 > 0:37:21was that this was a school for children
0:37:21 > 0:37:24who don't fit into mainstream education.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27That's because they have a passion for music making
0:37:27 > 0:37:33and they're not necessarily understood if they're at a traditional mainstream school.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39I'm doing my ASs right now. So, I'm doing English, Music and History.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43In essence, they cover the same academic work
0:37:43 > 0:37:46they would cover at any other school in half of the time.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49So half of the day is spent on academic activity
0:37:49 > 0:37:51and the other half on musical activity.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Musical activity, which includes chamber music sessions,
0:37:55 > 0:37:59orchestral playing and, you've guessed it...
0:38:02 > 0:38:04..hours of solo practice.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11We have practice time allocated, but it's not quite enough,
0:38:11 > 0:38:16and my ideal is to do about five or six hours a day.
0:38:25 > 0:38:30In my free time, I like to relax a lot, because I'm always busy,
0:38:30 > 0:38:35so I talk to my friends a lot, sit around having coffee
0:38:35 > 0:38:37and just relaxing
0:38:37 > 0:38:40and watch TV and listen to music together.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42So that's usually what I do.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47As a further break from music and study,
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Juliette has got a part in the school play.
0:38:49 > 0:38:54Minnies. Enormous ones. About 20. Three bang in the trench.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58They're doing Journey's End, a drama set in the trenches of the First World War.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Do you know, the big German attack is expected any day now.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05I really like drama, so I wanted to be involved in it.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08We hold about 200 yards of front line.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11We've got a Lewis gun here and one here in this little sap.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15As well as rehearsing for her dramatic role,
0:39:15 > 0:39:18Juliette is busy practising for her appearance
0:39:18 > 0:39:21in the BBC Young Musician strings category final.
0:39:24 > 0:39:29She's asked 16-year-old fellow pupil Bella Tang to accompany her.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36I was very keen on asking to her to play with me for BBC,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39and she was very happy to do it.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50Well, there's Juliette with Bella backstage,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53but to open her programme, she's going it alone.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Please stand by, then, Juliette.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Bravely, the first piece she's chosen is unaccompanied.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02APPLAUSE
0:40:07 > 0:40:12It's a Partita For Solo Violin written by Huw Watkins just six years ago.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18It's really interesting to play modern music.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21It's not something we do all the time.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24We tend to play a lot of 19th- or 20th-century music,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28and it was written in 2006.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31Um...it's a very interesting piece.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34It's quite fiery and has lots of energy.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49She's obviously a very confident performer, Juliette.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52Her decision to open her programme with the Watkins Solo Partita
0:43:52 > 0:43:55obviously took huge guts, so hats off to her for that,
0:43:55 > 0:43:58cos it's very relentless, that Watkins.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00But then again, an incredibly bold choice,
0:44:00 > 0:44:04she was very accomplished, really had her fingers around it.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07Yeah, she's a very impressive performer. It's tough.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09Tough gig so far.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11APPLAUSE
0:44:11 > 0:44:13Juliette's now being joined on stage by Bella Tang,
0:44:13 > 0:44:16and they're going to perform a Beethoven sonata.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22To go from Watkins to Beethoven is quite difficult,
0:44:22 > 0:44:28as Beethoven requires a lot of exactness,
0:44:28 > 0:44:31and everything has to be perfectly in place.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29APPLAUSE
0:46:36 > 0:46:38Juliette's clearly no faint heart.
0:46:38 > 0:46:43Her finale is one of THE great show-stoppers - Ravel's Tzigane.
0:46:44 > 0:46:50I always wanted to play this piece, as it's very virtuosic
0:46:50 > 0:46:55but still very interesting and not just simple music.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50APPLAUSE
0:49:50 > 0:49:54Ravel's Tzigane, performed by Juliette Roos.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57Well, Mum certainly looks pleased, and I reckon that might be
0:49:57 > 0:50:01the biggest audience reaction of the evening so far.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05But what did the judges think?
0:50:09 > 0:50:12Juliette was absolutely spellbinding.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16I was just on the edge of my seat for the whole performance.
0:50:16 > 0:50:22Juliette is a total all-round consummate musician and performer.
0:50:22 > 0:50:29- Juliette, the crowd went wild. How did it feel?- Um, pretty...
0:50:29 > 0:50:32it was like a whirlwind, it went by so quickly.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36She chose a really... I think THE most balanced programme,
0:50:36 > 0:50:39which told me masses about her as a musician.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42I was so excited, I hardly wrote anything during the performance.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44It was just wonderful playing.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47- Congratulations. You did fantastically up there.- Thank you.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57With the task of following Juliette, it's cellist Laura van der Heijden -
0:50:57 > 0:51:01the youngest performer left in BBC Young Musician 2012.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03Laura going on.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18Laura van der Heijden is not only the youngest competitor,
0:51:18 > 0:51:21she's also the only one who leaves her instrument behind
0:51:21 > 0:51:24when she goes to school.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27I go to school in West Sussex. It's a very normal state school,
0:51:27 > 0:51:33and the way they support me is they give me a lot of free time,
0:51:33 > 0:51:37and I can kind of take time off when I want to, to do music.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40At the weekend,
0:51:40 > 0:51:45Laura travels to London to attend Junior Royal College of Music.
0:51:45 > 0:51:51At my school, there weren't many people who were like me,
0:51:51 > 0:51:56involved in music, so I wanted to see what it was like to have people like-minded.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00I come every Saturday, and my day starts at 9 in the morning
0:52:00 > 0:52:03and finishes at 5.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06I have several things like quartet and piano lessons
0:52:06 > 0:52:11and orchestra and singing lessons and Alexander technique and...
0:52:13 > 0:52:17- ..one more thing...!- Improvisation. - Improvisation! Yeah.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20RHYTHMIC CLAPPING
0:52:20 > 0:52:23Spanish dance improvisation may seem a slightly off-beat activity
0:52:23 > 0:52:25for a cellist, but it's all about
0:52:25 > 0:52:28getting students to listen and communicate.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40And communication is at the heart of Laura's chamber music activities.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45I mean, solo playing, as in playing with a pianist,
0:52:45 > 0:52:47is also chamber music, really.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50To be able to communicate not only with your pianist
0:52:50 > 0:52:54but also with the audience makes a huge difference.
0:53:01 > 0:53:06Laura travels even further afield for her one-to-one tuition,
0:53:06 > 0:53:07to Hanover in Germany.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17The teacher she travels so far to see
0:53:17 > 0:53:20is Russian cellist Leonid Gorokhov.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24I began with Leonid when he still lived in England,
0:53:24 > 0:53:28and soon after I started with him, he moved to Germany.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32And because he's so fantastic, I have followed him to Germany
0:53:32 > 0:53:34and I now come to Germany quite regularly.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37It feels like you're really trying to get something out,
0:53:37 > 0:53:39and it needs to be...
0:53:39 > 0:53:43The other way round is when you have loads of springs inside,
0:53:43 > 0:53:47that are just holding something that's about to really explode.
0:53:50 > 0:53:51Like this.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56'She's very young on one hand, having loads of fun,
0:53:56 > 0:53:58'very grown up on the other hand.'
0:53:58 > 0:54:04I would talk to her as I would talk to myself, I suppose.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08There's absolutely no difference, no barrier. It's quite extraordinary.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12Just steer this bow a little bit, the end of the bow.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15'She's a very, very nice person. She's not competitive.'
0:54:15 > 0:54:19Of course, she wants to be very good, but it's not for her own sake,
0:54:19 > 0:54:22it's just she wants to bring loads of joy to others.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33To make the trip worthwhile,
0:54:33 > 0:54:37Laura usually spends two days at a time in Germany.
0:54:37 > 0:54:41Her mother goes with her and they stay overnight with Leonid's family.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46I'm trying to contribute a little bit by cooking some meals and...
0:54:46 > 0:54:48you know, just help a little bit around the house.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54Laura is fluent in Swiss, German and Dutch,
0:54:54 > 0:54:57and now she's learning Russian to socialise more easily
0:54:57 > 0:54:59with Leonid's other pupils.
0:54:59 > 0:55:04He's got 16 students, and a huge variety of countries that they all come from,
0:55:04 > 0:55:07and I've made some really good friends.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09I think she fits very well into that crowd.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12She already met loads of people here and made friends,
0:55:12 > 0:55:17and we're all hoping that she's going to come here when the time comes.
0:55:19 > 0:55:21APPLAUSE
0:55:21 > 0:55:24To open her recital in this final, Laura has chosen
0:55:24 > 0:55:28a piece from the baroque era, a cello sonata by Pietro Locatelli.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33The first movement of Locatelli's Sonata in D Major is a very fun
0:55:33 > 0:55:34and sparkly piece of music.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36I chose this piece to start my programme,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39because it really catches the attention of the audience.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27APPLAUSE
0:58:27 > 0:58:31A very warm reaction there for Laura's first piece,
0:58:31 > 0:58:34Locatelli's D Major Sonata.
0:58:34 > 0:58:36Next, she's going to play Brahms.
0:58:38 > 0:58:41The second movement of the Brahms Sonata in F Major
0:58:41 > 0:58:44is a very warm, colourful piece of music,
0:58:44 > 0:58:47and it is tricky to really carry out the line and keep it going,
0:58:47 > 0:58:49but that is what I really love about the piece.
1:01:37 > 1:01:41APPLAUSE
1:01:41 > 1:01:46It's frankly incredible that Laura is the youngest competitor left
1:01:46 > 1:01:50in BBC Young Musician, because she is just oozing confidence up there.
1:01:50 > 1:01:53And really classy sophistication as well,
1:01:53 > 1:01:55not just kind of blind confidence.
1:01:55 > 1:01:59She's incredibly charming to watch, she's in total control,
1:01:59 > 1:02:02she's got a wonderful rapport going on with her accompanist
1:02:02 > 1:02:06and she looks like she's having the time of her life.
1:04:06 > 1:04:09The variety in the piece is really huge.
1:04:09 > 1:04:13There is some amazingly lyrical passages
1:04:13 > 1:04:19and then totally crazy technical passages as well that I love playing.
1:05:17 > 1:05:19APPLAUSE
1:05:19 > 1:05:23Well, the audience and Mum certainly enjoyed that extraordinarily assured playing.
1:05:23 > 1:05:25I suspect the jury did too.
1:05:30 > 1:05:32Wonderful performance. I mean really very compelling.
1:05:32 > 1:05:35The technical stuff was absolutely incredible,
1:05:35 > 1:05:37she had total command of her instrument.
1:05:37 > 1:05:40I would never have know she was 14.
1:05:40 > 1:05:44The slow movement of the second Brahms Sonata displayed
1:05:44 > 1:05:47playing of astonishing maturity for one so young.
1:05:47 > 1:05:50Wonderful, stylish and witty
1:05:50 > 1:05:53and beautiful playing,
1:05:53 > 1:05:56and the Brahms really was just quite spellbinding.
1:05:56 > 1:05:58- Huge congratulations.- Thank you.
1:05:58 > 1:06:01The judges seemed to love it, the audience seemed to love it,
1:06:01 > 1:06:02did you love it?
1:06:02 > 1:06:05Absolutely, I mean... Oh, what can I say?
1:06:05 > 1:06:09I'm just so happy to have played and, er...
1:06:09 > 1:06:11I kind of want to go out and do it again!
1:06:15 > 1:06:19Following Laura and last to perform in this strings final,
1:06:19 > 1:06:23it's 16-year-old violinist Cristian Grajner-De Sa.
1:06:37 > 1:06:40Cristian wasn't always going to be a violinist -
1:06:40 > 1:06:42his first love was the piano.
1:06:44 > 1:06:47That was actually the instrument I thought I was going to play,
1:06:47 > 1:06:49and my mum introduced me to the violin, and I played it,
1:06:49 > 1:06:52but the piano really was the main instrument.
1:06:52 > 1:06:55And when I was about nine or ten, I really took an interest
1:06:55 > 1:07:00suddenly in the violin, I think I heard some amazing show piece
1:07:00 > 1:07:03and I thought, "I didn't know the violin was capable of doing that."
1:07:03 > 1:07:05Straightaway after that,
1:07:05 > 1:07:08it was just the violin for me and that was my instrument.
1:07:08 > 1:07:11Since then, he's ever looked back.
1:07:11 > 1:07:12He's been a hard worker.
1:07:12 > 1:07:14Sometimes, I don't know,
1:07:14 > 1:07:17he's practising really early in the morning,
1:07:17 > 1:07:21he gets up, and you think, "Oh, my God, he's started already."
1:07:21 > 1:07:23Cristian's mother is a violin teacher at the Royal Academy,
1:07:23 > 1:07:25but the family hasn't always found
1:07:25 > 1:07:28having two fiddlers under one roof straightforward.
1:07:28 > 1:07:33- He's requisitioned some of Erica's bows, doesn't he?- Yes, he does, yes.
1:07:33 > 1:07:38Shoulder rests, chin rests, French bows gone, that I had,
1:07:38 > 1:07:40he uses that now.
1:07:40 > 1:07:44She never complained or anything, so I sort of took advantage a little bit.
1:07:44 > 1:07:45Er...
1:07:45 > 1:07:48And then there's the question of who gets to use the music room.
1:07:48 > 1:07:52My mum uses it for teaching and she tries to rearrange it and all that.
1:07:52 > 1:07:54But as soon as I go in there, I rearrange it back the way it was.
1:07:54 > 1:07:57I think I spend more time in there than she does, you know.
1:07:57 > 1:07:59So I think it's my room, actually.
1:08:06 > 1:08:09But now and again, Cristian gives his mum a chance to reclaim the room.
1:08:11 > 1:08:16Cristian enjoys taking Max, our dog, out for a walk and he just loves it.
1:08:16 > 1:08:20To relax, I suppose I'm just like anybody else.
1:08:20 > 1:08:25Reading, teenage stuff, watching television.
1:08:25 > 1:08:27I don't know if I should say this,
1:08:27 > 1:08:30he's a fantastic supporter of Chelsea, so...
1:08:32 > 1:08:34I don't think you should!
1:08:35 > 1:08:38Every week, Cristian travels to the Royal Academy Of Music
1:08:38 > 1:08:41in London for lessons.
1:08:43 > 1:08:46His teacher is the French soloist, Maurice Hasson.
1:08:48 > 1:08:52Very good. Myself, I do it up bow.
1:08:52 > 1:08:53He's taught me so much.
1:08:53 > 1:08:55Just watching him play, listening to him play,
1:08:55 > 1:08:58there's so much you can learn from that,
1:08:58 > 1:09:01and I'm so grateful to him that he's taken me.
1:09:01 > 1:09:04I really hope that I can continue learning with him for many years.
1:09:06 > 1:09:09He has a natural, beautiful sound, very powerful.
1:09:09 > 1:09:15And he knows how to use it to project emotion.
1:09:15 > 1:09:19So I think that the prospect is very great with that boy.
1:09:19 > 1:09:22I am quite sure of his future, really.
1:09:22 > 1:09:26I am sure he will do a great career, no doubt about it.
1:09:35 > 1:09:39Last autumn, Cristian became a pupil at the Purcell School
1:09:39 > 1:09:41for young musicians.
1:09:41 > 1:09:43Here he gets regular opportunities to hone his skills
1:09:43 > 1:09:46both as an ensemble player and as a soloist.
1:09:50 > 1:09:54He also gets the chance to try out one of his competition pieces.
1:09:56 > 1:09:59It's going to be a good opportunity to perform it to see
1:09:59 > 1:10:02under pressure, I suppose, what goes not so well
1:10:02 > 1:10:05and what to improve on in the practice room.
1:10:05 > 1:10:08And hopefully it will be good for the competition.
1:10:21 > 1:10:25Wherever he plays, his parents are always there to support him.
1:10:25 > 1:10:28His mum, in particular, is always ready with advice,
1:10:28 > 1:10:31both about his performances and about life in general.
1:10:33 > 1:10:36She knows it's a very difficult life, being a musician
1:10:36 > 1:10:39and she's offered other options in life,
1:10:39 > 1:10:42but it's just always been the option for me to be a musician.
1:10:42 > 1:10:46You know, much to her despair or whatever, but...!
1:10:46 > 1:10:48I'd just love to be a musician,
1:10:48 > 1:10:51and there's not much she can do about that, really.
1:10:53 > 1:10:56APPLAUSE
1:10:56 > 1:10:59Cristian is going to begin his bid for the strings title
1:10:59 > 1:11:03with the first movement from Beethoven's Violin Sonata in D Major.
1:11:03 > 1:11:08It's very challenging. Not technically -
1:11:08 > 1:11:10musically, it's very challenging.
1:11:10 > 1:11:13It shows a lot of maturity if you can play it well.
1:13:45 > 1:13:47APPLAUSE
1:13:47 > 1:13:51Cristian's chosen to perform just two pieces in this final.
1:13:51 > 1:13:56So his next, Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen, or Gypsy Airs,
1:13:56 > 1:13:58is also his grand finale.
1:13:58 > 1:14:02It shows off more or less everything the violin can do.
1:14:02 > 1:14:05You've got, you know, left-hand pizzicato, up-bow staccato,
1:14:05 > 1:14:08all these runs and harmonics and the rest of it,
1:14:08 > 1:14:12so it's very technically challenging, a lot more than the Beethoven. Um...
1:14:12 > 1:14:14but it shows everything, because, you know,
1:14:14 > 1:14:17you have a wonderful section which is melodic, it's slow
1:14:17 > 1:14:19and it's a real gypsy piece.
1:18:58 > 1:19:01APPLAUSE
1:19:01 > 1:19:06Cristian Grajner-De Sa bringing this strings final to a terrific close.
1:19:06 > 1:19:08He's a really incredibly accomplished player
1:19:08 > 1:19:10and makes a beautiful sound,
1:19:10 > 1:19:13but what have the judges made of that performance?
1:19:15 > 1:19:17Clearly, you know, a big technique here,
1:19:17 > 1:19:19wonderful facility to get round the instrument.
1:19:19 > 1:19:22I mean, he's a wonderful violinist, no doubt about it.
1:19:22 > 1:19:25And the Sarasate was wonderfully free and gyspy-like,
1:19:25 > 1:19:26as it should be.
1:19:26 > 1:19:30- I was pretty pleased with that. - Did you forget about the judges being there
1:19:30 > 1:19:32- and treat it as a concert? - Oh, yeah, yeah.
1:19:32 > 1:19:35I didn't see any cameras, I didn't see any judges, I didn't see any people.
1:19:35 > 1:19:38- I just saw this and my pianist, and that's it.- Good.
1:19:41 > 1:19:45He played his Beethoven the same as he played his Sarasate -
1:19:45 > 1:19:47both of them were very valid and impressive,
1:19:47 > 1:19:48but in a competition of this sort,
1:19:48 > 1:19:50where you put two pieces against each other,
1:19:50 > 1:19:52you have to show an absolute understanding
1:19:52 > 1:19:54of both those types of music.
1:19:56 > 1:19:58Well, to me, this strings final
1:19:58 > 1:20:01really exemplifies what BBC Young Musician is all about.
1:20:01 > 1:20:03We know that by the time we get to the category finals,
1:20:03 > 1:20:06the standard's going to be incredibly high,
1:20:06 > 1:20:09but we're looking for something beyond that, something extra special.
1:20:09 > 1:20:11I'm pretty sure that, tonight, we've seen that.
1:20:11 > 1:20:14Five spectacular performances.
1:20:14 > 1:20:16Our competitors are all waiting nervously backstage,
1:20:16 > 1:20:19because, of course, there can only be one winner.
1:20:19 > 1:20:21Only one of them is going through to the semi-final,
1:20:21 > 1:20:24and now it's time for the jury to make up their mind.
1:20:27 > 1:20:29And making the decision tonight...
1:20:40 > 1:20:42..and our general adjudicator...
1:20:48 > 1:20:52The first person we heard this evening was violinist Julia Hwang.
1:20:56 > 1:20:59She obviously enjoys playing the violin...a lot.
1:20:59 > 1:21:02The Lutoslawski was a big piece to go on straight off.
1:21:02 > 1:21:03It was brilliant, yeah.
1:21:06 > 1:21:11I really enjoyed Julia - I thought she had fantastic energy. I...
1:21:11 > 1:21:14don't feel that I know much about her, musically,
1:21:14 > 1:21:16after her performance.
1:21:18 > 1:21:22Clearly, the Suk was there to contrast with the two virtuosic pieces either side of it,
1:21:22 > 1:21:25but it didn't really give us enough of a contrast, I think.
1:21:25 > 1:21:27No, I agree.
1:21:27 > 1:21:29We needed something more heavyweight in the programme
1:21:29 > 1:21:32- to really judge her musicianship. - I think so.
1:21:37 > 1:21:39Brahms' C Minor, first movement.
1:21:39 > 1:21:42It's a terrifying piece to start with. I thought it was very brave,
1:21:42 > 1:21:45but, actually, he came on stage and he didn't settle.
1:21:45 > 1:21:47It was very introspective,
1:21:47 > 1:21:50but kind of almost remained introspective right the way through, I felt.
1:21:50 > 1:21:53It didn't kind of open out in the way that I expected it to.
1:21:53 > 1:21:56- It needed more intensity.- Yeah.
1:21:58 > 1:22:00And then the Penderecki piece.
1:22:00 > 1:22:02Fantastic piece and really technically challenging,
1:22:02 > 1:22:05and I thought he did fantastically.
1:22:05 > 1:22:08Again, Penderecki is incredibly clear
1:22:08 > 1:22:10about how to play almost every single note.
1:22:10 > 1:22:13There are very clear dynamics, very clear articulation markings.
1:22:13 > 1:22:18I didn't feel that Joel followed those to the tee.
1:22:23 > 1:22:25- Really beautifully balanced programme.- Absolutely, yes.
1:22:25 > 1:22:29I think she absolutely inhabited every single piece of music.
1:22:29 > 1:22:31She was like a different person in each piece.
1:22:31 > 1:22:34She understood the way the music is written,
1:22:34 > 1:22:39she understood what she was trying to achieve, emotionally, from it.
1:22:39 > 1:22:42And had a wonderful relationship with her duo partner.
1:22:42 > 1:22:46Yeah. Wonderful, wonderful piano playing, particularly the Beethoven.
1:22:46 > 1:22:49Real chamber music playing.
1:22:49 > 1:22:52It was really clean, clear playing.
1:22:52 > 1:22:54- Very stylish.- Very stylish.- Yeah.
1:22:58 > 1:23:00And the Ravel was stunning.
1:23:00 > 1:23:02I absolutely loved her performance.
1:23:02 > 1:23:06- I really enjoyed every minute of it. - Me too.
1:23:13 > 1:23:16I was totally convinced by everything that she did.
1:23:16 > 1:23:18She's completely at ease on stage.
1:23:18 > 1:23:20In fact, she engaged the audience
1:23:20 > 1:23:23from the minute she started the Locatelli.
1:23:23 > 1:23:25- Yes.- And wonderful, stylish playing.
1:23:27 > 1:23:30The Brahms, for me, was a great highlight of the evening.
1:23:30 > 1:23:33I thought it was beautiful playing, wonderfully mature.
1:23:35 > 1:23:39- I wasn't so fond of the Rimsky-Korsakov as a programme choice.- No.
1:23:39 > 1:23:42I'd have liked to hear something different.
1:23:42 > 1:23:45- But I'm very, very excited by her.- Yes.
1:23:45 > 1:23:50You don't hear someone with that depth of understanding
1:23:50 > 1:23:54in a competition for young musicians very often.
1:24:03 > 1:24:04Plenty of technique in evidence here.
1:24:04 > 1:24:07Yeah, I mean, the Sarasate was...was great.
1:24:07 > 1:24:11I mean, he was absolutely comfortable playing the Sarasate.
1:24:14 > 1:24:16The Beethoven, I just felt...
1:24:16 > 1:24:22didn't have the insight and maturity and understanding.
1:24:22 > 1:24:26And there just wasn't enough difference between the Sarasate sound and Beethoven sound, I thought.
1:24:26 > 1:24:29No. I sort of felt that if he'd come into the room
1:24:29 > 1:24:32and played me a Beethoven sonata and nothing else, I would've thought,
1:24:32 > 1:24:35"Gosh, what a lovely, really fantastic violinist. Really solid."
1:24:35 > 1:24:39But the fact that he then played Sarasate with the same sound,
1:24:39 > 1:24:41- there was no differentiation.- No.
1:24:41 > 1:24:43So it's time now for us to make a decision,
1:24:43 > 1:24:45and I think it'll be a difficult one.
1:24:45 > 1:24:48Yes, it's going to be very tough. I mean, I don't know how you feel,
1:24:48 > 1:24:51but I think it's between two very strong candidates.
1:24:51 > 1:24:54I'm absolutely stuck between the two.
1:24:54 > 1:24:59MUSICIANS CHAT
1:25:03 > 1:25:05They're all great,
1:25:05 > 1:25:08but particularly the violinist at the end of the first half
1:25:08 > 1:25:10had that extra something, you know?
1:25:10 > 1:25:12The third player, the violinist was really good -
1:25:12 > 1:25:15she had a really virtuosic programme.
1:25:15 > 1:25:19Well, there was a young cellist tonight, she's 14 years of age...
1:25:19 > 1:25:23To play with that maturity at 14, I think, is just astonishing.
1:25:23 > 1:25:26Just the way she communicated with the audience,
1:25:26 > 1:25:29it's just unbelievable that someone that young
1:25:29 > 1:25:32can be so professional and so inspiring.
1:25:32 > 1:25:34Maybe the cellist, the 14-year-old cellist,
1:25:34 > 1:25:37or the 16-year-old violinist.
1:25:37 > 1:25:39THEY LAUGH AND CHAT
1:25:43 > 1:25:45What a night it's been -
1:25:45 > 1:25:47another outstanding display of young musicianship.
1:25:47 > 1:25:49But someone's got to win.
1:25:49 > 1:25:52Here to announce the name of our strings category final winner,
1:25:52 > 1:25:54and the third of our five semi-finalists,
1:25:54 > 1:25:57it's jury member Lesley Hatfield.
1:25:57 > 1:26:00APPLAUSE
1:26:00 > 1:26:04On behalf of the jury, we'd like to congratulate all five candidates,
1:26:04 > 1:26:07who've played really outstanding performances.
1:26:07 > 1:26:12Sadly, our job tonight was to choose one of them to go forward.
1:26:12 > 1:26:17And there were two outstanding candidates above the others,
1:26:17 > 1:26:19and so that caused us some difficulty,
1:26:19 > 1:26:21but I'm very happy to announce
1:26:21 > 1:26:26that the winner of the BBC Young Musician 2012 Strings Category Final
1:26:26 > 1:26:29and the person going through to the semi-final is...
1:26:32 > 1:26:33..Laura van der Heijden.
1:26:33 > 1:26:36CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:26:38 > 1:26:41Well, a hugely enthusiastic response to that result,
1:26:41 > 1:26:45and a remarkable achievement by the young 14-year-old cellist,
1:26:45 > 1:26:46Laura van der Heijden.
1:26:46 > 1:26:50And let's not forget Joel, Julia, Juliette and Cristian -
1:26:50 > 1:26:55their contribution really has made it a night to remember here in Cardiff.
1:26:57 > 1:27:01It was a very hard decision between two of them for us.
1:27:01 > 1:27:04And I think, for me, Laura...
1:27:04 > 1:27:08inhabited every single piece that she played. Couldn't fault her.
1:27:08 > 1:27:12And, as I said, very, very difficult between two of them.
1:27:12 > 1:27:14But, yeah, Laura came out on top.
1:27:17 > 1:27:19This was such a hard-fought category -
1:27:19 > 1:27:21the standard was incredibly high.
1:27:21 > 1:27:24Does that kind of give it an extra-special edge to you?
1:27:24 > 1:27:25I guess so.
1:27:25 > 1:27:28I mean, the other four, they are all amazing and really nice people,
1:27:28 > 1:27:32and I'm glad to have met them, and hopefully we'll stay in contact.
1:27:32 > 1:27:34But I'm, yeah, really, really lucky.
1:27:34 > 1:27:37We're lucky to have you. Congratulations. Go and give your mum a hug!
1:27:37 > 1:27:39- I will! Thank you very much. - See you later.- Thank you.
1:27:39 > 1:27:42- See you at the semi-final! - Yes.- Bye.- Thank you.
1:27:45 > 1:27:48SHE SCREAMS
1:27:51 > 1:27:55CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:27:58 > 1:28:01Well done to Laura, who we'll be hearing from again in two weeks' time,
1:28:01 > 1:28:04when coverage of BBC Young Musician 2012
1:28:04 > 1:28:06switches to BBC Two for the semi-final.
1:28:06 > 1:28:09In the meantime, don't forget to join me here on BBC Four next week,
1:28:09 > 1:28:14when it's the turn of five extremely talented young woodwind players to take to the stage.
1:28:16 > 1:28:19It's been such an exciting journey.
1:28:19 > 1:28:21Well, this is a massive occasion.
1:28:21 > 1:28:23It's just a great thing to be part of.
1:28:23 > 1:28:25I think you have to be quite arrogant on stage.
1:28:25 > 1:28:27I'm really going to go for it.
1:28:30 > 1:28:33She drew us straightaway into this ethereal world.
1:28:33 > 1:28:35I'd love to know what he has for breakfast.
1:28:35 > 1:28:37A sound like velvet and cocoa.
1:28:37 > 1:28:40Fantastic finger dexterity there.
1:28:40 > 1:28:42She totally convinced me.
1:29:14 > 1:29:17Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd