0:00:02 > 0:00:05Last week, 15-year-old Elliot Gaston-Ross
0:00:05 > 0:00:09beat off strong competition to win the percussion title.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13There's something special about him and he's really got something.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15We'll see Elliot again in two weeks' time
0:00:15 > 0:00:17along with violinist William Dutton...
0:00:19 > 0:00:23..when BBC Young Musician reaches the semifinal stage.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Tonight, the spotlight is on woodwind.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Two flautists,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31two saxophonists
0:00:31 > 0:00:32and a recorder player
0:00:32 > 0:00:36have made it through to the category finals here in Cardiff.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39After all those hours of practice, each one of them
0:00:39 > 0:00:42will be hoping to put in a winning performance.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44What's at stake? The category title.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47And that coveted place in the semifinal
0:00:47 > 0:00:49of BBC Young Musician 2014.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19It was the biggest musical experience of my life.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24BBC Young Musician is the most important competition in the UK.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26I'm extremely grateful to the competition...
0:01:28 > 0:01:30..for making my dreams a reality.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37As a young musician, it just lifts your playing to a different level.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44When you see all these teenagers play, they have such love of music.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49It will be an unforgettable experience for them
0:01:49 > 0:01:52which will make them love music even more.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57The last two years have been a roller-coaster ride.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59- Laura van der Heijden. - CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Winning the BBC Young Musician gave me a career.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Since the competition started back in 1978,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15just three woodwind players have won the overall title.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Oboe-player, Nicholas Daniel
0:02:18 > 0:02:20and clarinet-players Emma Johnson
0:02:20 > 0:02:21and Mark Simpson.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Tonight's finalists will all hope to follow in their footsteps.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27We will be meeting them in just a moment
0:02:27 > 0:02:31but, first, here is a reminder of how they made it this far
0:02:31 > 0:02:33and what lies ahead for the winner.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Nearly 500 young hopefuls entered this year's competition
0:02:38 > 0:02:40and, after two audition rounds,
0:02:40 > 0:02:4425 were selected for these televised finals.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Those 25 are divided into five categories -
0:02:48 > 0:02:51strings, percussion, woodwind,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53keyboard and brass.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57One winner from each category will progress to the semifinals,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00where they will compete for just three places
0:03:00 > 0:03:02in the BBC Young Musician final.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07The three finalists will perform a concerto
0:03:07 > 0:03:10at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, on May the 18th
0:03:10 > 0:03:12with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
0:03:12 > 0:03:15under the baton of Kirill Karabits.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20One will be named BBC Young Musician 2014.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Taking part in BBC Young Musician
0:03:26 > 0:03:29can be such an important crossroads in a musician's life,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32as I discovered when I reached the final back in 1998.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38This competition can help launch a career,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41but it can also be quite a daunting experience.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Most of these young people will be used to taking part in auditions
0:03:44 > 0:03:48and will have faced competition juries many times before.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51But few of them will have experienced the lights,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54the cameras and the general paraphernalia of television.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57What these players have to do now is just put all of that
0:03:57 > 0:04:00out of their minds and think about their music.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Tonight's woodwind finalists are...
0:04:03 > 0:04:0517-year-old saxophonist Nick Seymour
0:04:05 > 0:04:08who comes from Cornwall and studies in Manchester.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11I'm quite relaxed about the whole experience, to be honest,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13I'm just looking forward to be playing for these guys.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15I'm going to do my best and just not think too hard
0:04:15 > 0:04:19that I'm being filmed or judged or anything like that.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Honestly, I didn't think that I would make it this far
0:04:21 > 0:04:24and I'm really happy that I have. I'm going to give it everything I've got.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Flautist Hannah Foster is 18 and from Edinburgh.
0:04:34 > 0:04:35When people see a flute,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39they automatically think that it's going to be quite pretty,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43but there's a lot of darker stuff that people don't expect.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46I'm hoping that I'm just going to really enjoy it.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Our second saxophonist,
0:04:50 > 0:04:5315-year-old Jess Gillam from Cumbria.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56You can practise all the time in the world,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00but performing and sharing it with people is what I love to do.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03I never thought I'd be here on the telly!
0:05:03 > 0:05:06When you watch it on telly, I never thought that would be me.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09I've always wished it would be, but I never thought it would,
0:05:09 > 0:05:11so it's great to be here.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Recorder-player Sophie Westbrooke
0:05:15 > 0:05:18is 15 and from Sevenoaks in Kent.
0:05:18 > 0:05:19I love performing.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22It's so much fun and it's just really nice
0:05:22 > 0:05:25to feel that you can kind of make people happy, in a way?
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Sounds really cheesy, but, yeah.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32I'm just waiting for it to hit me that I'm actually here.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37And, completing the line-up,
0:05:37 > 0:05:3919-year-old flautist Daniel Shao,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42who's a first-year student at Oxford University.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47I love performing. I play much better while I'm performing.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Connecting with other people through music is the whole reason we do it.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55I'm just happy to be playing in such a nice hall
0:05:55 > 0:05:58and such a great environment.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02And there we have our five woodwind finalists.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13I seriously cannot wait to hear our five talented players this evening.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16There will be a variety of instruments and styles
0:06:16 > 0:06:20and a repertoire ranging from medieval to the 21st century.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24However, in order to secure their place in the semifinal,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27they will need to impress three very important people.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Tonight's judges are...
0:06:33 > 0:06:39..Simon Haram, one of the UK's leading saxophone players.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43Things that I'm looking for this evening - a dynamic performance,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46some real excitement and, basically, an entertainer.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Marie-Christine Zupancic, principal flautist
0:06:51 > 0:06:53with the City Of Birmingham
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Symphony Orchestra since 2006.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59I'm just looking for the most thrilling performance tonight.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Someone who really convinces us.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05And our general adjudicator,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Director of the Cheltenham Music Festival, Meurig Bowen.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13I'm going to be looking for something indefinably special.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Not only a musical intelligence, but an emotional intelligence, too.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20They're going to have to demonstrate a real passion
0:07:20 > 0:07:24for what you're doing, basically, and that will show through, instantly.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29At the end of the day, it's how they communicate with the audience.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30That's the most important thing.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34I'll just see and let myself be surprised tonight.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44After months of preparation,
0:07:44 > 0:07:49the waiting is nearly over for our five woodwind finalists.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50With the audience arriving,
0:07:50 > 0:07:55there is a real sense of anticipation all around the hall.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57As you can see, we are literally moments away
0:07:57 > 0:07:59from the start of this final.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01The judges are about to take their seats
0:08:01 > 0:08:03and waiting eagerly backstage
0:08:03 > 0:08:05is our first contestant, saxophonist Nick Seymour.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15The very first thing he played was the mouth organ, and then,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18when he was about six, he came into my bedroom one morning and said,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20"I NEED to play the saxophone."
0:08:20 > 0:08:22So it sort of went from there.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Nick studies at Chetham's School Of Music in Manchester.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31I think I must've been 14 when my mum thought
0:08:31 > 0:08:34that she would get me an advice audition up in Chetham's
0:08:34 > 0:08:36to see whether I was any good.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40And it turned out I was quite good, they thought,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44so I came here and it's just been fantastic ever since.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46THEY PLAY UPBEAT PIECE
0:08:52 > 0:08:56NICK PLAYS COMPLEX SOLO
0:08:58 > 0:08:59With a background in dance,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03mum Eva understands Nick's passion for performance.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Music is something that has just taken over his life,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09as in, it's something that he absolutely loves doing
0:09:09 > 0:09:13and he's constantly looking at new types of music, but the classical...
0:09:13 > 0:09:15I think he's really found himself in classical,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18and in classical saxophone which he thinks,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20you know, "Its time has come".
0:09:22 > 0:09:25A lot of people think of it as a jazz instrument,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28it's not part of the orchestra, it's quite modern.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30But there's so many different kinds of music
0:09:30 > 0:09:32and every piece is individual.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39He's really inspirational.
0:09:39 > 0:09:40He takes control quite a lot
0:09:40 > 0:09:42and he just keeps us all trailing behind him.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45He's really good to learn from.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48FLOURISHED END TO MUSIC
0:09:52 > 0:09:56HE PLAYS FLOWING PIECE
0:10:03 > 0:10:06I love the sounds I can make with the saxophone.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08HE PLAYS FLOWING PIECE
0:10:10 > 0:10:13There's so many different tone colours I can produce
0:10:13 > 0:10:15with the instrument and it depends on what reed
0:10:15 > 0:10:19or set-up you're playing on. That's really fascinating.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25But, generally, just playing music is fantastic.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Someone like Nick, I would say that music chooses him.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32I've been teaching Nick for the last four years.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Nick's a very determined player.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38He finds out new skills that he's developing all the time.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41He's very interested in extended techniques on the saxophone,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44so a very exciting player to teach.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46HE FINISHES PIECE
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Whenever he gets the chance, Nick heads home to Penzance in Cornwall.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07It's great to be home. It's just really nice to see all this again.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Quite regularly, we go out for walks, we sometimes go cycling.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14We go to the beach quite a lot.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18It's really lovely to just look at everything and it does...
0:11:18 > 0:11:21It's really tranquil and it makes me feel quite calm,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23so it is nice to play while I'm here.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27Just the landscapes and the nature is really inspirational to what I do.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Quite a contrast to Manchester.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37It's a lot quieter, the pace of life is a lot slower
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and I can just wake up when I want, which is nice!
0:11:40 > 0:11:43He rehearses at home all the time.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45It's quite loud and it can get annoying.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Especially when you're hearing the same stuff over and over and over.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51But, I mean, we're really proud of him and he's a big inspiration.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Performance for me is what it's all about, really,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03that's what I aim for, as a musician,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06and that's what I want to do in my career.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11So it really gives me a fantastic buzz, there's nothing like it at all.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16I'm really here to play as much as I can and perform to all these people
0:12:16 > 0:12:18which is going to be a fantastic experience,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20whether or not I get through.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22CLAPPING
0:12:22 > 0:12:23AUDIENCE APPLAUDS
0:12:23 > 0:12:27So here is Nick Seymour to open this woodwind category final.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32When I'm performing, I want people to enjoy what they're hearing.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34I'm going to play Ku Ku by Barry Cockroft.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37He's an Australian saxophonist and composer.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Ku Ku, the name itself, is Swahili for "chicken",
0:12:40 > 0:12:43and that obviously has crazy connotations
0:12:43 > 0:12:45and, like, gives you the idea of madness.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50APPLAUSE
0:14:50 > 0:14:56Nick Seymour opening this final with a performance of Ku Ku by Cockroft.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58I'm then going to play Aria by Eugene Bozza.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01This piece was originally written for the saxophone.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04It's not really got anywhere to breathe. It was probably...
0:15:04 > 0:15:06He probably had a violin more in mind when he wrote it,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08but it's a great challenge to play well,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11and, if I pull it off, it'll be great.
0:18:38 > 0:18:44APPLAUSE
0:18:44 > 0:18:49The last piece I'll play will be Pequene Czarda by Pedro Iturralde.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52The piece is quite a big bang to go out on, definitely.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55I think everybody will be happy at the end of it.
0:21:16 > 0:21:24APPLAUSE
0:21:28 > 0:21:3017-year-old Nick Seymour
0:21:30 > 0:21:34giving us a fantastic start to the woodwind final here this evening.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35Such a great choice of programme,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37showing off many different qualities.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42So, Nick, breaking the ice,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46opening the competition with such a virtuosic first piece!
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Yeah, I guess that was pretty hard.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- I was breathless!- Yeah, me, too.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54That was absolutely amazing.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Incredible technique, but also
0:21:56 > 0:21:59such a beautiful sound of incredible musicianship there, I think.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05He really ran the gamut of techniques that the saxophone can do.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Really impressive.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10I was on the edge of my chair and everybody else was -
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- what a reaction you had! I mean, seriously!- Great, thank you.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21Nick Seymour setting a high standard for this woodwind category final.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Whoever wins tonight will progress through
0:22:24 > 0:22:26to the next round of the competition,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29where they will compete against the other category winners
0:22:29 > 0:22:31for a place in the grand final.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34The last time it was held in Edinburgh was back in 2004,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36when Scottish violinist,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38the wonderful Nicola Benedetti took the title.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40This year, she returns to the competition
0:22:40 > 0:22:41as its first ever ambassador
0:22:41 > 0:22:44and we all really look forward to seeing her there.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Our next competitor, flautist Hannah Foster,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48will be surely looking to emulate Nicky's success
0:22:48 > 0:22:51as she's our only Scottish competitor in the category finals.
0:23:01 > 0:23:0518-year-old Hannah Foster lives and studies in Edinburgh,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09but her chosen instrument, the flute, is not her only passion.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15Art and painting helps me to relax, it gives me a bit of peace...
0:23:15 > 0:23:17outside of the music.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31I'm doing Advanced Higher Art
0:23:31 > 0:23:34and my folio is on tigers.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36I went to Edinburgh Zoo in the summer,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40thinking I was going to do my whole project on Edinburgh Zoo,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44but seeing tigers and thinking about issues
0:23:44 > 0:23:47have really made me love tigers!
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Tigers, in quite a lot of cultures, are a symbol of strength.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55But, actually, they're very vulnerable.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59I think the flute is misunderstood in a way as well,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03because it's viewed as quite a pretty, girly instrument.
0:24:03 > 0:24:09I think there's a lot of darkness and intensity that you can find,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13because I can kind of bounce off ideas from art into music.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18THEY PLAY BAROQUE PIECE
0:24:21 > 0:24:25Anything to do with flute makes me feel happy.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27It's like singing.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29It's kind of like the human voice.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32I can't sing, but, I don't know,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36it feels very much like it's part of you in your playing.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41I go to St Mary's Music School.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46It's a lot of practice, which is good. Orchestra and chamber music.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50PIECE ENDS
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Hannah has flute lessons with Matthew Studdert-Kennedy.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03'By the time I started teaching Hannah,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05'she was already clearly a wonderful flute-player.'
0:25:07 > 0:25:09The middle one...
0:25:09 > 0:25:12'What I try to help Hannah do is to find things in the music'
0:25:12 > 0:25:16that excite her. Find her way of doing things.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Matthew, my flute teacher, is fantastic.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Or from the top, whichever you prefer.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28He really tries to get me to think independently,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31about, musically, what I want to say.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34So he nit-picks on a lot of different things in a piece.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39You know, tiny things, but it really does affect the music.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43I'm sorry to stop you... The breaths just take ever so slightly too long.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46I'm nit-picking, I'm really nit-picking...
0:25:46 > 0:25:49And what was the other thing? Here. No crescendo.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52# Do-di-da-di-dum, boo-doo-doo-bom. Bi-bi-dum! #
0:25:52 > 0:25:53There's the crescendo.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Once, do it from those up bits.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01SHE PLAYS COMPLEX PIECE
0:26:03 > 0:26:06'She has flair, she has great, solid technique
0:26:06 > 0:26:08'and she has an absolutely amazing determination.'
0:26:08 > 0:26:11She's just better than all the others!
0:26:11 > 0:26:13HE LAUGHS
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Hannah comes from a musical family
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and was introduced to the flute by her dad.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24As soon as she starts playing the flute, she gets into the zone.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27From the minute she started playing,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31she expected to play every day.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33I entered BBC Young Musician
0:26:33 > 0:26:37because it just seems like a great opportunity
0:26:37 > 0:26:39for people like myself to go for.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44I don't see why not, I think. It's there for everyone.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48So here is Hannah Foster,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51the first of two flautists in this woodwind final.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52APPLAUSE
0:26:52 > 0:26:54When I was programming, I wanted to have a wide spread
0:26:54 > 0:26:56of different things that you can do on the flute.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03I'm starting with the third movement of the Bach Sonata in E Minor.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08It's like an aria, it's really song-like and it's very simple.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10It's kind of like an improvisation.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27APPLAUSE
0:30:31 > 0:30:35I'm following Bach with Eugene Bozza's Image,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38which is quite a fizzy piece.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42It's unaccompanied, so it's really exposed
0:30:42 > 0:30:46and you just have to go for it, because there's nobody else there.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05APPLAUSE
0:35:05 > 0:35:09That was Bozza's Image for Solo Flute played by Hannah Foster.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12After the kind of bubbliness of the solo piece,
0:35:12 > 0:35:17I'm playing Frank Martin's Ballade, which was composed in 1939.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21The Ballade is just a really dark piece.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25It's really...kind of evil!
0:35:25 > 0:35:28Er, which is... which is a good contrast
0:35:28 > 0:35:32but it's also really enjoyable to play cos it's so gritty.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45APPLAUSE
0:36:46 > 0:36:48Hannah Foster there,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51giving us a captivating performance through all of her repertoire,
0:36:51 > 0:36:52starting with JS Bach -
0:36:52 > 0:36:55the perfect way to start a journey, in my opinion.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Congratulations.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08- Thank you!- How did it feel?
0:37:08 > 0:37:12- You happy?- Um, it was, like... quite a rush.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14Um, it was...
0:37:14 > 0:37:16it was...fun!
0:37:19 > 0:37:20I think what I liked best about Hannah
0:37:20 > 0:37:22was the communication with the audience.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26She was really sort of taking us through these different worlds
0:37:26 > 0:37:28and, yeah, I really enjoyed that.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32Hannah's clearly a very intelligent, sensitive player.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Lots of moods in a very widely-contrasting programme.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38I think she was nervous and it was very apparent to me
0:37:38 > 0:37:41that she'd very much relaxed by her third piece,
0:37:41 > 0:37:44the Frank Martin and she really went for it in that piece most of all.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46- Well done, it's time to rest now. - Thank you!
0:37:46 > 0:37:49- Ciao!- OK, thank you.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55Still to come, we have recorder player Sophie Westbrooke
0:37:55 > 0:37:58and flautist Dan Shao but next to perform
0:37:58 > 0:38:00we have 15-year-old saxophonist Jess Gillam.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Saxophone player Jess Gillam lives in Ulverston in Cumbria.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18I've worked in my mum and dad's tearoom since I was 10.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20BELL TINKLES
0:38:20 > 0:38:23It's given me the base for a lot of what I do now,
0:38:23 > 0:38:27so I earned money here to be able to buy my saxophones
0:38:27 > 0:38:30and also to meet a lot of different people
0:38:30 > 0:38:32and it's really helped with my people skills as well
0:38:32 > 0:38:35because I find that, in the music industry, it's not just about
0:38:35 > 0:38:38the playing, you need to be able to communicate properly
0:38:38 > 0:38:42and to deal with people, so working here has really helped with that.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44- Thank you.- I'll bring the hot milk out now for you.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45Brilliant.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58I used to busk on the corner over the road
0:38:58 > 0:39:00and that really helped because
0:39:00 > 0:39:02there were people there who would come up
0:39:02 > 0:39:05and tell you people to listen to.
0:39:05 > 0:39:06BELL RINGS
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Also, the people who don't enjoy it so much, as well,
0:39:08 > 0:39:12it's all good practice for when, when I'd like to be a performer,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14when people might not enjoy it!
0:39:15 > 0:39:17Jess's dad is a drummer
0:39:17 > 0:39:19and he knows how to deal with a tough crowd.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22Can be quite an unreceptive bunch, people, when you're busking
0:39:22 > 0:39:25so it's good training for future musical life
0:39:25 > 0:39:27to grow a thick skin and also
0:39:27 > 0:39:30get a chance to play to an appreciative audience.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32SAXOPHONE PLAYS
0:39:32 > 0:39:35- Would you like to try this one now? - Yeah.- Yeah?
0:39:35 > 0:39:38I teach Lewis, a boy with Down's syndrome, once a week
0:39:38 > 0:39:40in my mum and dad's tearoom.
0:39:40 > 0:39:41I really enjoy teaching
0:39:41 > 0:39:44because it makes me understand what I'm doing more, as well,
0:39:44 > 0:39:47so going back to basics and really simple,
0:39:47 > 0:39:49it makes sure you've got all the foundations
0:39:49 > 0:39:51to do all the more technical things.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55It's really nice to be able to pass on what I can do to other people.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57- This bit was much better. - Mm-hm.- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00And you remembered all the B-flats through here, yeah?
0:40:00 > 0:40:02- Yeah.- It was much better.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Every weekend, Jess makes the two-hour journey to Manchester
0:40:10 > 0:40:13for lessons at the Royal Northern College of Music.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17I started studying saxophone and piano
0:40:17 > 0:40:21at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music in September 2011
0:40:21 > 0:40:25and I studied saxophone there with Ruth Bourne.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28And I get on really well with her because it's nice that we can...
0:40:28 > 0:40:33have a laugh in the lesson as well as get on with the music.
0:40:33 > 0:40:34Yeah, all of that section...
0:40:34 > 0:40:38'I've never known anybody so at home on their instrument,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41'certainly at her age - she just... It feels like'
0:40:41 > 0:40:45the instrument's just part of her and so, technically,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48there doesn't seem to be many barriers,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51so that the things that she can do expressively,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54or the things that she wants to do expressively, she can just do.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Many people can be technical musicians
0:41:05 > 0:41:07but I think Jess's strength is she's a performer.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Some of her personality comes out in her playing
0:41:09 > 0:41:12and her passion for music comes out in her playing.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15And that counts for a lot in-in music.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19She's got the technical ability and-and the performance skills.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23The performance side of music is what I love doing most.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25I mean, I love to study and do the other things as well
0:41:25 > 0:41:29but performing is what I love and I think that's what it's all about
0:41:29 > 0:41:31and having the different opportunities to perform
0:41:31 > 0:41:33in different settings and to different people
0:41:33 > 0:41:35is really important to me.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37And it's just what I love to do.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43She's someone who clearly loves the stage.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45Here is 15-year-old saxophonist Jess Gillam.
0:41:45 > 0:41:46APPLAUSE
0:41:46 > 0:41:48I've tried to put a programme together
0:41:48 > 0:41:51that has some of my personality in the music
0:41:51 > 0:41:53and it's all music that I love to play.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57I'm opening with the Tango Etude no.3 by Piazzolla.
0:41:57 > 0:41:58I love to play this one
0:41:58 > 0:42:01because it's all about the Argentinean tango.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06Different parts of the music, I imagine different scenes in a tango.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37To follow Piazzolla's Tango Etude no.3,
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Jess is going to play the 4th movement from
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Tableaux de Provence by Paul Maurice.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46When I'm playing this one, I imagine a haunted, spooky castle
0:43:46 > 0:43:50with spirits and ghosts over the top of the castle,
0:43:50 > 0:43:55um, floating around and it's-it's a beautiful piece
0:43:55 > 0:43:57but it's quite eerie and dark.
0:46:11 > 0:46:12What an atmosphere.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15And such stillness at the end of that piece by Maurice.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18I'm finishing with Deep Purple by Peter DeRose,
0:46:18 > 0:46:21arranged by Rudy Wiedoeft.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24And Rudy Wiedoeft was an American saxophonist
0:46:24 > 0:46:29who took popular music of his time and put a whole new take on it.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32So this one is the jazz tune, Deep Purple,
0:46:32 > 0:46:35and he's taken it to lots of different levels.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09APPLAUSE
0:51:13 > 0:51:16What a brilliant performance by 15-year-old Jess Gillam.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18I completely forgot I was in a competition
0:51:18 > 0:51:20and just felt her really performing for us.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22I hope she's really proud of herself,
0:51:22 > 0:51:24let's find out what she thought.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32Jess, Jess, Jess, you seemed to me that you had the time of your life.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34It was just...
0:51:34 > 0:51:37I love performing and that was just a performance of a lifetime,
0:51:37 > 0:51:42I won't get that opportunity again, so I just had to make the most of it.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46Jess blew us away - great sound, lovely performance.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48She really carries the tune.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51Fantastically enjoyable playing from Jess.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53She's a real stage animal,
0:51:53 > 0:51:57it looks as though she doesn't want to be anywhere else except on stage.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59JESS: I just forgot I was there!
0:51:59 > 0:52:01And then I looked and I saw the sign in the back -
0:52:01 > 0:52:04BBC Young Musician, and I thought, "Oh, dear, I'm here!"
0:52:04 > 0:52:05That's less important,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08the most important thing is that you are having the time of your life.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11- Yeah, that's great, thank you very much.- High-five.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13SHE CHUCKLES
0:52:18 > 0:52:19We now come to our only recorder player
0:52:19 > 0:52:21still left in the competition -
0:52:21 > 0:52:22Sophie Westbrooke.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36Recorder player Sophie Westbrooke lives in Kent
0:52:36 > 0:52:38and at weekends travels to London to study
0:52:38 > 0:52:41at the Royal Academy of Music
0:52:42 > 0:52:45I started going to Academy in year four.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49I just found it so exciting to be in a place where
0:52:49 > 0:52:52everybody felt the same way about music as me.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Sophie is taught by Barbara Law.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57She's a really good teacher,
0:52:57 > 0:53:01she always pushes us to do something outside of our comfort zone.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03I think this needs to be much more theatrical, generally.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06I think maybe some alternative fingerings for there,
0:53:06 > 0:53:07for the D and the A,
0:53:07 > 0:53:11F, because that would be nice to have a really wistful sound.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14That needs to kind of melt there, doesn't it? Once more.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19The repertoire available to the recorder is limited
0:53:19 > 0:53:22but, for Barbara, this can be an advantage.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26You have to be more creative and you have to go out and find things,
0:53:26 > 0:53:28you have to transcribe things.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30Yes, so I think it can be an exciting instrument
0:53:30 > 0:53:31from that point of view.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34And Barbara should know -
0:53:34 > 0:53:37her other star pupil is Charlotte Barbour-Condini,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40who made history in 2012
0:53:40 > 0:53:43by becoming the first recorder player to reach the final
0:53:43 > 0:53:44of BBC Young Musician.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49Charlotte still studies at the Academy
0:53:49 > 0:53:52and regularly plays with Sophie.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Seeing Charlotte two years ago made me think,
0:53:55 > 0:53:58"Well, maybe it is possible for someone playing the recorder
0:53:58 > 0:54:00"to get through."
0:54:00 > 0:54:04Whenever she plays, it's so expressive and you find
0:54:04 > 0:54:07she really connects with the audience and I think, from playing with her,
0:54:07 > 0:54:12I learnt a lot about what performance is and she's...
0:54:12 > 0:54:15she's really nice, she's a really fun girl.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18The main thing is just to enjoy it, really, cos...
0:54:18 > 0:54:21Yeah. It is an enjoyable process and...
0:54:22 > 0:54:25..yeah, you'll have a lot of fun, you will.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28During the week, Sophie goes to school in Sevenoaks in Kent,
0:54:28 > 0:54:33where, alongside her studies, she's kept very busy with music.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37I'm in two orchestras, three choirs and three chamber groups.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Symphony orchestra, string orchestra, Sennocke Consort,
0:54:39 > 0:54:41which is the senior choir,
0:54:41 > 0:54:44choral society, which is all the choirs, girls' choir...
0:54:44 > 0:54:46and... Yeah!
0:54:49 > 0:54:50I started playing the recorder
0:54:50 > 0:54:54in class lessons when I was about six.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57I don't think I ever intended it to be my main instrument
0:54:57 > 0:55:01when I was that young, it just kind of...happened!
0:55:02 > 0:55:05Sophie is an incredible collaborative musician,
0:55:05 > 0:55:10she very spontaneously contributes to a group ethos.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14It's almost like having an extra coach in the ensemble.
0:55:16 > 0:55:17She's very versatile -
0:55:17 > 0:55:21I can't believe some of the stuff she actually plays.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23A lot better than us, I can say that for certain!
0:55:23 > 0:55:25THEY LAUGH
0:55:32 > 0:55:35I really like to bake because, well...
0:55:35 > 0:55:39I really like cake and also... it's just really relaxing
0:55:39 > 0:55:43and therapeutic and I find, even though music is really relaxing
0:55:43 > 0:55:46and really enjoyable, sometimes it can get a bit stressful
0:55:46 > 0:55:48if you have lots of things going on...
0:55:50 > 0:55:53So baking is something where you really don't have to think too hard
0:55:53 > 0:55:56and you can just enjoy yourself and be creative
0:55:56 > 0:55:59without having to get stressed about it!
0:56:03 > 0:56:06Sophie was introduced to music at a young age by her mum
0:56:06 > 0:56:09who herself reached grade 8 on the piano.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12She sang before she could really talk,
0:56:12 > 0:56:13she used to come out with the noises
0:56:13 > 0:56:16that matched the nursery rhymes in the car
0:56:16 > 0:56:19and, um, I used to sing her to sleep every night
0:56:19 > 0:56:20and she sang in harmony,
0:56:20 > 0:56:24which I thought was quite strange for a three-year-old.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27THEY LAUGH
0:56:29 > 0:56:32I couldn't believe she got through to the category finals.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35It was something we were just trying to see how it suited Sophie
0:56:35 > 0:56:38and whether she'd enjoy the experience,
0:56:38 > 0:56:40certainly weren't expecting her to get this far
0:56:40 > 0:56:42and she was delighted.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50When you're performing, nobody really expects what you're doing,
0:56:50 > 0:56:53so I think it's really nice to be able to show people something new,
0:56:53 > 0:56:55something they might not have seen before
0:56:55 > 0:56:59and kind of open their eyes to what the recorder can really be.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06APPLAUSE
0:57:06 > 0:57:08And for her appearance in this final,
0:57:08 > 0:57:11Sophie has put together a wide-ranging programme
0:57:11 > 0:57:14featuring a number of different recorders.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16She's joined on stage by David Gordon on harpsichord
0:57:16 > 0:57:19and Carl Herring on guitar.
0:57:19 > 0:57:21First, we are going to hear two pieces
0:57:21 > 0:57:24that take us back to the medieval period.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28The lament is really sweet and it's really nice to play
0:57:28 > 0:57:30and then it moves into the rotta
0:57:30 > 0:57:34which is more energetic and the tension really builds up
0:57:34 > 0:57:36throughout the two pieces.
1:01:40 > 1:01:41From the medieval period,
1:01:41 > 1:01:44Sophie now takes us straight into the early baroque
1:01:44 > 1:01:46with Castello's Sonata Prima.
1:03:38 > 1:03:41To end her programme, Sophie is going to play Choro.
1:03:41 > 1:03:43It's based on a keyboard melody by CPE Bach
1:03:43 > 1:03:48and has been arranged for recorder by her accompanist, David Gordon.
1:03:48 > 1:03:52It's a really sweet melody and it's really, really lyrical
1:03:52 > 1:03:57and it's just the kind of piece that makes me smile and like, "Aww!"
1:05:55 > 1:05:57APPLAUSE
1:06:08 > 1:06:10Well, what a truly mesmerising performance there
1:06:10 > 1:06:12from Sophie Westbrooke on recorder.
1:06:12 > 1:06:14Along with her guitarist and harpsichordist,
1:06:14 > 1:06:16she covered so much repertoire so seamlessly.
1:06:16 > 1:06:18It was really intelligent programming.
1:06:22 > 1:06:24I feel as if you transported us
1:06:24 > 1:06:27all into some sort of a parallel universe.
1:06:27 > 1:06:28SHE LAUGHS
1:06:28 > 1:06:31Oh, it was so much fun. It was so good. I kind of...
1:06:31 > 1:06:35I almost want to do it all again but I think I would explode!
1:06:35 > 1:06:37- My heart was going so fast. - And so was ours.
1:06:39 > 1:06:42It was such a complete performance, it was just every hand gesture.
1:06:42 > 1:06:44Even when she just picked up an instrument,
1:06:44 > 1:06:46it was sort of part of the music,
1:06:46 > 1:06:49so it was just a wonderful performance altogether.
1:06:49 > 1:06:53I loved the way Sophie stretched our idea of what a recorder can do
1:06:53 > 1:06:54and what it can be.
1:06:54 > 1:06:58It was a really stylish, brave and assured performance
1:06:58 > 1:06:59and I really enjoyed it.
1:06:59 > 1:07:01I want to play it again! LAUGHTER
1:07:01 > 1:07:03You want? Can we...? We have to make it happen.
1:07:03 > 1:07:05LAUGHTER
1:07:11 > 1:07:13Last to perform in this woodwind final
1:07:13 > 1:07:15and our second flautist is Daniel Shao.
1:07:16 > 1:07:19At 19, he's the eldest of tonight's competitors.
1:07:24 > 1:07:29It's Chinese New Year and Daniel Shao is celebrating with his family
1:07:29 > 1:07:30at his father's London restaurant.
1:07:30 > 1:07:32ALL: Cheers!
1:07:32 > 1:07:35Included in the party is great auntie Noreen,
1:07:35 > 1:07:38a retired flautist and the widow of Gordon Heard,
1:07:38 > 1:07:40himself a professional flautist.
1:07:40 > 1:07:42THEY LAUGH
1:07:42 > 1:07:45Playing the flute is clearly in the family genes.
1:07:48 > 1:07:51When he was a little boy, he played at a concert
1:07:51 > 1:07:52for Gordon and my golden wedding
1:07:52 > 1:07:56and when this little boy strode onto the platform, very serious,
1:07:56 > 1:07:59held his flute beautifully, played out...
1:07:59 > 1:08:01announced what he was going to play,
1:08:01 > 1:08:03I could see he was on the right path.
1:08:06 > 1:08:09And being on the right path also means the family
1:08:09 > 1:08:12having to get used to him practising everywhere he goes.
1:08:29 > 1:08:31HE LAUGHS
1:08:32 > 1:08:35MUSIC: "The Pink Panther Theme" by Henry Mancini
1:08:36 > 1:08:40Daniel is a first-year music student at St Catherine's College, Oxford,
1:08:40 > 1:08:41where he's won a scholarship
1:08:41 > 1:08:44to play in the contemporary ensemble, Isis.
1:08:44 > 1:08:48And it was a modern piece that first guided him to the flute.
1:08:48 > 1:08:51I started playing the flute when I was nine years old
1:08:51 > 1:08:54and I actually began to play because I heard someone playing
1:08:54 > 1:08:58the Pink Panther on the flute in my school assembly.
1:08:58 > 1:09:00Um, and that got me hooked.
1:09:01 > 1:09:04I was Dan's flute teacher from the age of 12.
1:09:04 > 1:09:08He's one of the funkiest pupils I think I've ever taught.
1:09:08 > 1:09:11There was one occasion when he came in to one of my lessons
1:09:11 > 1:09:15with absolutely fluorescent green hair and from that moment I thought,
1:09:15 > 1:09:19"He's got a real personality that needs to then come through
1:09:19 > 1:09:22"in his playing," which I think he shows really well now.
1:09:29 > 1:09:32The academic side of Daniel's Oxford studies
1:09:32 > 1:09:35fuels the performance side he loves so much.
1:09:35 > 1:09:37My dream is to study at the Paris Conservatoire
1:09:37 > 1:09:40and from there I'd love to have a career doing everything possible
1:09:40 > 1:09:43from orchestral playing to chamber music.
1:09:45 > 1:09:46You swim...?
1:09:48 > 1:09:50..swimming costume.
1:09:50 > 1:09:53Dan is one of those performers that immediately stands out.
1:09:53 > 1:09:56He clearly has a hunger to engage with
1:09:56 > 1:09:58more than just, um... playing the notes
1:09:58 > 1:10:01but understanding what's happening inside them
1:10:01 > 1:10:05so that, in his performance, he can really explore something new.
1:10:09 > 1:10:13I'm definitely enjoying doing such an academic degree.
1:10:13 > 1:10:15I think it really informs my performance.
1:10:15 > 1:10:19I feel so much more reassured that I can perform a piece well
1:10:19 > 1:10:23if I know enough about the composer and the piece.
1:10:27 > 1:10:31My dad likes singing around the house and on family occasions.
1:10:31 > 1:10:35Sometimes in the foyers of... random concerts
1:10:35 > 1:10:39which, um, attracts a crowd, very strange.
1:10:39 > 1:10:43He always dreamed of being an opera singer but, unfortunately,
1:10:43 > 1:10:47his childhood growing up in China didn't allow that to happen.
1:10:47 > 1:10:50But I still think he has a lovely voice nowadays.
1:10:50 > 1:10:53Dan... wish you the best, you can do it.
1:10:53 > 1:10:55We... I will come to support you.
1:10:56 > 1:10:58Best of luck.
1:10:58 > 1:11:05HE SINGS NESSUN DORMA
1:11:12 > 1:11:14APPLAUSE
1:11:16 > 1:11:18Daniel is going to begin his performance in this final
1:11:18 > 1:11:21with Telemann's Sonata in F major.
1:11:21 > 1:11:24And, as promised, his dad is the hall to support him,
1:11:24 > 1:11:25together with the rest of the family.
1:11:26 > 1:11:30I wanted to begin with something slow and mournful
1:11:30 > 1:11:34to catch the audience's attention and really, um, like...
1:11:34 > 1:11:37make them try and focus in on the playing.
1:13:17 > 1:13:18To follow the Telemann,
1:13:18 > 1:13:20Daniel transports us to the end of the 20th century
1:13:20 > 1:13:23with a piece titled Sprite.
1:13:23 > 1:13:25It's written for piccolo and the composer, Patrick Nunn,
1:13:25 > 1:13:27is in the hall for the performance.
1:13:27 > 1:13:30I really wanted to play a piece by a living composer
1:13:30 > 1:13:33to give them exposure as well as play something
1:13:33 > 1:13:35which you could actually have a dialogue
1:13:35 > 1:13:38with the composer themselves about the piece
1:13:38 > 1:13:43and so that's why I'm playing Patrick Nunn's Sprite for solo piccolo.
1:13:43 > 1:13:46It's quite rhythmically complicated, which is a lot to take in
1:13:46 > 1:13:49in a first listen but it's meant to sound very exciting.
1:16:38 > 1:16:40APPLAUSE
1:16:42 > 1:16:44Daniel is going to finish his recital
1:16:44 > 1:16:47with another 20th-century piece, Sonatine by Dutilleux.
1:16:47 > 1:16:50It is quite a technically demanding piece
1:16:50 > 1:16:55but I don't want to just be, um, showing off technical flamboyance.
1:16:55 > 1:16:57I want to have some integrity to my programme.
1:21:12 > 1:21:15Daniel Shao there, giving us a tremendously assured performance
1:21:15 > 1:21:18and a really rousing finish to tonight's woodwind final.
1:21:21 > 1:21:23So, how did it feel?
1:21:23 > 1:21:26Brilliant, yeah, it's a fantastic audience.
1:21:26 > 1:21:28Loved every minute of it.
1:21:28 > 1:21:30'Daniel's performance was really sparkling.
1:21:30 > 1:21:33'He really got the character of all three of his pieces,
1:21:33 > 1:21:35'particularly the middle one, called Sprite -'
1:21:35 > 1:21:38it was one of the most spritely performances I've ever heard.
1:21:38 > 1:21:39It was great.
1:21:39 > 1:21:41I think he was particularly impressive
1:21:41 > 1:21:43in the final piece, the Dutilleux.
1:21:43 > 1:21:46incredibly assured, vibrant and lively playing.
1:21:46 > 1:21:49The result is almost here, let's wait and see what happens.
1:21:49 > 1:21:51Whatever happens, I enjoyed playing.
1:21:53 > 1:21:58Five incredible performances from our finalists this evening,
1:21:58 > 1:22:02showcasing the most extraordinary array of talent and musicianship.
1:22:03 > 1:22:07I think the jury has a very tough job this evening.
1:22:10 > 1:22:13Making the decisions, Simon Haram,
1:22:13 > 1:22:16one of the UK's leading saxophone players.
1:22:16 > 1:22:18Marie-Christine Zupancic,
1:22:18 > 1:22:20principal flautist with the CBSO.
1:22:20 > 1:22:24And our general adjudicator, Meurig Bowen.
1:22:27 > 1:22:30So, Marie-Christine and Simon, we have an agonisingly tough job
1:22:30 > 1:22:32- ahead of us, haven't we?- Oh, yes.
1:22:36 > 1:22:38So with our first saxophonist, Nick,
1:22:38 > 1:22:41he's got a really classy, luscious tone, hasn't he?
1:22:41 > 1:22:43And a programme with massive range.
1:22:43 > 1:22:46Yeah, technically, Nick was really impressive.
1:22:46 > 1:22:49He was running the gamut of all the extended techniques
1:22:49 > 1:22:51you can do on the saxophone.
1:22:51 > 1:22:53It was a very, very convincing performance,
1:22:53 > 1:22:56and the sound was just absolutely beautiful.
1:23:01 > 1:23:04And so our first flautist, Hannah, I had a feeling that, to begin with,
1:23:04 > 1:23:07she was quite nervous and that it was affecting
1:23:07 > 1:23:09her playing physically, but she seemed to loosen up.
1:23:09 > 1:23:11Yeah, I think so, too.
1:23:11 > 1:23:13She did try and really create different styles
1:23:13 > 1:23:17for all the different pieces, which I really liked.
1:23:17 > 1:23:20In the Bach, she tried to imitate the Baroque style,
1:23:20 > 1:23:22which, on a modern instrument, is actually quite tricky.
1:23:26 > 1:23:30So, Jess, she's only 15, but she played with staggering confidence.
1:23:30 > 1:23:33She has very sort of intense stage presence as well,
1:23:33 > 1:23:36which makes you look at her the whole time. You can't look away.
1:23:36 > 1:23:39But I perhaps had the sense that maybe there were
1:23:39 > 1:23:43a couple of technical limitations as well.
1:23:43 > 1:23:45She was right at home on stage.
1:23:45 > 1:23:47She is a born performer, definitely.
1:23:47 > 1:23:50But you're right, there were a few tiny little technical problems.
1:23:55 > 1:23:59So our recorder player, Sophie, such a beautiful, beguiling,
1:23:59 > 1:24:01surprising sequence of intimate chamber music.
1:24:01 > 1:24:04- Not what I was expecting at all. - Yeah, I thought it was mesmerising.
1:24:04 > 1:24:07From the moment she walked onto the stage,
1:24:07 > 1:24:08there was such a presence there.
1:24:10 > 1:24:12Not one for the early music purists, perhaps,
1:24:12 > 1:24:15but I actually loved the way they were playing around with it
1:24:15 > 1:24:18in almost jazzy...such a free way.
1:24:18 > 1:24:19- I loved it.- Yeah.
1:24:23 > 1:24:26And then finally, our second flautist, Daniel,
1:24:26 > 1:24:29another really technically assured performance.
1:24:29 > 1:24:31Amazing sound as well, and the piccolo again,
1:24:31 > 1:24:35lots of trick techniques in there, which you have to work really hard
1:24:35 > 1:24:38to make them feel part of the piece, and I think that really happened.
1:24:38 > 1:24:40And an adventurous programme as well.
1:24:40 > 1:24:41I have a hunch that that Dutilleux
1:24:41 > 1:24:44is one of the really demanding pieces of the repertoire.
1:24:44 > 1:24:46It is, yes, it's very difficult, but he...
1:24:46 > 1:24:49You couldn't tell, he played it with such ease.
1:24:52 > 1:24:56Well, now we have to whittle this down to one out of the five.
1:24:56 > 1:24:57Not an easy job.
1:25:02 > 1:25:05Well, a very difficult decision for the jury.
1:25:05 > 1:25:08Tonight, all of our finalists have given performances
1:25:08 > 1:25:09their parents must be proud of.
1:25:09 > 1:25:11Really, really happy for Sophie.
1:25:11 > 1:25:14I think she did brilliantly, and she looked like she was having fun,
1:25:14 > 1:25:15and that's great.
1:25:15 > 1:25:18I'm so glad. He's already in the final,
1:25:18 > 1:25:22so it doesn't matter if he wins or not. I'm happy.
1:25:22 > 1:25:25I'm very pleased with what he achieved. That's it.
1:25:25 > 1:25:28'So who will get the audience vote tonight?'
1:25:28 > 1:25:30I really enjoyed Nick's performance.
1:25:30 > 1:25:33The saxophone player at the beginning.
1:25:33 > 1:25:37His modern piece was really committed and kind of used the whole stage,
1:25:37 > 1:25:41which was really interesting to watch and listen to.
1:25:41 > 1:25:45I think it would have to be Daniel's performance, I think, at the end.
1:25:45 > 1:25:50It was a very well-balanced programme, there was variety,
1:25:50 > 1:25:53even a contemporary piccolo piece in there as well.
1:25:53 > 1:25:56And then, the Dutilleux at the end, I think, sold it for me.
1:25:56 > 1:25:59Tonight was just outstanding.
1:25:59 > 1:26:00What a night.
1:26:00 > 1:26:02We have got five people waiting backstage,
1:26:02 > 1:26:04so we won't delay things too much further.
1:26:04 > 1:26:07To announce the winner of this woodwind category final,
1:26:07 > 1:26:09the performer going through
1:26:09 > 1:26:13to the semifinal of BBC Young Musician 2014, Simon Haram.
1:26:14 > 1:26:16Thanks very much, everybody.
1:26:16 > 1:26:19I'm sure you'll appreciate it's been a really difficult decision
1:26:19 > 1:26:23this evening. We have come to a decision, you'll be glad to know.
1:26:23 > 1:26:25I am very pleased to announce that
1:26:25 > 1:26:31the winner of the BBC Young Musician 2014 Woodwind Category Final
1:26:31 > 1:26:33is Sophie Westbrooke.
1:26:33 > 1:26:35APPLAUSE
1:26:50 > 1:26:52'Sophie's performance was spellbinding.'
1:26:52 > 1:26:56I really forgot that I was listening to a competition for young people.
1:26:56 > 1:26:59It was absolutely professional, beginning to end.
1:26:59 > 1:27:03- Tell me, how are you feeling right now?- It feels so weird.
1:27:03 > 1:27:08That was not what I expected at all. Everyone was so good. It was amazing.
1:27:08 > 1:27:10From the first minute until the last,
1:27:10 > 1:27:13it was just a very complete performance,
1:27:13 > 1:27:14and it was totally mesmerising.
1:27:14 > 1:27:16I completely stopped taking notes.
1:27:16 > 1:27:20As somebody who, for his living, books people to do things,
1:27:20 > 1:27:25I can confidently say, I would book that today, and she's 15.
1:27:25 > 1:27:26Outrageous.
1:27:26 > 1:27:30- Congratulations once again. - Thank you very much.- Congratulations.
1:27:30 > 1:27:31Thank you.
1:27:39 > 1:27:41Great job.
1:27:41 > 1:27:44Huge congratulations to Sophie Westbrooke.
1:27:44 > 1:27:46Of course, we'll be seeing her again in the semifinal
1:27:46 > 1:27:50in just over a fortnight's time here on BBC Four.
1:27:50 > 1:27:53In the meantime, there are still two more category finals to be fought,
1:27:53 > 1:27:57so join us again next week as we meet five talented pianists.
1:27:57 > 1:28:01Until then, a very good night from us all here in Cardiff.
1:28:01 > 1:28:03- Good night.- Good night.
1:28:03 > 1:28:08It's an amazing privilege to even be here and to get this far.
1:28:08 > 1:28:11I try to make the audience understand as much
1:28:11 > 1:28:13about the music as I can give them.
1:28:13 > 1:28:17The moment I walk on stage, it will actually register that this is it.
1:28:17 > 1:28:20It would mean the world to me to go even further.
1:28:20 > 1:28:23If I do win, it would make such a big difference to my career.
1:28:23 > 1:28:27If you can actually cope with it, then you can cope with anything.