:02:27. > :02:32.If you can cope with it. Then you can cope with anything. It will be
:02:33. > :02:37.an unfor gettable experience for them. Which will make them love
:02:38. > :02:48.music even more. It's been the most amazing start to what I hope will be
:02:49. > :02:51.a long career in music. BBC Young Musician has been show casting the
:02:52. > :02:56.UK's most talented young performers for more than 30 years. The word is
:02:57. > :03:01.that keyboard final will be another classic. Before we meet tonight's
:03:02. > :03:05.five finalists, here is a reminer of how they got here and what lies
:03:06. > :03:11.ahead for tonight's keyboard category winner. Our five keyboard
:03:12. > :03:14.finalists have been through two tough audition rounds just to reach
:03:15. > :03:20.this stage. It's a huge achievement, but each will be hoping their
:03:21. > :03:24.journey doesn't end here. Whoever is successful tonight will join the
:03:25. > :03:28.other four category winners in the accept yen final. You will see it
:03:29. > :03:35.here on BBC Four next Saturday. Then, five will become three as they
:03:36. > :03:40.compete for a place in the final. And make a date in your diary for a
:03:41. > :03:47.week on Sunday, when BBC Young Musician 2014 reaches its thrilling
:03:48. > :03:53.conclusion at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. We will bring you full
:03:54. > :03:57.coverage as our three finalists each perform a concerto with the BBC
:03:58. > :04:01.Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kirill Karabits. One
:04:02. > :04:08.will be named BBC Young Musician 2014.
:04:09. > :04:12.One will be named BBC Young Musician 2014. Unlike other category finals,
:04:13. > :04:15.our contestants tonight will be facing the cameras and judges alone
:04:16. > :04:18.and there's literally nowhere to hide. Plus, with only one instrument
:04:19. > :04:23.under the spotlight, they really need to pull out all the stops in
:04:24. > :04:26.order to stand out. The five finalists are: 18-year-old
:04:27. > :04:31.Hayley Parkes from Burton upon Trent. It's an amazing privilege to
:04:32. > :04:35.even be here and to get this far and to be able to have the chance to
:04:36. > :04:40.perform to so many people. That's what it's about for me personally.
:04:41. > :04:52.Julian Trevelyan from St Albans, and at 15, our youngest keyboard
:04:53. > :04:56.finalist. I always try to make the audience understand as much about
:04:57. > :05:00.the music as I can give them. That's what you want to do for any concert
:05:01. > :05:02.or anything. You want to show the audience what you're all about. From
:05:03. > :05:08.Nottingham, 17-year-old Isata Kanneh-Mason. I think it's better to
:05:09. > :05:11.focus on the performance and the music rather than getting too lost
:05:12. > :05:16.in the competitive nature of it, because that can be quite hard.
:05:17. > :05:19.Martin James Bartlett is from Hornchurch in Essex, and if his face
:05:20. > :05:26.looks familiar that's because he made to the keyboard final two years
:05:27. > :05:30.ago. It feels very comfortable to come back and play in the same hall
:05:31. > :05:34.with the same acoustic. I really didn't think I would get this far
:05:35. > :05:37.again and it's just great to be back. And finally, 18-year-old Ning
:05:38. > :05:44.Hui See from Singapore, who as a full time student here in the UK, is
:05:45. > :05:48.eligible to enter the competition. This is definitely one of the
:05:49. > :05:51.biggest things I've done. Now that the day has come, I'm very excited,
:05:52. > :05:59.I'm definitely looking forward to my performance tonight. And there we
:06:00. > :06:02.have our line-up. I'm certainly looking forward to hearing them and
:06:03. > :06:05.the gorgeous repertoire they've all chosen to perform this evening.
:06:06. > :06:08.Already this year the juries have had to make some really tough
:06:09. > :06:12.decisions, and tonight promises to be no different.
:06:13. > :06:19.Our judges are: Internationally acclaimed concert pianist Noriko
:06:20. > :06:23.Ogawa. I'm looking for a competitor who creates a really nice sound, who
:06:24. > :06:29.can use the whole capacity of the instrument. Music can actually unite
:06:30. > :06:34.everybody in the room and that will be the moment that I'm looking for.
:06:35. > :06:43.Ashley Wass, one of Britain's leading pianists. Rather than trying
:06:44. > :06:46.to tick every single box, I would like someone to show me what they're
:06:47. > :06:50.really about, what their tastes and repertoire is. If somebody can put a
:06:51. > :06:53.smile on my face and charm me tonight, I will remember that. And
:06:54. > :06:59.our general adjudicator, Meurig Bowen, director of the Cheltenham
:07:00. > :07:02.Music Festival. I'm looking for an inner strength, the ability to
:07:03. > :07:06.handle the highs and lows of a career in music, and to gain a sense
:07:07. > :07:07.that this person has not only musical intelligence but an
:07:08. > :07:26.emotional intelligence too. We're minutes away from the
:07:27. > :07:30.beginning of tonight's keyboard final and there's a very big sense
:07:31. > :07:34.of excitement here tonight. It's piano, the repertoire is huge,
:07:35. > :07:42.there's so much at stake. I personally can't wait to hear
:07:43. > :07:46.tonight's contestants. As you can see, the audience are just taking
:07:47. > :07:50.their seats, and for one competitor the wait is very nearly over. First,
:07:51. > :08:01.it's Hayley Parkes from Burton upon Trent. 18-year-old Hayley is a
:08:02. > :08:09.first-year student at the Royal Northern College Of Music in
:08:10. > :08:12.Manchester. With a timetable packed full of music classes, lectures and
:08:13. > :08:18.group rehearsals, Hayley is on the go from morning till night. And she
:08:19. > :08:22.wouldn't have it any other way. As a person, I don't like not to be busy.
:08:23. > :08:26.I really like to have things full in my diary, to be having to rush from
:08:27. > :08:32.one place to another and to be involved with as many things as I
:08:33. > :08:36.can. Even the busiest students need a place to relax, and whilst at
:08:37. > :08:38.college, Hayley shares a flat with two fellow music students. It's an
:08:39. > :08:47.arrangement that certainly works for them. I think Hayley is a good
:08:48. > :08:51.flatmate. Well, she's a bread-maker so she makes a lot of bread and it
:08:52. > :08:59.makes the flat smell really nice. And she's quite clean, which is
:09:00. > :09:02.good. Music fills Hayley's life now, but that hasn't always been the
:09:03. > :09:05.case. She started playing when she was nine-years-old, much to the
:09:06. > :09:08.surprise of her parents. We're totally tone deaf, aren't we,
:09:09. > :09:14.really? We just don't... We're not into music at all.
:09:15. > :09:18.Are you hearing this, Charlie? You need to start doing a bit more
:09:19. > :09:21.reading. Definitely not from a musical family! My parents have
:09:22. > :09:24.never played an instrument. My sister really doesn't like it and
:09:25. > :09:34.neither does my brother really, so it's been my adventure, my
:09:35. > :09:38.discovery. And helping Hayley on her journey is her teacher at the Royal
:09:39. > :09:47.Northern, Russian pianist Dina Parakhina. Thank you very much,
:09:48. > :09:51.Hayley. It sounds beautiful, sounds lovely.
:09:52. > :09:56.I still remember the very first time I saw her, and I liked her very
:09:57. > :10:02.much. There was something so sweet, so nice about her musicality, her
:10:03. > :10:08.personality. I could sense it immediately.
:10:09. > :10:14.Maybe a little bit... She's really intelligent, like
:10:15. > :10:18.really, seriously intelligent. Academically she's just brilliant at
:10:19. > :10:20.every subject. More soft, a little bit deeper, you
:10:21. > :10:35.know? More soul. Try again, please. I think it's quite amazing how
:10:36. > :10:44.transformed she is over the last years. She's made incredible
:10:45. > :10:52.progress. I feel really, really lucky to have had such an amazing
:10:53. > :10:57.role model as a pianist. Thank you, it sounds beautiful, I really like
:10:58. > :10:59.it. Back home in Burton upon Trent,
:11:00. > :11:08.Hayley's passing that inspiration on to the next generation of pianists.
:11:09. > :11:11.It's quite dreamy, isn't it? Considering I've come so far by
:11:12. > :11:15.myself, and without this exposure to classical music, I would love the
:11:16. > :11:22.opportunity to be able to expose a child to a piece of music that just
:11:23. > :11:25.makes them smile. There are two little girls in particular that love
:11:26. > :11:30.to come over actually, and have a little bit of a lesson. They ask me
:11:31. > :11:35.questions and I just love to see them be so interested. It is a
:11:36. > :11:43.massive deal for me. Hayley's music is really good and it's really good
:11:44. > :11:50.on the piano, it sounds nice. It sounds like the birds flying up,
:11:51. > :11:54.doesn't it? To be able to bring that to a
:11:55. > :11:56.younger child is just a massive privilege, I think. It's something
:11:57. > :12:01.that people underestimate, the power that a musician can have, to bring
:12:02. > :12:07.that to someone. And here is Hayley Parkes to open
:12:08. > :12:09.this keyboard final. She's going to begin with Sonata in F minor by
:12:10. > :12:57.The piece itself is, I think, a Scarlatti.
:12:58. > :12:59.The piece itself is, I think, a beautiful piece to open with. It's
:13:00. > :13:04.very archaic, I think, in the aura it creates. Quite slow, but there's
:13:05. > :13:06.beautiful melodies in both hands and it really takes the listener on a
:13:07. > :15:30.journey, I think, through the piece. Hayley's second piece is in
:15:31. > :15:52.improvise by Russian composer, Nikolai Medtner. -- improvisation.
:15:53. > :16:01.It's actually a memory of a composer that dies very young and was very
:16:02. > :16:05.close to Medtner. The theme can be heard from the outset. It's very
:16:06. > :16:08.longing and almost in despair, but it quickly turns into some very
:16:09. > :18:21.turbulent variations. To end her programme, Hayley's going
:18:22. > :18:27.to play the 5th movement from Schumann's veil naes carnival. It is
:18:28. > :18:32.a finale in every sense of the word. It's a fantastic piece to finish
:18:33. > :18:53.with. It's a piece to put a smile on someone's face.
:18:54. > :20:43.APPLAUSE What a start to tonight's category
:20:44. > :20:51.final. Such an incredible programme of so many different moves and
:20:52. > :20:57.textures. Well done. Thank you. Fabulous. Thank you very much. They
:20:58. > :21:02.are still clapping for you. They want an encore. Don't think you can
:21:03. > :21:08.do that in competitions. Probably not. How was it? It's like I was
:21:09. > :21:12.floating. It's a nice atmosphere. You can feel everyone wanting you to
:21:13. > :21:18.do well. It was fantastic. Such a good experience. Hayley is a very
:21:19. > :21:24.romantic pianist, I thought. She has a lot of ideas how she wants to
:21:25. > :21:32.phrase in a very beautiful sound. Particularly loved Hayley's first
:21:33. > :21:37.performance. She created a sense of intimacy and wonder in that piece.
:21:38. > :21:42.Very still, private and controlled. A really accomplished performance by
:21:43. > :21:47.Hayley Parkes to get to this keyboard final underway. Next to
:21:48. > :21:48.face the jury it's tonight's youngest finalist, 15-year-old,
:21:49. > :22:04.Julian Trevelyan. Julian lives at home with his mum
:22:05. > :22:09.and dad in St Albans. Although he has been having piano lessons since
:22:10. > :22:13.he was seven, he is the only keyboard finalist that doesn't
:22:14. > :22:19.attend a specialist music school or conservatoire. In fact, he doesn't
:22:20. > :22:24.go to school at all. I have been home educated since I was little.
:22:25. > :22:30.You can work at your own level. You can - people say that you're lonely
:22:31. > :22:35.when you are home-schooled. There is so much that you can do. I always
:22:36. > :22:43.wanted to home educate him, partly so that I spend my time with him. 's
:22:44. > :22:47.able to learn about things that he's passionate about and, to a greater
:22:48. > :22:54.depth, learning happens all the time. It's just a part of every day
:22:55. > :23:02.life. Not just inside the home, but outside too. I like to go wild food
:23:03. > :23:10.collecting because I'd read lots of books about it. I've got some
:23:11. > :23:15.mushrooms which are used in Chinese cooking. I would pick them and take
:23:16. > :23:23.them home and make delicious meals out of them. It's just sort of out
:23:24. > :23:33.of my love of food. Food and music are my two greatest pleasures.
:23:34. > :23:44.Music is important to me in the way that it is my life. Music is a
:23:45. > :23:56.background always in my mind. I have to actively think to have words.
:23:57. > :24:02.It's music. Ho where is Julian more surrounded than by music than at
:24:03. > :24:15.Snape Maltings in Suffolk. -- nowhere. English composure, Benjamin
:24:16. > :24:19.Britten, founder of the Aldeburgh festival of music created the
:24:20. > :24:27.renowned famous concert hall here in 1967. Today the site is home to
:24:28. > :24:32.Aldeburgh Young Musicians, which runs intense weekend an residential
:24:33. > :24:35.courses, with a creative twist. We are not teaching them how to play
:24:36. > :24:41.their instrument when they are here. We are exposing them to different
:24:42. > :24:45.ways of working. They may be exploring different styles. We are
:24:46. > :24:49.expanding their horizons and encouraging them to have a different
:24:50. > :24:56.approach to their music making so they become very rounded musicians.
:24:57. > :25:01.Julian is terrific. He is slightly eccentric. In a positive way, he is
:25:02. > :25:12.good fun, everybody enjoys working with him he brought a new dynomite
:25:13. > :25:18.approach to working with people. It's quite a unique experience
:25:19. > :25:25.because you work on the side of music which isn't so much done at
:25:26. > :25:31.the normal conservatoires. We have some very inspirational coaches and
:25:32. > :25:38.it's just a lovely Place2Be. Back in St Albans, Julian's hoping to become
:25:39. > :25:50.an inspirational coach himself. Though not of music, but gymnastics.
:25:51. > :25:57.I've been doing gymnastics at the local club for seven/eight years
:25:58. > :26:01.maybe. I've always enjoyed it. Julian has now developed up to a
:26:02. > :26:06.coach. He is on our training programme, which is lovely. Over the
:26:07. > :26:10.moon he has got through to the next stage of the Young musician. All of
:26:11. > :26:14.the coaches are behind him. Can't see what happens next. We wish him
:26:15. > :26:21.all the luck in the world on the next stage. So with everyone back
:26:22. > :26:27.home wishing him well, here is Julian Trevelyan to perform in this
:26:28. > :26:35.keyboard final. He will begin with the third movement from Sonata in E
:26:36. > :27:59.major by Beethoven. It's a very varied piece, variation
:28:00. > :32:10.five, which I think is rather like a string quartet, as it were.
:32:11. > :32:21.APPLAUSE To end his programme, Julian is going to play Etude No.10
:32:22. > :32:46.by the 20th century composer Gyorgy Ligeti.
:32:47. > :32:51.Ligeti is more a challenge for the mind. It's almost as if it's an
:32:52. > :34:10.encore after the Beethoven. APPLAUSE.
:34:11. > :34:14.A beautiful performance from Julian, who's most certainly a wizard of the
:34:15. > :34:23.keyboard. Over to Alison, who's talking to him right now.
:34:24. > :34:28.I think everybody was captivated by the Beethoven. You're 15. Yes. It
:34:29. > :34:33.sounded like you had been playing that the decades. Mathematically,
:34:34. > :34:39.how did that happen? I don't know. It's just how I play it. You have an
:34:40. > :34:42.affinity with these two composers perhaps? Maybe. I thought it was
:34:43. > :34:52.absolutely, absolutely fabulous. Thank you. Well done. The choice of
:34:53. > :34:57.repertoire is quite incredible. 109, to play it by a 15-year-old is
:34:58. > :35:00.really quite amazing. I think Julian's choice of Opus 109 was
:35:01. > :35:03.incredibly brave. He's a very intellectual young man, quite
:35:04. > :35:07.clearly, and there's much to admire. It was very well controlled playing,
:35:08. > :35:12.and also in the Ligeti as well. It was extremely well controlled on a
:35:13. > :35:17.technical level. We've already heard from two of our
:35:18. > :35:21.finalists tonight. Still to come, Martin James Bartlett and Ning Hui
:35:22. > :35:35.See, but up next is the 17-year-old Isata Kanneh-Mason from Nottingham.
:35:36. > :35:43.It's 6am in the Kanneh-Mason household. Time for Isata to make
:35:44. > :35:48.her weekly trip to London. And she's not going alone. I'm one of seven
:35:49. > :35:56.siblings and we all play instruments. Every Saturday, I
:35:57. > :35:59.travel down with four of my brothers and sisters on the train from
:36:00. > :36:08.Nottingham to London to go to the Royal Academy of Music.
:36:09. > :36:14.I love the atmosphere here, I love that everyone is doing the same
:36:15. > :36:21.thing, everyone is musical. My piano teacher is Patsy Toh and I really
:36:22. > :36:24.enjoy studying with her. She's really developed to me as a
:36:25. > :36:28.musician. Your emotion, your feeling must change along with that. So
:36:29. > :36:42.please try this once again, OK? Try not to slow down if you can.
:36:43. > :36:46.Well, I've been teaching Isata since she was ten years old and I always
:36:47. > :36:49.remember when her parents came down, brought her down, she was this very
:36:50. > :37:01.tiny little girl and she was just raring to go and wanted to come here
:37:02. > :37:04.very badly. I would say that she has the makings to be a terrific
:37:05. > :37:07.virtuoso pianist. She's got the sound, you know, she's got the
:37:08. > :37:18.equipment, and for certain times of music, you know, very exciting and
:37:19. > :37:28.colourful. It's a musical ability that Isata's had from an early age.
:37:29. > :37:32.Well I first realised that Isata was talented in her cot because she used
:37:33. > :37:35.to sing perfectly in tune from when she was tiny. Even back then, BBC
:37:36. > :37:39.Young Musician played an important part in family life. I can remember
:37:40. > :37:42.all the finals and being excited. Of course the children have always
:37:43. > :37:45.watched it from when they were little, and she was interested so
:37:46. > :37:49.it's incredibly exciting to actually be on it for Isata. I've always
:37:50. > :37:53.wanted to be in it, it's such an exciting thing for me, so to have
:37:54. > :37:55.got this far is just amazing. And getting through to the category
:37:56. > :37:59.final isn't Isata's only accomplishment in recent months. In
:38:00. > :38:03.September I was chosen to go out to LA and perform with Elton John. He's
:38:04. > :38:07.really connected with the Royal Academy of Music, he used to go
:38:08. > :38:11.there when he was younger. It was amazing to be on stage with someone
:38:12. > :38:18.who's so famous and so widely known, and it was just an amazing
:38:19. > :38:22.experience. He's been really kind. He's been supporting Isata and said
:38:23. > :38:25.to her if you get into the Academy, you know, you'll be an Elton John
:38:26. > :38:29.scholar, which was really exciting for her. Yes, he's sponsoring to go
:38:30. > :38:32.there to the Senior Academy, it's fantastic. When she's 18, it's
:38:33. > :38:36.great. A few weeks ago Elton John sent me a
:38:37. > :38:39.card, congratulating me on getting into the Academy and into the
:38:40. > :38:45.category finals of BBC Young Musician so I've got it framed. I
:38:46. > :38:49.was really happy. From A-list celebrities to A levels, Isata takes
:38:50. > :38:54.it all in her stride. School is the local catholic comprehensive. As an
:38:55. > :38:57.extraordinary family, they're characterised, strangely, by their
:38:58. > :39:03.ordinariness. Isata is an extremely talented girl, extremely dedicated.
:39:04. > :39:07.She's got a nice group of friends here at school and she's just one of
:39:08. > :39:12.our students. The first thing you notice about her is how modest she
:39:13. > :39:14.is, because she doesn't want to show off at all. It's never about being
:39:15. > :39:18.the best, it's always about doing your best sort of thing. She's funny
:39:19. > :39:21.and she's chatty, and she's just one of us really. But even at school,
:39:22. > :39:27.music's never far from Isata's thoughts and when she's not playing,
:39:28. > :39:31.she's composing. This time for her second instrument, the viola. And
:39:32. > :39:34.where better to try out her latest composition, written just hours
:39:35. > :39:40.before, than back home with the family.
:39:41. > :39:47.I think music is her whole life, her whole world. In a way it's the only
:39:48. > :39:51.thing she can be, the only thing she wants to be, and she's utterly
:39:52. > :40:00.dedicated and loves it. It's her passion.
:40:01. > :40:07.So, hoping to do her family proud, here is Isata Kanneh-Mason to
:40:08. > :40:13.perform this keyboard final. She's going to begin with a nocturne by
:40:14. > :40:17.Chopin. I chose this piece because I think, out of all his nocturnes, it
:40:18. > :40:21.is his most beautiful. I just love the melody and I love the harmony,
:40:22. > :40:25.and I just think it's an amazing piece. It definitely helps to start
:40:26. > :40:28.with a calming piece of music. It sort of settles the nerves. It's
:40:29. > :44:26.quite a relaxing way to begin the performance, I think.
:44:27. > :44:43.APPLAUSE. To end her programme, Isata is going
:44:44. > :44:44.to play Scarbo, from Gaspard de la Nuit, considered by many to be one
:44:45. > :45:11.of Ravel's most challenging pieces for the piano.
:45:12. > :45:18.It is a very exciting piece, it is all about a goblin who comes out at
:45:19. > :45:26.night and creates a nightmarish scene for the person sleeping. You
:45:27. > :48:53.just get lost in that atmosphere and that mood.
:48:54. > :49:14.Isata Kanneh-Mason leaving us all breathless and displaying such an
:49:15. > :49:20.incredible command over the instrument, over the colour, texture
:49:21. > :49:27.and technique. Really spell binding performance. That was magnificent,
:49:28. > :49:32.did you enjoy yourself? I did enjoy it, actually. You looked like you
:49:33. > :49:36.were in your element on the stage. Your Chopin was magnificent, so was
:49:37. > :49:39.the Ravel, what were your highlights, they were very
:49:40. > :49:43.different? I enjoyed the Ravel. Exciting to play. I love the Chopin
:49:44. > :49:49.as well. I love the atmosphere it creates. I enjoyed all of it. Good.
:49:50. > :49:54.Has wonderful presence on stage. A great story teller. Sparkling
:49:55. > :50:01.colourful Ravel and dreamy performance of the Chopin. Isata
:50:02. > :50:07.built an interesting programme, very contrasting. Romantic Chopin and
:50:08. > :50:14.ending up with a spiky, prickly Ravel. I really enjoyed it. Our next
:50:15. > :50:15.finalist is Martin James Bartlett. If you think you have seen him
:50:16. > :50:19.before, you probably have. Martin has reached this stage in the
:50:20. > :50:39.competition two years ago. March 2012, 15-year-old Martin takes
:50:40. > :50:44.to the young musician stage. I was nervous when I came out. As soon as
:50:45. > :50:51.I sat down I felt quite comfortable, because I'm in front of the piano.
:50:52. > :50:57.The whole BBC Two 012 experience was really positive. I think it gave him
:50:58. > :51:03.a real sense of what he could do. I think made him feel that this long
:51:04. > :51:09.held ambition of being a concert pianist was something that could be
:51:10. > :51:13.achieved. Two yearson, Emily is helping him achieve it with weekly
:51:14. > :51:18.lessons at Purcell School of Music where Martin has been a student for
:51:19. > :51:26.the last five years. Keep the build-up. I studied with Emily for
:51:27. > :51:30.10 years. I first met her when I was seven. Lessons with her are the most
:51:31. > :51:35.important part of my week. I love going. I wake up in the morning and
:51:36. > :51:40.I know I have a lesson with her. She makes me believe more in myself than
:51:41. > :51:44.I would do without her. You are talking far too much time there. I
:51:45. > :51:51.think that he's really one of the most talented students I've ever
:51:52. > :51:57.taught. I have had some very talented students. Martin is a
:51:58. > :52:02.really fun person. A bit of a joker. A bit mischievous perhaps. He does
:52:03. > :52:11.love to have a laugh. Quite a personality, I think, really.
:52:12. > :52:16.Pretend you're a teacher! He has a great sense of humour. He tends to
:52:17. > :52:32.light a room up when he walks in. He has great fun. People around him
:52:33. > :52:37.enjoy it as well. My days at Purcell are busy. I would have physics,
:52:38. > :52:42.music harmony and oral lessons. I try and practice five or six hours a
:52:43. > :52:46.day. I love playing. If I come into my room, it's hard if there is a
:52:47. > :52:51.piano in the room not to start playing it. It's all really I think
:52:52. > :52:55.about, even though when I'm in lessons and things like that, I have
:52:56. > :53:00.pieces going around in my head and I want to start playing again. So,
:53:01. > :53:04.yes, a bit of a nut job. It's a passion that is all consuming, even
:53:05. > :53:08.at weekends. On Saturday Saturdays I go to the Royal College. My morning
:53:09. > :53:15.starts with piano duo work, which I love. I have piano trio. It's great
:53:16. > :53:19.fun to go to the Royal College and to mix, both Purcell and Royal
:53:20. > :53:25.College, they bounce off each other so well. It's days before the
:53:26. > :53:29.Category Final, Martin and the rest of Purcell's keyboard department
:53:30. > :53:34.have been invited to give a performance at the Fazioli Piano
:53:35. > :53:38.Concert Hall just north of Venice. While he is there, Martin is lucky
:53:39. > :53:44.enough to get a tour of the piano factory, by none other than the
:53:45. > :53:52.founder. Mr Fazioli himself. This lady is checking the position. It
:53:53. > :53:56.looks precise? Yes. It's very important for the evenness of the
:53:57. > :54:06.touch of the piano. Now, Martin, we will see something very special. OK.
:54:07. > :54:11.This is the Fazioli No. 1. 001, it's the number one. It's the first
:54:12. > :54:20.piano. The first Fazioli. Could I have a go? You can play! Thank you.
:54:21. > :54:28.The factory produces ?130,000 each year, each taking 800 hours to
:54:29. > :54:42.build. With the tour of the factory over.
:54:43. > :54:57.It's time for Martin to show what he can do. Martin, seems to me, a young
:54:58. > :55:07.boy very intelligent and his playing is fantastic. I heard him perform he
:55:08. > :55:11.realised that piece really in the best way.
:55:12. > :55:23.Back home and with another successful performance under his
:55:24. > :55:29.belt, Martin's takes the opportunity to relax before his return to the
:55:30. > :55:33.Young Musician stage. I feel very comfortable because I've done it
:55:34. > :55:37.before. It feels a bit safer. In the past I was worried about it. Whilst
:55:38. > :55:46.now I feel I'm just going with the flow. He's done a lot of
:55:47. > :55:57.preparation. He knows that he's just got to be his best for those 16
:55:58. > :56:04.minutes, on stage. So, two years on, here is Martin James Bartlett making
:56:05. > :56:16.his second bid to win the BBC Young Musician Keyboard title. He is going
:56:17. > :56:28.to begin with the Capriccio No. 2 by Bach. -- Partitas No. 2 by Bach. I
:56:29. > :56:32.think it's a noble start to the programme. It has a lot of counter
:56:33. > :56:41.point and imitation that Ied really love to bring through.
:56:42. > :57:35.APPLAUSE Next, Martin is going to play the
:57:36. > :57:39.Petrarch Sonnet by Liszt. It has so many different moods in the place.
:57:40. > :57:44.You have to feel the music. You can't just do what's on the he
:57:45. > :57:55.score. You really have to feel it through your body. -- on the score.
:57:56. > :59:28.You really have to feel it through your body.
:59:29. > :59:36.APPLAUSE To follow the Liszt Martin is going
:59:37. > :59:45.for a complete change of mood by a piece called Etincelles by a German
:59:46. > :59:47.composer called Moritz Moszkowski. It shows off a very different side
:59:48. > :01:33.to a classic performance. APPLAUSE.
:01:34. > :01:36.To end this richly varied programme, Martin has chosen a Sonata by
:01:37. > :01:41.American composer, Samuel Barber. It's so exciting for me to even play
:01:42. > :01:44.it. I get excited when I'm playing it. All the different contrasts,
:01:45. > :01:46.textures, and the articulation. I think it's a real showpiece. I just
:01:47. > :03:55.love to play it. APPLAUSE.
:03:56. > :03:59.Well, I'm not sure what to say but one thing I'm so sure about is that
:04:00. > :04:05.this competition is really, really heating up.
:04:06. > :04:16.That was Martin, playing with such extraordinary assurance, confidence,
:04:17. > :04:23.so much colour, so much feeling. I'm really taken by that.
:04:24. > :04:28.Martin, you're obviously on a massive high. Tell me how you feel.
:04:29. > :04:31.I'm just... I was so excited when I was playing, and now, after a
:04:32. > :04:34.performance you're always so excited when you finish. I just feel on top
:04:35. > :04:37.of the world. Martin's performance was a real high wire act,
:04:38. > :04:41.technically. It was a fantastically and impressively mixed programme,
:04:42. > :04:45.and I think we got a lot out of all the different things that he showed
:04:46. > :04:48.us. I think Martin demonstrated a compelling level of musicianship
:04:49. > :04:52.tonight. There are many things that he said in his playing that I didn't
:04:53. > :04:55.particularly agree with, but nonetheless he made me want to
:04:56. > :05:00.listen to him and he's somebody that I would really love to hear play
:05:01. > :05:05.again. And how does it compare to the last time you were in this
:05:06. > :05:09.competition? I think I've progressed a lot since I was here last time,
:05:10. > :05:13.and it felt more comfortable to be on stage than last time so I think I
:05:14. > :05:16.was slightly less nervous than last time.
:05:17. > :05:17.Last to perform in this BBC Young Musician Keyboard final, it's Ning
:05:18. > :05:42.Hui See from Singapore. 18-year-old Ning Hui See is not your
:05:43. > :05:48.average student. She left her home city of Singapore to study in the UK
:05:49. > :05:50.in 2012. Two years later, and at an age when most music students are
:05:51. > :05:55.just thinking about conservertoires, Ning is already in her second year
:05:56. > :06:00.at the Royal College of Music. I came to London when I was 16 from
:06:01. > :06:06.Singapore. I finished my end of year exams in my previous school and then
:06:07. > :06:10.I came straight to college. She arrived at the tender age of 16,
:06:11. > :06:13.which I think is very young for somebody to come halfway across the
:06:14. > :06:17.world, leave her family, leave her friends. That showed that she had
:06:18. > :06:24.great determination and that she knew what she wanted to do with her
:06:25. > :06:27.life. Even as a young child, Ning knew the piano was for her. She
:06:28. > :06:31.started playing at just four-years-old but her practice got
:06:32. > :06:35.off to a bumpy start. I was practising alone and I suppose I was
:06:36. > :06:41.moving around a bit too much and I fell off the piano stool onto the
:06:42. > :06:45.floor! Luckily it didn't put her off and after many years performing in
:06:46. > :06:49.public, Ning caught the eye of the Royal College of Music. I first met
:06:50. > :06:55.Ning when we were auditioning in Singapore. I realised then that she
:06:56. > :07:02.was very gifted, very bright. Certainly of scholarship level. With
:07:03. > :07:05.music at the very heart of her life, being at a conservertoire has
:07:06. > :07:15.allowed Ning to do what she likes doing best. Now that I'm at the
:07:16. > :07:18.Royal College of Music, I pretty much practice every day. At least
:07:19. > :07:24.three to four hours, sometimes it can go up to five or six. But
:07:25. > :07:38.getting a space to practice isn't always easy. Floor three.
:07:39. > :07:44.I arrive here at 8:30 in the morning at the Royal College and she's often
:07:45. > :07:48.here practising, one of the very first. For breakfast, she'd always
:07:49. > :07:51.be on her phone in the morning at 8:30, not going on Facebook or
:07:52. > :07:57.Twitter or calling anyone or texting. At 8:30 she has an alarm
:07:58. > :08:00.that reminds her to book rooms. And when you just can't practice,
:08:01. > :08:07.there's always the local coffee shop. In my spare time here, I like
:08:08. > :08:10.to go out with my college friends to restaurants and cafes and to go
:08:11. > :08:16.shopping. I definitely miss my friends and family back home in
:08:17. > :08:21.Singapore. With my parents, I like to spend time chatting on Skype with
:08:22. > :08:24.them. My parents use the Skype sessions to ask me about how my week
:08:25. > :08:32.has been. Bye, got to go.
:08:33. > :08:36.It's just weeks to go before the category finals and Ning is working
:08:37. > :08:43.on her programme with teacher John Byrne. It's coming on. It's really
:08:44. > :08:46.coming on very nicely, very well. The first thing that strikes you
:08:47. > :08:51.about Ning's playing is that it communicates very well. It's very
:08:52. > :08:54.warm, she has a good ear for colour and for sensitivity, and she gives a
:08:55. > :09:04.good blend, a good balance of an intellectual understanding, plus the
:09:05. > :09:07.spontaneity and warmth. Ning is really enjoying the whole process of
:09:08. > :09:14.being part of the BBC Young Musician. It's given her a focus and
:09:15. > :09:17.a goal. And to help her prepare for the category final, Ning seeks the
:09:18. > :09:20.advice of someone who knows exactly what it's like to compete in BBC
:09:21. > :09:24.Young Musician - fellow Royal College of Music student and
:09:25. > :09:28.previous winner Lara Melda. So there are a few more weeks before I have
:09:29. > :09:32.to play at the category finals, are there any tips you can give me based
:09:33. > :09:35.on your experience? Well in my experience, I think when you go onto
:09:36. > :09:42.stage, that moment is your moment, your moment to tell your story. Just
:09:43. > :09:49.forget that there's a panel there, sitting there, just treat it as a
:09:50. > :10:00.concert. You know, express yourself. Give it my best shot. Yeah.
:10:01. > :10:07.It's definitely one of the biggest things I've done. But if I do win, I
:10:08. > :10:10.will definitely be really happy and really fortunate because it would
:10:11. > :10:22.make such a big difference to my career.
:10:23. > :10:28.So, in her bid to take the keyboard title, Ning is first going to
:10:29. > :11:08.perform Six Little Piano Pieces by Schoenberg.
:11:09. > :11:12.It is probably not a very usual choice but it can show range and
:11:13. > :12:32.character, and the softer terms of the piano. -- softer tones.
:12:33. > :12:37.To follow the Schoenburg and end her programme, Ning is going to play the
:12:38. > :13:11.Scherzo no.2 in B flat minor by Chopin.
:13:12. > :13:19.It has been described by some people as an inferno because there is a lot
:13:20. > :13:22.of fire, drama and passion in it. Not all of it is loud, in fact a lot
:13:23. > :19:20.of the pieces are spent quietly. APPLAUSE
:19:21. > :19:26.CCTV, bringing what has been a high quality keyboard final to a close.
:19:27. > :19:33.Like everyone of tonight's finalist, she has given her all in her bid for
:19:34. > :19:38.the title. How was it to wait for so long? You were last in the evening,
:19:39. > :19:43.not easy? Yeah. I was the last. I can't help thinking - everyone has
:19:44. > :19:46.finished, I'm the last. Were you happy with your overall performance?
:19:47. > :19:51.Yeah. It could have been better. I always say that. Ning is an
:19:52. > :19:57.intelligent player. A beautiful level of study. Particularly in the
:19:58. > :20:01.Schoenburg she played tonight. Very poised playing, intimate playing.
:20:02. > :20:06.She has a fantastic natural facility. Ning's Schoenburg was
:20:07. > :20:12.quite amazing. She is one of those earnest piano eyeses that reads bar
:20:13. > :20:20.by bar, not by note. It showed that. She must have worked very hard.
:20:21. > :20:23.Well, there you have it. Five spell binding performances in the keyboard
:20:24. > :20:27.category which simply cannot get stronger than this. How the jury
:20:28. > :20:38.will choose just one winner are I have no idea. Over to them. Making
:20:39. > :20:46.the tough decision: International acclaimed concert pianist, Noriko
:20:47. > :20:55.Ogawa. Ashley Wass, one of Britain's leading pianists. Our general
:20:56. > :21:06.adjudicator, Meurig Bowen, director of the Cheltenham Music Festival.
:21:07. > :21:18.Hayley got things off to a beautiful poised start. A sense she wasn't so
:21:19. > :21:23.comfortable with the others. To play the Scarlatti with poise and
:21:24. > :21:39.intimacy was really quite a remarkable feat actually. I thought
:21:40. > :21:44.it was very, very beautiful. I want Medtner to be much more weighty with
:21:45. > :21:54.darkness in the performance. With Julian we used the words "endo you
:21:55. > :22:10.Lekkual" -- intellectual." Very controlled. Very impressive control
:22:11. > :22:29.in the Beethoven. Should be much, much more dramatic. Even Even in the
:22:30. > :22:33.Ligeti. I was rather taken with the fantasy and the grace of her
:22:34. > :22:40.playing. She has a wonderful natural facility. Fantastic fingers. Much,
:22:41. > :22:49.much to work with her. For me the Chopin was square in its phrasing. A
:22:50. > :22:53.little fast. The Ravel exotic music. Not sure she captured that quality.
:22:54. > :22:59.She has amazing control when it's very fast and soft passages going
:23:00. > :23:03.up-and-down. They were really quite breath taking. Then I really wanted
:23:04. > :23:11.to just watch how she did it. You know, they were very beautifully
:23:12. > :23:19.done. Martin. There is clearly a very strong musical personality and
:23:20. > :23:23.technician at work here. Absolutely from the first notes he played he
:23:24. > :23:30.made me sit up and listen. I thought his musicianship was absolutely
:23:31. > :23:35.compelling. The Barber was a safe reading. It didn't quite sort of
:23:36. > :23:44.achieve the thrilling livoff that that -- liftoff that that piece can.
:23:45. > :23:50.It was a recital. It was a performance. I didn't have to make
:23:51. > :23:57.lots of notes. I just sat down and enjoyed. It is really quite an
:23:58. > :24:02.achieve am. With Ning there was a massive contrast in the two pieces.
:24:03. > :24:07.The Schoenburg demonstrated real poise and control. Beautifully
:24:08. > :24:14.delivered on many levels. For me, I think, more colour more expensive
:24:15. > :24:24.depth would elevate the performance to another level completely. How she
:24:25. > :24:34.read and memorised that Schoenburg in such detail is phenomenonal.
:24:35. > :24:38.Everything has to be exaggerated. Chopin has to sound warmer and
:24:39. > :24:44.Schoenburg colder. That is what I thought. We have to narrow these
:24:45. > :24:51.five fantastic players now down to one. As you can see, all the five
:24:52. > :24:55.finalists are here waiting backstage for a decision. Of course only one
:24:56. > :25:02.of them can win. To reveal who that is going to be is jury member,
:25:03. > :25:10.Noriko Ogawa. The winner of of the BBC Young Musician 2014, keyboard
:25:11. > :25:25.category final is... Martin James Bartlett. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.
:25:26. > :25:27.Well a popular decision in the hall. Martin's parents look justifiably
:25:28. > :25:39.proud. Returning to the stage for a well
:25:40. > :25:42.earned round of applause, four more outstanding young musicians who've
:25:43. > :25:50.helped to make this a memorable final.
:25:51. > :25:54.At the beginning of the evening I was looking for somebody with
:25:55. > :25:58.something unique and interesting to say. Martin had that in an
:25:59. > :26:02.abundance. A compelling personality and a wonderfully talented young
:26:03. > :26:11.musician who I'm sure has a great future ahead of him. Oh, my gosh!
:26:12. > :26:20.You did it! Second time lucky? Yes, exactly. How are you doing? Auto I
:26:21. > :26:24.am so excited. So happy. Your fingers crossed? Whatever happens.
:26:25. > :26:29.It's not about winning, it's about doing the best you can. He projected
:26:30. > :26:33.the most out of that instrument. He entertained us the most. Interesting
:26:34. > :26:37.programme. Everything, for me. We saw and heard in Martin's
:26:38. > :26:43.performance today the very, very solid foundations of an incredibly
:26:44. > :26:47.interesting musically engaging and technically secure performer. We all
:26:48. > :26:53.sense the foundation of something very special and interesting there.
:26:54. > :26:58.Huge congratulations to Martin. We will see him again in the semi-final
:26:59. > :27:03.next Saturday here on BBC Four when he goes to battle for a place in the
:27:04. > :27:11.Grand Final. I, for one, cannot wait. With four semi-finalists
:27:12. > :27:15.already confirmed, only one precious place remains.le join us again next
:27:16. > :27:19.week when we will have five wonderful brass players all hoping
:27:20. > :27:24.to win their category and become someone step closer to be crowned
:27:25. > :27:29.BBC Young Musician 2014. It's probably the biggest concert I've
:27:30. > :27:34.played. I want to get out there and play my best. It's an amazing thing
:27:35. > :27:39.to do. I probably won't ever get to do it again. I will try my best and
:27:40. > :27:45.win it if I. Can I want to say, here I am. This is the trumpet. It was a
:27:46. > :27:52.lovely, smokey, acluring sound. Her sound was just stunning, really
:27:53. > :27:58.beautiful. -- alluring.