0:00:03 > 0:00:06Over the past four weeks, we've been treated to some
0:00:06 > 0:00:10high-quality playing by some very talented young musicians,
0:00:10 > 0:00:15with winners decided in strings, percussion, woodwind,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19and in last Friday's keyboard final we heard the winning performance
0:00:19 > 0:00:21by Martin James Bartlett that simply blew me away.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29This weekend, we reach the conclusion of the competition,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33beginning this evening with the brass final.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36After tonight's programme, we will have the complete line-up
0:00:36 > 0:00:41for the semi-final, which you can watch here on BBC 4 tomorrow night.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44And on Sunday, we head to the Usher Hall in Edinburgh
0:00:44 > 0:00:48for what promises to be another thrilling BBC Young Musician final.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14After four closely contested categories
0:01:14 > 0:01:17and some very difficult decisions for our judges,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20tonight, brass takes centre stage.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Our five brass finalists have already survived two tough audition rounds
0:01:25 > 0:01:28just to reach this stage of the competition.
0:01:28 > 0:01:29With the brass title at stake,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32and with it the last remaining place in this year's
0:01:32 > 0:01:36BBC Young Musician semi-final, there's a lot to play for.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44The BBC Young Musician is the most important competition in the UK.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47I remember watching it and thought, wouldn't it be great to do that?
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Peter Moore.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51The exposure provides many things.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55The last two years have been a roller-coaster ride.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59This competition is for people who want to be the best at their instrument.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02As a young musician, it just lifts your playing to a different level.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Some of these people,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08we're going to enjoy their performances for many years to come.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11I am extremely grateful to the competition
0:02:11 > 0:02:12for making my dreams a reality.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17This is a real big, big kick-start for young musicians.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20It will be an unforgettable experience for them
0:02:20 > 0:02:23which will make them love music even more.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25It's been the most amazing start
0:02:25 > 0:02:27to what I hope will be a long career in music.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31Now, as a trumpet player myself,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34I've been particularly looking forward to this final.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Over the history of the competition,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38there have only been three brass winners
0:02:38 > 0:02:41and to date, no trumpeter has ever claimed the main prize.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58In 1978, Michael Hext surprised everyone, not least himself,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02by winning the very first BBC Young Musician competition on the trombone.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05'Portrait of a happy young trombonist.'
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Ten years later, French horn player David Pyatt took the title.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21In 1998, it was a thrill for me to reach the final,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23where I had the chance to play with the Ulster Orchestra
0:03:23 > 0:03:26at the newly-opened Waterfront Hall in Belfast.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34But it took another ten years for a brass player to lift the award again.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40And what a win it was.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45Young Musician of the Year 2008... Peter Moore.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51At just 12 years old, trombonist Peter Moore became,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55and is still, the youngest winner in the history of the competition.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Tonight, here at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
0:04:02 > 0:04:05in Cardiff, three trombonists and two trumpet players
0:04:05 > 0:04:08will battle it out for this year's brass title.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14Will the trombone triumph or could 2014 be the year that a trumpet
0:04:14 > 0:04:16blasts away the competition?
0:04:16 > 0:04:20That's something I would really love to see, not that I'm biased!
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Let's meet our five brass finalists.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31First to perform, trombonist Isobel Daws.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34She's 14 and from Stanmore in London.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39It's probably the biggest concert I've played.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42I was really excited when I found out I got through.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46The youngest performer in this category final,
0:04:46 > 0:04:51trumpet and flugelhorn player Will Thomas. He's 13 and from Twickenham.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55I just want to get out there and play my best
0:04:55 > 0:04:57and see how it all goes.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00From Oldham near Manchester,
0:05:00 > 0:05:0314-year-old Ellena Newton on trombone.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08I'm really excited to perform on the stage.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11I'm not very nervous, which is strange.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Our third and final trombonist is Lewis Bettles,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20aged 18, from Sheffield.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I consider this the biggest thing I've done as of yet.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27It's been a long time preparing, but I think it's all paid off.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30And finally, 18-year-old trumpet player
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Matilda Lloyd from Tonbridge in Kent.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36I just want to show the judges that I love music
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and sort of try and take them on a journey,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and make them see how much I love playing.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49'Earlier, I met up with all five competitors for a quick chat.'
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Great to meet you. Are you all feeling OK?
0:05:51 > 0:05:52- Yeah.- Fine, yeah.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54One thing I was thinking all week
0:05:54 > 0:05:57was that it's a fantastic acoustic for brass.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59'They're five very impressive young performers
0:05:59 > 0:06:02'and I'm really looking forward to hearing them play
0:06:02 > 0:06:03'in this category final.'
0:06:07 > 0:06:0916 years ago,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11I was one of the performers waiting nervously in the wings.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14The temptation is to practise right up until the very last minute
0:06:14 > 0:06:18but what sets brass players aside is that we have to save ourselves.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21The constant obsession with saving our lip
0:06:21 > 0:06:23for the intense solo performance.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Let's hope they have all been saving their chops.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29We are really looking forward to hearing them perform tonight.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32But for three very important people,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35a night of tough decision-making lies ahead.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37And our judges are -
0:06:37 > 0:06:42Trumpet player and member of London Brass, Andrew Crowley.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46I'm looking for sound, musicianship, expression.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Perhaps something else, maybe a freedom in their playing.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55Principal trombone of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Helen Vollam.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57I guess they really have to entertain, but also
0:06:57 > 0:07:00bring their personality across to the audience
0:07:00 > 0:07:02and bring the music to life.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05And general adjudicator, Meurig Bowen.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09I'm looking for an inner strength, somebody who's compelling onstage,
0:07:09 > 0:07:14someone who has charisma and is prepared to take risks.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18And not only musical intelligence but an emotional intelligence too.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31With the judges taking their seats,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34our five brass finalists are backstage preparing.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40First on, 14-year-old Isobel Daws, who plays the trombone
0:07:40 > 0:07:42and hails from Stanmore in North London.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55Isobel is rarely quiet.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59In fact the only time she's quiet is when she's asleep, basically.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04People do say I suit a trombone
0:08:04 > 0:08:08because I'm quite a loud person when you get to know me.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12So a small instrument probably wouldn't have suited me that much.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17She started on the cornet - quite a loud player.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19- A very loud player!- Very loud.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Isobel started playing at three,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25mainly because Stephanie had started learning already
0:08:25 > 0:08:27and Isobel didn't want to feel left out
0:08:27 > 0:08:30so she would keep picking up Stephanie's instrument and playing.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34'Isobel's dad David is a talented brass player in his own right
0:08:34 > 0:08:38'and she grew up listening to the sweet sounds of her father's cornet playing.'
0:08:40 > 0:08:44When he was practising at night, I'd say, can you play me a lullaby?
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Then I would fall asleep while he was playing.
0:08:47 > 0:08:48He kind of did inspire me, I guess.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Isobel Daws comes from a long line of Salvationists.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58And every Sunday, Izzy and her family go to their local Salvation Army.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01She's been playing in the Young People's Band there
0:09:01 > 0:09:03since she was five years old.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Isobel's a sixth generation Salvationist.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13And in fact both her great-grandads played the trombone.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19There's clearly something in the family genes.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23These days, father and daughter can often be heard practising duets together at home.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28'What I do is discuss musical issues with her,
0:09:28 > 0:09:29'about whether it's performance'
0:09:29 > 0:09:32or technical issues or asking her advice,
0:09:32 > 0:09:33how would you play that section?
0:09:39 > 0:09:42With a top brass player for a father, there's no slacking for Izzy.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48- Much quieter there.- I forgot. - Yeah, I thought you did.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51'Sometimes it can be quite annoying,'
0:09:51 > 0:09:54because he makes you do everything, you have to do what he says.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Because I like being independent.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Much louder there. But that was all right, that was OK.
0:10:02 > 0:10:08In term time, Izzy is a day pupil at Britain's oldest music school, the Purcell School.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11She fits her normal lessons around a busy musical schedule
0:10:11 > 0:10:14and developing her sound on the trombone.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29It's wonderful for Izzy that she makes such
0:10:29 > 0:10:32a round, plum-like sound,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36that immediately she plays, proves to everybody,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39wait just a minute, this isn't just a trombone,
0:10:39 > 0:10:41this is a true musical instrument.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47But the highlight of Izzy's musical year is a week away from home
0:10:47 > 0:10:50on a Salvation Army youth brass band course,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53working towards a concert at the Lighthouse in Poole.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00I was really excited to go this year because I knew more people.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I enjoy it so much, I didn't really want to come home at all.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06As the band's principal trombone,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Izzy is an inspiration to all around her.
0:11:09 > 0:11:10I don't really practise at home
0:11:10 > 0:11:15because I always think going to rehearsal is practising for me.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18I think that's probably the reason why Izzy's really good and we're not.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Because she practises more.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25I think the sound she produces is just...out of this world, I'd say.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Just completely, like, natural.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Go, team Izzy, come on!
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I don't really get nervous before concerts,
0:11:39 > 0:11:44I kind of just get excited to play. I like playing in front of people.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47We enjoy watching her. I never feel nervous when she's performing.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Sarah does.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52She does love it, though, doesn't she?
0:11:52 > 0:11:54All her auditions and exams, she loves doing those,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57she loves to perform. She really enjoys it.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Yeah, she's very cool.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06For over 135 years, the Salvation Army has used music,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09particularly brass bands, to spread their message
0:12:09 > 0:12:11and some of the world's finest brass players
0:12:11 > 0:12:13started out in its youth bands.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18There is a handed-down tradition within the Salvation Army,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20particularly with its music-making.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23We want to share the joy of making music.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27It appears to me that she's really blossomed,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and she's quite a character too.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43And here is trombonist Isobel Daws to open this brass category final.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45I'll be playing The Conquest first,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49it's a Salvation Army piece by William Scholes.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52It's, like, kind of a mixture of everything, fast and slow.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42APPLAUSE
0:16:43 > 0:16:46A very confident start there by Izzy.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50She's been playing that piece since she was just nine years old.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54Also in her programme, the second movement of Castarede's Sonatine
0:16:54 > 0:16:58and to end, she's chosen Morceau Symphonique by Guilmant.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16APPLAUSE
0:21:22 > 0:21:24I must say, I loved Isobel's performance.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26What a warm and rich tone she had,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29and it sounded like the audience loved it too.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Well done, Isobel. You opened our competition tonight.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Playing with such assurance and control.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40What is the highlight,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43particular highlight of your performance tonight?
0:21:43 > 0:21:46I was happy to get all my important notes, like the high notes,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49and I was just... I was really pleased with it, actually.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Lots of lovely sounds from Isobel. Great intonation.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57Perhaps I would have liked a little more expressivity in her playing.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59A bit more sense of her really going for it.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02I really love Isobel's sound. She's so natural.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03It almost sounds effortless.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07I really enjoyed her performance of the Guilmant, the last piece.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Which is one of my favourites.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14So, a wonderful start to the brass category final.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18Next, it's the turn of our youngest competitor tonight,
0:22:18 > 0:22:1913-year-old Will Thomas.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23He's also our first trumpeter to face the jury this evening.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40- Will Thomas is a keen sportsman.- I do quite a lot of running, football.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42I had to quit rugby because I was too small
0:22:42 > 0:22:45and I always used to get taken out by the big people.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49You know when you watch the Olympics and sports people always say,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52"I can win, I can win," so William has developed a bit of that,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55he sort of has the determination and if you say anything else,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57like, "Well, you might not,"
0:22:57 > 0:22:59"Don't say that, that is not a positive thing to say."
0:23:04 > 0:23:09I've just always worked hard and tried to be the best I can be.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12HE PLAYS CORNET
0:23:15 > 0:23:18When Will was eight, he decided to follow in his dad's footsteps
0:23:18 > 0:23:20and pick up the cornet.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22When I first got my cornet, my dad taught me,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25like, the fingerings for the first two weeks.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28And I remember saying to him after about three weeks, when he was doing
0:23:28 > 0:23:31really well, I said, "This is going well, what do you want to do?"
0:23:31 > 0:23:33He said, "I think I need a new teacher, Dad."
0:23:33 > 0:23:37And that's when we got him his first proper trumpet teacher.
0:23:41 > 0:23:42Just two years later,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46Will gained a place at London's Junior Guildhall School of Music.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Every weekend, he plays his trumpet in the big band,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53wind orchestra and brass bands, along with fellow brass finalists
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Isobel Daws and Matilda Lloyd.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05For Will, the day starts with a trumpet lesson.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Just stop there for a moment. Commit yourself to it.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10And above all, you're singing.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13OK? You're not blowing the trumpet, you're singing, OK?
0:24:14 > 0:24:17'William's a delightful lad.'
0:24:17 > 0:24:20He even gave me, as a Christmas present,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23a pot of blackcurrant jam which he'd made.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25So he's...
0:24:25 > 0:24:27I was really delighted with that!
0:24:29 > 0:24:32As well as mastering the trumpet and the cornet,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Will loves the very different tone of the flugelhorn.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38'His ability to play a slow melody
0:24:38 > 0:24:43'and pretty much bring a lump to your throat and tears to your eyes,
0:24:43 > 0:24:47'immediately he plays it, is a great attribute.'
0:24:47 > 0:24:48He hasn't learnt that from me.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50He just does that.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55'Delightful to teach.'
0:24:55 > 0:24:59For the last six months, Will has held a prestigious
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Principal Cornet position with championship band Regent Brass.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06We had a very small chap come in looking quite nervous.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10- How are you doing?- Good.- And he came and sat down, and what a sound!
0:25:10 > 0:25:13He was an absolute natural, straightaway.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14THEY PLAY IN UNISON
0:25:28 > 0:25:31His attitude to the music is very, very particular.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34About the sort of pacing of the piece.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46He's got a very keen ear for intonation.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48And not every player has that. It is a gift.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53I think the judges will see that he has just got
0:25:53 > 0:25:55an absolute natural musical talent.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01And for this teenager, music is also a family affair.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04I sort of got brought into it, listened to more jazz
0:26:04 > 0:26:06when my brother started playing it.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09THEY PLAY JAZZ
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Whenever we have time, I like to sit down, we just do a bit of jamming.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Yeah.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28We are almost more friends as well as brothers.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35He's got a nice manner about his playing.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37And I'm proud of him as well.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39With so many styles up his sleeve
0:26:39 > 0:26:42and at least three instruments to choose from,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45how is Will going to approach this final?
0:26:45 > 0:26:47I'm not going to go for all classical.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51I'm just going to go out there and try and engage with the audience.
0:26:51 > 0:26:57He's just a normal lad who does very extraordinary things.
0:27:04 > 0:27:05APPLAUSE
0:27:05 > 0:27:10In his bid for the brass title, Will Thomas begins on the trumpet,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12with Rustiques by Bozza.
0:27:12 > 0:27:13Probably I like it
0:27:13 > 0:27:16because there's three trumpet cadenzas in the whole piece.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19And it's nice because it's hard to play by yourself
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and shows off playing technical bits in the piece.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Next, we're going to hear Will on the flugelhorn,
0:28:42 > 0:28:46an instrument on which he loves to play slow melodies.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49Here he is with My Ship, by Kurt Weill.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45And now it's back to the trumpet,
0:31:45 > 0:31:47as we head to Latin America with Tico Tico.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49I first heard it
0:31:49 > 0:31:52when I was at a concert with the Venezuelan Brass Ensemble,
0:31:52 > 0:31:54and the principal trumpet played it,
0:31:54 > 0:31:57and I was just like, "Oh, I really want to play that."
0:32:00 > 0:32:02And it's probably my favourite piece to play.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11APPLAUSE
0:35:14 > 0:35:18Well, trumpeter and flugel player Will Thomas, there, giving us
0:35:18 > 0:35:21a fabulously entertaining performance.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23Hard to believe he's 13 years old.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33So, Will. You're the man.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36Playing with such tenderness and beauty.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41I thought it went well. There were a few blemishes in the first piece...
0:35:41 > 0:35:46Don't focus on blemishes! Tell me about it all.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Well, it was really exciting, playing in front of the audience.
0:35:50 > 0:35:51They were really lively.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53I got a nice applause after the second one.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57I wasn't really sure what to do, because they went on for ages!
0:35:57 > 0:36:01It was just... It was really fun, and I really enjoyed it, yeah.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Will was really entertaining.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07As a trumpet player myself, I was very in awe of his stamina.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10The trumpet wasn't off of his face the whole time.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12You know, he really sort of performed.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Really, really musical and imaginative playing from Will.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17I loved his flugelhorn piece in particular.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21Some really fantastic sounds and very imaginative playing.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25I thought William played really well tonight.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27It was a really dramatic, varied programme,
0:36:27 > 0:36:29and I'm very proud of him.
0:36:29 > 0:36:30High-five.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38We've already heard from two of our fantastic brass players.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40Still to come, trombonist Lewis Bettles
0:36:40 > 0:36:42and trumpeter Matilda Lloyd,
0:36:42 > 0:36:46but next to play is 14-year-old trombonist Ellena Newton.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02The Saddleworth village is near Oldham in Manchester -
0:37:02 > 0:37:06a heartland for brass banding in the UK.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09Every village in the Saddleworth area, basically,
0:37:09 > 0:37:10has its own brass band.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14And right in the middle of this brass band hot spot,
0:37:14 > 0:37:16you will find Ellena Newton.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18She was adamant she wanted to play the trombone,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21so she picked it up, and...couldn't reach,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23but used to drop it down onto a cushion
0:37:23 > 0:37:25so it would reach, and it went from there.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27She carried on with it.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29I'm the first brass player in my family.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31When she was seven years old,
0:37:31 > 0:37:35Ellena started at the Oldham Music Centre, where young players
0:37:35 > 0:37:39have the opportunity to rise through the ranks of its bands.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41She made her way up to the youth band.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44I suppose, when you're younger, maybe, playing an instrument
0:37:44 > 0:37:48wasn't very, like...cool, or whatever.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52And I think, going there, everyone else played instruments too,
0:37:52 > 0:37:56and you all enjoyed doing it, and it was just fun.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01Every year, Ellena's local area hosts one of the biggest events
0:38:01 > 0:38:06in the brass band calendar, Whit Friday.
0:38:06 > 0:38:07And when I was younger,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09I would watch the bands coming down the hill on Whit Friday.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12The trombonists would always be right at the very front,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15and I thought that was really cool, so I always thought
0:38:15 > 0:38:17I wanted to do that.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23And for the last three years,
0:38:23 > 0:38:27Ellena has played in championship competition band Oldham Band (Lees).
0:38:27 > 0:38:33As far as a musician's concerned, she's just first-class,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35she really is.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37If I ask for a little bit more or a little bit less,
0:38:37 > 0:38:41it's done to perfection every time, it really is.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49The group has recently earned a place in this year's
0:38:49 > 0:38:52National Brass Band finals.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54Now, that's something to be proud of.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58Competing since I was young has definitely helped me
0:38:58 > 0:39:00with my confidence and my nerves.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03I don't really get very nervous for things any more,
0:39:03 > 0:39:06because I've done so much of it.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10Another local young player made waves
0:39:10 > 0:39:13with his trombone playing back in 2008.
0:39:13 > 0:39:18I saw Peter Moore when he was 12, which was a massive inspiration.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29Not only has Ellena come up through local brass bands, like Peter,
0:39:29 > 0:39:33she also goes to the same school of music in Manchester.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38Since I've started at Chetham's, classical music has become
0:39:38 > 0:39:41a massive part of my life, which it wasn't before I went.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47I've always been in brass bands,
0:39:47 > 0:39:51so my playing was quite brass-bandy, but that's changed now.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54SHE PLAYS "Sonata 'Vox Gabrieli'" by Stjepan Sulek
0:39:57 > 0:40:01It was a good start, but it's mezzo forte, and this is Vox Gabrieli -
0:40:01 > 0:40:03this is the voice of the Angel Gabriel, and for my liking
0:40:03 > 0:40:05it was just a little bit too timid.
0:40:05 > 0:40:06- OK.- OK?
0:40:06 > 0:40:10'She's so dedicated and enthusiastic and you can't actually
0:40:10 > 0:40:13'give her enough to practise. Whatever I give her, she's done.'
0:40:19 > 0:40:21That's it.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23'I mean, even through the summer holidays, she'll phone me up
0:40:23 > 0:40:26'and say, "Can you send more studies?"'
0:40:26 > 0:40:29"Can I have another piece to do over the summer?"
0:40:29 > 0:40:31'She's like a sponge.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34'She just soaks it up. She just wants more.'
0:40:34 > 0:40:38As well as playing in the school's symphony orchestra and big band,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42Ellena has put together her very own Newton Trombone Quartet.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44THEY PLAY "Scarborough Fair"
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Whether it's a concert organised by the school,
0:41:00 > 0:41:02or a brass band competition,
0:41:02 > 0:41:04Ellena's always on her way somewhere.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06The schedule's crazy.
0:41:06 > 0:41:11It's every day, every night till nine, ten o'clock at night,
0:41:11 > 0:41:14four nights a week. And she loves it.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17She's not forced to do it, she doesn't have to do it,
0:41:17 > 0:41:18but she wants to do it and she loves doing it.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Unfortunately, I'm the taxi
0:41:21 > 0:41:23and I'm the one who has to take her here, there and everywhere.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25But I don't mind doing it.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27We've tried to cut back on certain things and said,
0:41:27 > 0:41:32"Well, what about..." But she doesn't want to give any of them up.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35I'd hate to say it because I might get in trouble for it,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38but I think she's got the potential to go and win it outright.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41She's just a born performer, I think.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46APPLAUSE
0:41:46 > 0:41:47And here is Ellena,
0:41:47 > 0:41:51the second of three trombonists in this brass final.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56My opening piece is a fanfare by John Kenny.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58It's really bold and loud,
0:41:58 > 0:42:01and it's also very different because there's no accompaniment,
0:42:01 > 0:42:06it's just the pianist press the pedal down and I play into the piano
0:42:06 > 0:42:10and the strings reverberate under my playing, and I create my own chords.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13I think the audience will like that.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33A lovely, rich, ringing sound created there by Ellena.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37Next she's going to play Fantasiestucke, No 1 by Schumann.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40It was originally written for clarinet,
0:43:40 > 0:43:42but it sounds great on trombone.
0:43:42 > 0:43:47It's really a peaceful, relaxing, really legato smooth playing.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07APPLAUSE
0:47:09 > 0:47:13Fantasiestucke by Schumann, performed by Ellena Newton.
0:47:13 > 0:47:18And to end her programme, Sulek's Sonata Vox Gabrieli.
0:47:18 > 0:47:19It's got a story to it.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23It's all about the voice of Angel Gabriel,
0:47:23 > 0:47:25and the very last bit is really loud.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27It's a great finisher
0:47:27 > 0:47:31and it's Angel Gabriel's voice going over the entire world
0:47:31 > 0:47:34telling everyone that it's time to go
0:47:34 > 0:47:37and it's the day of judgment, so it's quite exciting.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09APPLAUSE
0:50:10 > 0:50:13As that piece suggests, the voice of an angel.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16Ellena Newton there playing so wonderfully.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20Sounds like the audience enjoyed it. I suspect the jury did, too.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27- Congratulations, Ellena.- Thank you.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30It was a beautiful performance and such beautiful repertoire.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33- Are you happy?- I'm really happy. It went really well.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36- What was the highlight for you particularly?- My last piece.
0:50:36 > 0:50:41- The very end of the very last piece. - It sounded so powerful.- Yeah.
0:50:41 > 0:50:46- I love that, it was great. - Congrats. Feet up.- Relax.- Relax.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49- Yeah.- Well done.- Thank you.- Bravo.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51I liked her programme. It was different
0:50:51 > 0:50:54and I really liked the first piece she did by John Kenny.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56Her second piece, I thought
0:50:56 > 0:50:59she could've been a bit more outgoing and a bit more expressive.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02It's a big strong sound and I thought she performed it
0:51:02 > 0:51:05in a really, really communicative way as well.
0:51:05 > 0:51:06Really enjoyed it.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08She's come off stage and she's thoroughly enjoyed it.
0:51:08 > 0:51:09That's all we can ask.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12It's very nerve-racking sitting in the audience
0:51:12 > 0:51:14watching your daughter do something like that,
0:51:14 > 0:51:16but also just the most amazing feeling.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22Next on stage is our eldest performer this evening,
0:51:22 > 0:51:2518-year-old trombonist Lewis Bettles.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38Sheffield in South Yorkshire.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42The home of versatile young musician Lewis Bettles.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48Growing up, Lewis learned to play piano, percussion,
0:51:48 > 0:51:51euphonium and trombone.
0:51:53 > 0:51:54But there comes a time
0:51:54 > 0:51:59when every serious young musician has to make an important decision.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02Probably about two years ago, when I was 16, I think,
0:52:02 > 0:52:04I think that was the time when I realised
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Conservatoire's coming up soon,
0:52:07 > 0:52:10I need to pick an instrument and get pretty good on that one, really,
0:52:10 > 0:52:12if I want a chance of getting in.
0:52:17 > 0:52:22For Lewis, choosing the trombone was easy.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24In my opinion, it's just a really cool instrument.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28You can play in so many different ensembles and styles, I think.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30You've got jazz and orchestral and brass bands,
0:52:30 > 0:52:33and even in some pop music and rock music you can play in it.
0:52:40 > 0:52:45At the Junior Royal Northern College of Music, Lewis plays trombone
0:52:45 > 0:52:48in both the brass and the big bands.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51For the last two years he has improved his technique
0:52:51 > 0:52:54with lessons from Christian Jones
0:52:59 > 0:53:03Christian's great, he's a great player, he's a great guy,
0:53:03 > 0:53:05and if he'll tell me to do something,
0:53:05 > 0:53:08I'll do it, because I know he's right.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12Can you do it once more? But really build through that phrase.
0:53:14 > 0:53:19Lewis can switch it on. He has got that X-factor, if you like.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23But it's not all been plain sailing.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27In the last year, he has had to adjust his embouchure,
0:53:27 > 0:53:31something brass players have to do when their mouth position
0:53:31 > 0:53:35isn't developing in the best way for their playing.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39From being brought in from a young age in brass bands,
0:53:39 > 0:53:44teachers don't tend to teach you the technique straightaway,
0:53:44 > 0:53:49so I progressed through my playing with what we call a weak embouchure.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52That is actually quite a big change.
0:53:52 > 0:53:57And that did put my playing back to the basics for a long time last year.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00It definitely knocked my confidence a lot.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03And he's got over this mental issue,
0:54:03 > 0:54:07with it feeling very different, brilliantly.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11It has been a hard year, but it has paid off this year, definitely.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Lewis recently won a trombone scholarship
0:54:18 > 0:54:22to the Royal Scottish Conservatoire, which he will take up in September,
0:54:22 > 0:54:24but in the meantime, he's broadening his horizons
0:54:24 > 0:54:28with the music technology course here at Rotherham College.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35I really like technology-based things.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37I've always been the one playing.
0:54:37 > 0:54:41It's really good to see what it's like being on the other side
0:54:41 > 0:54:43and helping the musicians for a change.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46# Can we dance? #
0:54:47 > 0:54:52OK, guys, can we try that again? But really go for it this time, yeah?
0:54:54 > 0:54:58Lewis came to us with a very, very impressive CV as a musician.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01Lovely guy, really studious, really academic.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05But he's still very thirsty to learn.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07And with an eye on his future career,
0:55:07 > 0:55:11savvy Lewis is keeping his musical options open.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15Outside the studio, Lewis still finds time to practise
0:55:15 > 0:55:19with the trombone quartet he formed with some of his friends.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23- We spent a long time trying to think of names.- Yeah, we did.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26We came up with Bone Appetit.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28Tasty music, yeah?
0:55:29 > 0:55:31Yes.
0:55:32 > 0:55:36It's just a bit of fun, you know, entertain the local people.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39It's all about enjoying yourself, I think.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42# And as the years go by... #
0:55:42 > 0:55:46He's a terrible player, really. No, Lewis is great.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49He plays really musically, he's really free.
0:55:49 > 0:55:50Got good chops, you know?
0:55:51 > 0:55:56# You're going to see it's our destiny... #
0:55:58 > 0:56:02Obviously, we are a lot better at the trombone than we are the singing.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20- Yeah!- Yeah!
0:56:25 > 0:56:27'And here he is, our fourth competitor
0:56:27 > 0:56:30'and final trombonist of the evening, Lewis Bettles.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34'Lewis opens his programme with Defaye's Deux Danses, No 1.'
0:56:34 > 0:56:38The thing about this piece is it goes very high,
0:56:38 > 0:56:40it does test my range a lot.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43But hopefully, I will be able to pull it off.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45I'd say this is my most difficult piece,
0:56:45 > 0:56:47the most challenging that I have got.
0:59:42 > 0:59:45APPLAUSE
0:59:45 > 0:59:50'Next, Lewis is going to play a movement from Handel's Concerto in F minor.'
1:01:49 > 1:01:51APPLAUSE
1:01:52 > 1:01:55'Handel's Concerto in F minor.
1:01:55 > 1:01:59'To end, Lewis has chosen the 3rd Movement of Casterede's Sonatine.'
1:02:01 > 1:02:04This one does test the stamina, because it goes on constantly.
1:02:04 > 1:02:06It's very unusual and modern,
1:02:06 > 1:02:10but it has a very... a slight jazz feel to it, as well.
1:05:04 > 1:05:06APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
1:05:09 > 1:05:12Trombonist Lewis Bettles giving us a fantastically bold
1:05:12 > 1:05:14and varied programme there.
1:05:14 > 1:05:17Let's find out what the judges thought of his performance.
1:05:21 > 1:05:23So, what a reaction from the crowd!
1:05:23 > 1:05:26Yeah, brilliant reaction. Very pleased with that.
1:05:26 > 1:05:29You know, there were a few glips there, here and there,
1:05:29 > 1:05:31but it's a performance and that's what happens.
1:05:31 > 1:05:34We certainly felt that you were playing for the audience
1:05:34 > 1:05:36- and having a very good time.- Thank you.- Bravo!
1:05:36 > 1:05:37Thank you.
1:05:37 > 1:05:41Some lovely expressive playing from Lewis at the beginning,
1:05:41 > 1:05:44in the first piece, in his Defaye's Danses.
1:05:44 > 1:05:46He really knows how to put a phrase together
1:05:46 > 1:05:49and it was a really lovely, smoky, alluring sound.
1:05:49 > 1:05:52There was some technical misfires in the rest of the programme
1:05:52 > 1:05:55and I think he'll probably be a bit disappointed about that.
1:05:55 > 1:05:59He had a nice style, sort of, jazzy vibrato style.
1:05:59 > 1:06:03The Casterede, his final piece, he finished really well
1:06:03 > 1:06:05and had a lot of energy.
1:06:06 > 1:06:10Well, we've heard from 24 category finalists in the competition,
1:06:10 > 1:06:15so far, and now our 25th, the very last to perform and last to compete
1:06:15 > 1:06:20in this year's category finals is 18-year-old trumpeter Matilda Lloyd.
1:06:32 > 1:06:34Tonbridge in Kent,
1:06:34 > 1:06:38where 18-year-old Matilda Lloyd lives with her rather musical family.
1:06:38 > 1:06:42There was always a bit of an instinct that, maybe,
1:06:42 > 1:06:44music would be something to explore
1:06:44 > 1:06:48because both my wife and I have done quite a lot of music.
1:06:48 > 1:06:51One day, my husband got out his very beaten-up old trumpet and said,
1:06:51 > 1:06:53"Have a look at this, see what you think."
1:06:53 > 1:06:57In fact, here it is, and so, um, she just picked it up
1:06:57 > 1:07:00and some people, I think, have a natural affinity
1:07:00 > 1:07:03to being able to make a sound straightaway out of a trumpet.
1:07:08 > 1:07:09He was completely amazed
1:07:09 > 1:07:13because it was actually hard to get a sound out of the trumpet.
1:07:13 > 1:07:16And she said, "Oh, I like this, can I have some lessons?"
1:07:16 > 1:07:18And that was, really, the start of it.
1:07:18 > 1:07:22Matilda is lucky enough to have an accomplished pianist for a mum
1:07:22 > 1:07:25and she's always been on hand to help out.
1:07:25 > 1:07:26I've always accompanied her.
1:07:26 > 1:07:27I suppose, for exams and things,
1:07:27 > 1:07:30it's something that we feel very natural doing together.
1:07:30 > 1:07:33Let's just do the loud, high bit, in the middle of the Legende.
1:07:35 > 1:07:38MUSIC: "Legende" by George Enescu
1:07:45 > 1:07:48Virginia will accompany her daughter at the brass category final.
1:07:51 > 1:07:53It's really helpful to have her there
1:07:53 > 1:07:56because we can work together
1:07:56 > 1:07:59and I can familiarise myself with the piano parts.
1:07:59 > 1:08:01Can we just do the muted section at the end?
1:08:01 > 1:08:04She's always been there to help, really.
1:08:15 > 1:08:17Matilda is in the final year at her local grammar school.
1:08:17 > 1:08:20As well as studying for four A-levels this summer,
1:08:20 > 1:08:24she also finds time to conduct the school orchestra.
1:08:24 > 1:08:26Right, guys...
1:08:26 > 1:08:28I find it very hard to say no to things.
1:08:28 > 1:08:31I really enjoy conducting my school orchestra,
1:08:31 > 1:08:35it's sort of opened up a different side to music.
1:08:42 > 1:08:45It's very exposed, standing up there at the front of an orchestra
1:08:45 > 1:08:49and I think it's especially difficult with young people
1:08:49 > 1:08:51because it needs to be fun all the time,
1:08:51 > 1:08:54otherwise they're not going to come back next week.
1:08:54 > 1:08:57Well done, everyone. That's sounding really, really good.
1:08:59 > 1:09:02For ambitious Matilda there are no gaps in the schedule.
1:09:05 > 1:09:07Like Isobel and Will,
1:09:07 > 1:09:10she's another of tonight's category finalists who spends every Saturday
1:09:10 > 1:09:14at the Junior Guildhall School of Music, in London.
1:09:15 > 1:09:18And Matilda's day starts with a trumpet lesson from Andy Mitchell.
1:09:20 > 1:09:24She's got a real suit of armour on now, that enables her to deal
1:09:24 > 1:09:28with most of the trumpet repertoire with great assurance.
1:09:31 > 1:09:33She comes in at eight o'clock on a Saturday morning
1:09:33 > 1:09:36and we normally have a pretty good hour's work-out
1:09:36 > 1:09:41and then she'll go on through the day with the brass band,
1:09:41 > 1:09:45various groups that she's involved in, she seems to be tireless.
1:09:47 > 1:09:50But it was joining the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain,
1:09:50 > 1:09:53three years ago, that really helped develop Matilda's playing.
1:09:53 > 1:09:56Just working with top conductors, top trumpet tutors,
1:09:56 > 1:10:00hearing other people all playing to an amazingly high standard,
1:10:00 > 1:10:02that has really spurred her on.
1:10:04 > 1:10:08Recently, we played Mahler's Fifth Symphony at the Barbican,
1:10:08 > 1:10:12in London, which was the most incredible experience of my life.
1:10:13 > 1:10:16Some trumpet players regard playing Mahler as being
1:10:16 > 1:10:19the zenith of orchestral playing.
1:10:19 > 1:10:22The lights went down and I picked up my trumpet
1:10:22 > 1:10:26and then I played by myself for about 11 bars.
1:10:27 > 1:10:30MUSIC: "Symphony No 5" by Gustav Mahler
1:10:37 > 1:10:40It was the most terrifying experience,
1:10:40 > 1:10:42but exhilarating at the same time.
1:10:46 > 1:10:51Not just the opening, which demands tremendous nerve and control,
1:10:51 > 1:10:52but all the way through.
1:10:52 > 1:10:55I've never heard it played better, really.
1:11:01 > 1:11:05Music's always been at the forefront of my life, really.
1:11:05 > 1:11:09I can't really imagine myself doing anything but music.
1:11:09 > 1:11:11Given Matilda's ability,
1:11:11 > 1:11:14she could really take playing the trumpet
1:11:14 > 1:11:16to a very, very high level indeed.
1:11:19 > 1:11:21APPLAUSE
1:11:21 > 1:11:22And here is Matilda Lloyd,
1:11:22 > 1:11:26the final competitor in these BBC Young Musician category finals.
1:11:26 > 1:11:30Accompanied by her mum, Virginia and her sister, Verity, page turning.
1:11:30 > 1:11:34First, we're going to hear her play Legende by Enescu.
1:14:49 > 1:14:51The piece is very impressionistic.
1:14:51 > 1:14:55It starts off very slow and quiet
1:14:55 > 1:14:58and it's this sort of beautiful, lyrical melody and it ends
1:14:58 > 1:15:02very reflectively with a cupped mute in it, which alters the sound.
1:16:05 > 1:16:07APPLAUSE
1:16:14 > 1:16:16To end this brass category final,
1:16:16 > 1:16:18Matilda's chosen a real crowd pleaser,
1:16:18 > 1:16:22the third movement of Peeters' Trumpet Sonata.
1:16:22 > 1:16:26It's heavily influenced by Spanish flamenco dancing
1:16:26 > 1:16:29and you can really hear all the castanets behind the music.
1:19:34 > 1:19:38APPLAUSE
1:19:41 > 1:19:43Well, the audience loved that.
1:19:43 > 1:19:46What a remarkably confident performance from Matilda Lloyd,
1:19:46 > 1:19:48bringing this brass final to a close.
1:19:55 > 1:19:58Matilda's performance was very assured.
1:19:58 > 1:20:01Some very technically secure playing, a sense of drama,
1:20:01 > 1:20:04a sense of real panache in her performance.
1:20:04 > 1:20:06Yeah, I think it was a complete performance
1:20:06 > 1:20:09and possibly the most complete one we've had this evening.
1:20:09 > 1:20:12Matilda played really well. She really performed her programme.
1:20:12 > 1:20:15It was quite a traditional programme of trumpet repertoire.
1:20:15 > 1:20:17Perhaps could have been a little bit more varied.
1:20:17 > 1:20:21She played extremely well. A lovely, strong, fluid sound,
1:20:21 > 1:20:24very, very secure in the high register
1:20:24 > 1:20:27and I felt as though she was enjoying it.
1:20:28 > 1:20:31Matilda finishing off our competition tonight
1:20:31 > 1:20:34with such poise and control and such wonderful playing.
1:20:34 > 1:20:36How are you feeling?
1:20:36 > 1:20:41On top of the world, yeah. I had a lovely experience out there.
1:20:41 > 1:20:44The audience was very responsive and very friendly
1:20:44 > 1:20:46and I feel like I performed
1:20:46 > 1:20:49and I just tried to convey my love of the pieces
1:20:49 > 1:20:52and performing the trumpet, and I hope they got that.
1:20:55 > 1:20:58Well, that's it - five fantastic performances
1:20:58 > 1:21:00from our brass finalists tonight.
1:21:00 > 1:21:04The sense of excitement is huge, the emotions are running high.
1:21:04 > 1:21:07Only one of them can make it into the semi-final.
1:21:07 > 1:21:11It's time for the judges to decide.
1:21:13 > 1:21:15And making the decision tonight...
1:21:18 > 1:21:19..trumpet player Andrew Crowley...
1:21:25 > 1:21:27..trombonist Helen Vollam...
1:21:32 > 1:21:34..and our general adjudicator Meurig Bowen.
1:21:44 > 1:21:46So, Helen, what impressed you
1:21:46 > 1:21:50about our first trombonist of the evening, Isobel?
1:21:51 > 1:21:54Her sound was just stunning, really beautiful,
1:21:54 > 1:21:56and even and just pure.
1:21:56 > 1:21:59Lovely, lovely sound and it was a joy to listen to, actually.
1:21:59 > 1:22:01She sounded so on top of everything.
1:22:01 > 1:22:04Nothing seemed to present any difficulties to her.
1:22:04 > 1:22:07She just floated throughout the range, it was great.
1:22:07 > 1:22:10There was great character in the Guilmant, her last piece.
1:22:10 > 1:22:12I really enjoyed her playing.
1:22:12 > 1:22:16It's the first thing you notice about any brass instrumentalist,
1:22:16 > 1:22:19is the sound, and it was very well produced.
1:22:19 > 1:22:24The articulation and phrasing seemed to be very natural.
1:22:25 > 1:22:28Will, our first trumpeter of the evening,
1:22:28 > 1:22:32I think we have a showman in the making, if he's not already one.
1:22:32 > 1:22:35Will had a lot of panache and flair.
1:22:35 > 1:22:36He couldn't hide it.
1:22:36 > 1:22:38He was obviously just really enjoying himself.
1:22:38 > 1:22:41The other thing I do admire is what we call chops.
1:22:41 > 1:22:43That's your muscles here.
1:22:43 > 1:22:45- The stamina?- The stamina.
1:22:45 > 1:22:47Yeah, he didn't seem to suffer from that at all.
1:22:47 > 1:22:50He just got stronger and stronger as he went along.
1:22:50 > 1:22:54He's got that real cheeky trumpet player stereotype to the T.
1:22:54 > 1:22:56His flugel playing was beautiful, really lovely.
1:22:56 > 1:22:58Yeah, I particularly enjoyed that.
1:22:58 > 1:23:01That was the high point for me. It sort of really came together.
1:23:01 > 1:23:04- Lovely sense of phrasing and sound. - And the intonation.
1:23:04 > 1:23:08Perfectly stylish idiomatic playing, wasn't it?
1:23:08 > 1:23:10- Beautiful. - Like he's been doing it
1:23:10 > 1:23:12- in dingy clubs for years.- Yeah!
1:23:15 > 1:23:19Ellena, really big, impressive trombone sound, I felt.
1:23:19 > 1:23:21Yeah, strong player,
1:23:21 > 1:23:23and her fortissimo playing was very impressive.
1:23:23 > 1:23:27I mean, wow, for someone 14 years old, that's incredible.
1:23:27 > 1:23:29And I think that Schumann,
1:23:29 > 1:23:33a transcription of a clarinet piece, very hard to pull off.
1:23:33 > 1:23:34Hmm, the legato passages in that -
1:23:34 > 1:23:36very, very difficult on the trombone.
1:23:36 > 1:23:38She did very well.
1:23:38 > 1:23:40She was very in control of the instrument.
1:23:40 > 1:23:43Slight reservation with intonation.
1:23:43 > 1:23:45Every now and again it got a little bit high,
1:23:45 > 1:23:47but I liked the programme.
1:23:47 > 1:23:50A good, heavyweight programme for this type of event.
1:23:53 > 1:23:56And then Lewis's programme, I had a sense that that was perhaps
1:23:56 > 1:23:59the most ambitious programme of all this evening.
1:23:59 > 1:24:02He obviously chose them because he enjoyed playing them,
1:24:02 > 1:24:05but Defaye, the first piece, is very difficult, stamina-wise,
1:24:05 > 1:24:06and a courageous choice.
1:24:06 > 1:24:09He started well and then it was a little bit wobbly
1:24:09 > 1:24:11and then he recovered really well and finished nicely,
1:24:11 > 1:24:14but that's a tough piece to start a programme with.
1:24:14 > 1:24:18Hmm. Well, funnily enough, I felt that he started it...
1:24:18 > 1:24:21The first page or so was really very strong
1:24:21 > 1:24:23and then he sort of fell off a bit.
1:24:23 > 1:24:26He needed to get into it and let go a little bit more.
1:24:28 > 1:24:32Our final performance tonight - Matilda.
1:24:32 > 1:24:35Andrew, I think you had some reservations about the programme.
1:24:35 > 1:24:37- You found it a bit samey.- I did.
1:24:37 > 1:24:39Well, the Honegger and the Enescu,
1:24:39 > 1:24:45they're classic trumpet repertoire, recital pieces.
1:24:45 > 1:24:48Together, in a way, they do the same sort of thing.
1:24:48 > 1:24:52- Like having two main courses? - Two main courses, yeah.
1:24:52 > 1:24:55She can obviously play these pieces terrifically well.
1:24:57 > 1:25:00- I was struck by her sound.- Very punchy and bright, wasn't it?- Yeah.
1:25:00 > 1:25:02Lots of lovely definition.
1:25:02 > 1:25:04A deep, quality sound she makes,
1:25:04 > 1:25:08and finds it effortless going up into the high register.
1:25:08 > 1:25:11It was all there.
1:25:11 > 1:25:13I just wanted to hear something a little bit different.
1:25:13 > 1:25:16Yeah, we didn't quite see all her shots tonight,
1:25:16 > 1:25:18- to use a sporting analogy. - Yeah, definitely not.
1:25:24 > 1:25:28It's been such a thrill to witness these talented young brass players
1:25:28 > 1:25:31all vying for the top spot,
1:25:31 > 1:25:33- but there can only be one winner... - APPLAUSE
1:25:33 > 1:25:37..and here to announce who that is, Andrew Crowley.
1:25:39 > 1:25:42I am very, very pleased to announce
1:25:42 > 1:25:46a winner for the BBC Young Musician 2014
1:25:46 > 1:25:49in the brass category...
1:25:51 > 1:25:52..Matilda Lloyd.
1:25:52 > 1:25:55CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:25:56 > 1:26:00Well, what a delighted response to that announcement from our audience,
1:26:00 > 1:26:02in particular, Matilda's family.
1:26:11 > 1:26:14A real triumph for 18-year-old trumpet player Matilda Lloyd.
1:26:16 > 1:26:20And let's not forget our other four brass finalists,
1:26:20 > 1:26:22Lewis Bettles, Will Thomas,
1:26:22 > 1:26:24Isobel Daws and Ellena Newton.
1:26:29 > 1:26:31I think what we all noticed, really,
1:26:31 > 1:26:33from the moment she came on and started playing,
1:26:33 > 1:26:35was that she was really on top of it,
1:26:35 > 1:26:37right to the end of her performance.
1:26:37 > 1:26:39She was completely in control technically
1:26:39 > 1:26:42and it was a very convincing, assured musical performance
1:26:42 > 1:26:45and that's what we really went for in the end.
1:26:45 > 1:26:49Matilda, you won it! You're holding the trophy. How does it feel?
1:26:49 > 1:26:51Hasn't quite hit me yet.
1:26:51 > 1:26:53It's very exciting.
1:26:53 > 1:26:55I just went out there and just really enjoyed myself
1:26:55 > 1:26:58and just wanted to share my love of trumpet playing
1:26:58 > 1:26:59with everyone else, really,
1:26:59 > 1:27:01so I was very pleased with how it went
1:27:01 > 1:27:04and this is very exciting. It's a very lovely trophy.
1:27:04 > 1:27:06- Congratulations. - Thank you very much.
1:27:06 > 1:27:08Your family must be so proud of you.
1:27:08 > 1:27:09- I hope so.- Bravo.
1:27:09 > 1:27:11- Thank you.- Bravo, well done.
1:27:16 > 1:27:17She played with a lot of flair
1:27:17 > 1:27:21and her sound within the first few notes that she played
1:27:21 > 1:27:24really grabbed me. Throughout the whole programme that she gave,
1:27:24 > 1:27:26she seemed very much in control.
1:27:26 > 1:27:31She had a very, very high level of technical composure.
1:27:31 > 1:27:32It just stood out for me.
1:27:32 > 1:27:35- So this is it, this is the trophy? - Yeah, it's lovely, isn't it?
1:27:35 > 1:27:39- Fantastic. Isn't that beautiful? - Don't break it.
1:27:42 > 1:27:44Huge congratulations to Matilda Lloyd,
1:27:44 > 1:27:48the winner of the BBC Young Musician 2014, brass category.
1:27:48 > 1:27:51So now we have all our semi-finalists,
1:27:51 > 1:27:53and what a line-up it is.
1:27:54 > 1:27:58I'm really, really excited to see if I can give a better performance
1:27:58 > 1:28:00and lift it up a notch.
1:28:00 > 1:28:03I'm proud of getting here. I've watched it for so long.
1:28:03 > 1:28:06It's so weird to think, "Oh, I'm actually here."
1:28:07 > 1:28:08I would love to get through,
1:28:08 > 1:28:10to go and play my concerto with the orchestra.
1:28:10 > 1:28:11It means really everything to me.
1:28:11 > 1:28:13I love having a live audience.
1:28:13 > 1:28:17I really thrive off it and I love seeing them enjoying my playing.
1:28:18 > 1:28:20It would be really fantastic to get through to the final.
1:28:20 > 1:28:22There will be, obviously, some nerves,
1:28:22 > 1:28:26but I feel confident that it's almost very likely not to go wrong.
1:28:26 > 1:28:30The three performers who will progress to the final are...
1:28:33 > 1:28:37Join us tomorrow night for the semi-final
1:28:37 > 1:28:39of BBC Young Musician 2014.
1:28:39 > 1:28:43Up for grabs are three highly prized places in this year's final.
1:28:43 > 1:28:45Stay tuned for what promises to be
1:28:45 > 1:28:48an exhilarating weekend of music making.
1:28:48 > 1:28:49BOTH: Good night.