Keyboard Final BBC Young Musician


Keyboard Final

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To witness the emergence of a new artist is always exciting.

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For nearly four decades, BBC Young Musician

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has been providing a showcase for the brightest and the best.

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BBC Young Musician is the most important accolade that

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a young musician can have.

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This is a fantastic chance for them to make a reputation

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and to make an impression on the audience.

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Many of today's leading musicians have taken part in the competition.

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And the list of winners includes some of the biggest names

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in British classical music.

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Nicholas Daniel.

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Frederick Kempf.

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Nicola Benedetti.

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Two years ago, 17-year-old pianist Martin James Bartlett

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delivered an unforgettable performance in the final

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to join a star-studded line-up.

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It is the best musical experience I have had

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and I am sure it will be for the rest of my life.

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And, as the winner of the first-ever BBC Young Musician Jazz Award,

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launched that same year,

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Alexander Bone also took his place in British musical history.

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It's so amazing.

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I can't believe that I won it.

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The search for the next generation is underway

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and tonight we begin our coverage of the Category Finals

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as five remarkable young pianists take centre stage.

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Welcome to BBC Young Musician 2016.

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One of the great joys of presenting this series

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is the opportunity it gives to witness the emergence

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of outstanding young musical talent.

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We were both in Edinburgh two years ago

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and I don't know about you, Ali,

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but I can still remember the excitement

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of seeing Martin James Bartlett's performance in that final.

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It was a really special evening.

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All three finalists did themselves proud,

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but it was Martin's moment.

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A very exciting new talent, indeed.

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And if this competition lives up to previous years,

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I'm sure, yet again, we're in for something quite extraordinary.

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Well, we're back at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama

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and over the next five weeks, we'll be introducing you

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to all of the competitors

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and bringing you highlights of their performances.

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If you'd like to see those in full,

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you can find them on the BBC website...

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Ahead tonight, music includes Chopin, Mozart, Liszt

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and Rachmaninov as five pianists compete in the Keyboard Final.

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But before we get started,

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let's have a look at how our finalists made it

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to this stage of the competition.

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The search for the next BBC Young Musician began last year,

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with nearly 450 entries across five categories.

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Keyboard,

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woodwind,

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percussion,

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brass

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and strings.

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To enter, they must be Grade 8 or equivalent,

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so the standard is already set high.

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To have reached this level, we are talking outstanding musicians.

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You have to literally spend hours practising.

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One thing in common that the competitors will have

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is a determination.

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Give it your all.

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You have to give up a lot of things that other teenagers

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are probably doing, cos otherwise, it's never going to work.

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At this stage, they have to get out there

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and really just play the music, play their heart and souls out

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and that is a challenge at a young age.

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It's really quite a scary thing.

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Following two rounds of auditions in front of expert panels,

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25 were selected for these finals,

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five in each category.

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The keyboard finalists are...

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Yuanfan Yang.

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At 19, already a veteran of the competition.

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When I got to the Grand Final in 2012,

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that was sort of a farewell thing.

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I wouldn't think that I would be doing this competition again.

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So, it really feels to be like a great joy and a pleasure to be back.

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17-year-old A-Level student Tomoka Kan from London.

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I'm really excited for the category finals.

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I've been looking forward to this and I'm really excited

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to play my programme through in front of the audience and jury.

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From Salford, 15-year-old Jackie Campbell,

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who's a student at Chetham's School of Music.

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I think I'm just going to try and focus on the music as best I can.

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I just really hope I can do my best and then that's good enough for me.

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Julian Trevelyan, who's 17 and comes from St Albans.

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He competed in the Keyboard Final in 2014, too.

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I enjoyed it last time and I'm enjoying it so far this time.

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And our youngest Category Finalist,

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13-year-old Harvey Lin from Berkshire.

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Most of the competitors are 16 to 18 and I'm only 13,

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so I'm really proud to get this far.

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If I don't get further, I'm still going to be happy,

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so I think, now, just really go for it.

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So, a really impressive line-up

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and very nice to see some familiar faces in there.

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The winner of tonight will take their place alongside

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the other category winners in the semifinal,

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where they'll compete for the three places in the Grand Final.

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We'll tell you more about that later.

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Tonight, though, it's all about the piano.

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What's unique about this category is that everyone is playing

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the same instrument, so you can really compare like with like.

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But that has its challenges, too. Ali, what do you think

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is going to make these performances really stand out?

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Well, of course, it is important

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that they've made good repertoire choices and have a good technique,

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but in the end, it is the same as all the categories,

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it's about who is the best musician.

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Well, we have a lot to look forward to

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and plenty for our judges to consider.

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Let's find out what they'll be looking for.

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The Keyboard Judges are

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concert pianist Leon McCawley,

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a BBC Young Musician keyboard winner in 1990.

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I'm looking for someone who has imagination,

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who can convey that to the audience.

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Someone expressive, poetic

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and someone who has emotional commitment to the music,

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who really makes each piece speak.

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And Llyr Williams, also a concert pianist,

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known in particular for his interpretation of Beethoven.

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What's interesting about these youngsters

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is the daring adventurousness of a lot of their programmes.

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Sometimes you have to move the audience

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and something very slow and sensitive in other pieces

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has got to be very impressive.

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It can't just be rattling away at 90mph

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with no real sense of communicating to the audience.

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And the Chair of the Jury, composer Dobrinka Tabakova.

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Ultimately, what I will be looking for is for that ability

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to read the composer's intentions,

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to inhabit the music

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and to make it their own

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in the heightened atmosphere of cameras, audience, action,

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to manage to soar above that

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and deliver a really effortless performance.

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So, that's who our Keyboard finalists have to impress.

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So, the scene is set.

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Five incredibly talented young pianists ready to share their music

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with audience and jury alike

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here at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.

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Well, it's almost time to see the first competitor in these category finals.

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Ali, you've been in their shoes.

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How do you prepare for a moment like this?

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I think at this point, it's just got to be about the music.

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The months and years they've spent preparing

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have got to be put out of their heads

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and they've got to find a way of captivating us

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as an audience, just to bring out something extra special for us.

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Well, our first pianist is no stranger to this competition.

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You may remember his performance in the Grand Final back in 2012,

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when he was just 15.

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Now 19, he's back to make one last bid for the title.

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It's Yuanfan Yang.

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Yuanfan first came to our attention

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as a 13-year-old category finalist back in 2010.

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I know it is the third time that I'm doing this competition,

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but I think in so many ways, my approach to the entire thing

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hasn't changed from the first time.

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It is still just as fresh. It is just as new.

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It is just as exciting as it has been back in 2010.

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As a musician, it's very hard to get opportunities to perform out there

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and I think Young Musician is something that can really

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just give you that bit of a push upwards.

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Two years, later Yuanfan came within touching distance

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of the Young Musician trophy when he made it to the Grand Final.

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It all happened very, very quickly.

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I remember just standing there waiting to go on, really,

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and I think I have all prepared and my mind was completely

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just absorbed in the music that I was about to play,

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and I think that was the best that I could have done at that point,

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and I don't have any regrets of my performance whatsoever.

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Obviously, I feel as if I have matured as a performer

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and hopefully that will come across through my playing.

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Yuanfan has now left school and moved to London

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to study at the Royal Academy of Music,

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where he's taught by Christopher Elton.

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I think he is one of the most gifted

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and advanced young pianists of his age that I know.

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We say, "Make the piano sing", but also make it talk.

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So you begin...

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It is now more and more trying to explore how he communicates,

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to capture the essence of a piece in a way that really communicates

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with an audience and tells you, as I think a great performer does,

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something about him as a person, as a musician, as an artist.

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As a newcomer to London,

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Yuanfan is trying to soak up all the city has to offer.

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I love it here. It's so full of life. It is buzzing.

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It is full of music everywhere.

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It is full of people and activeness and culture.

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That's definitely something that is just making

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a mark on my musical integrity.

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Do you feel like a different player now compared to four years ago?

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Over the years, I have hopefully matured as a player

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and hopefully I can bring more integrity

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and a deepness to my interpretation for my performance.

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I know your teacher, Christopher Elton,

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had a lot of success in the competition,

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with Freddie Kempf being one of his pupils, who was a winner in 1992.

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Has he given you any specific advice?

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Just to really make the most of the experience.

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You know, learn even more. I mean, I think Young Musician

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is such a fantastic educational opportunity.

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Each time I've learnt so much from the experience

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I don't think you can get in other situations.

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And here is Yuanfan

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to open this year's BBC Young Musician category finals

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with a notoriously difficult piece by Franz Liszt.

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La Campanella is a really, really virtuosic piece.

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A pianist gets so much opportunity to showcase themselves.

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It's really, really beautiful.

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APPLAUSE

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Yuanfan dealing magnificently

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with the delicate but demanding La Campanella,

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that grande etude by Liszt.

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Also in his programme,

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he played the second movement of Beethoven's Sonata in D minor.

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To end his programme,

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Yuanfan turns to 1940s Russia.

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The third movement of Prokofiev's seventh sonata

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is taken from his set of war sonatas,

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which Prokofiev wrote during the Second World War.

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It's really energetic and it's a very powerful piece as well.

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It doesn't stop. It very relentless.

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It starts and it just goes all the way to the end

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without a single pause, so it's a really fun piece to play.

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APPLAUSE

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19-year-old Yuanfan Yang

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getting this competition off to a tremendous start.

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It was so full of bravura virtuosity

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and to start with La Campanella,

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it's such a scary piece to begin with,

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but he accomplished such a wonderful expertise throughout his programme.

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It was very impressive.

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A very musical performance over the Beethoven

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and then a very strong finish, I think, with the Prokofiev,

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and the last movement of the seventh sonata,

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so I was very impressed.

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I just wanted to do the best I could and try and interpret

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the music as faithfully and as honestly as possible

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and I hope I managed to convey that to the audience tonight.

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A remarkable performance from Yuanfan,

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hoping to make it third time lucky.

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Very brave of him to come back.

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For me, that was an incredibly assured performance, Alison,

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and I was so gratified to see how emotionally mature he is now.

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We know he's got all the dazzling technical fireworks,

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but I thought he played with such soul,

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especially in that Beethoven.

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I agree totally. It's really, really hard to come out

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and be the first performer, but I felt he created an energy

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in the room straightaway and, as you say,

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the Beethoven was really special. I hope the judges thought so, too.

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Well, a wonderful way to start this final.

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Next up it's 17-year-old Tomoka Kan from London.

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At the weekend, Tomoka studies at the Junior Royal College of Music.

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During the week, she's a full-time student at Westminster School

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in the heart of London.

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Morning assembly takes place at Westminster Abbey,

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with Tomoka accompanying the school choir on the organ.

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On Mondays and Fridays, we have assemblies in Westminster Abbey.

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Obviously, it's really beautiful there

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and also the acoustic is wonderful.

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Just the sheer sound of the organ resonating around the Abbey

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and blending in with the sound of the choir is really amazing.

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That is the highlight of my day.

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Apart from music, I also really love maths.

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I'd like to present my research...

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'Last summer I attended a maths summer camp in Boston

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'and this is where I actually started my research project

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'on kissing numbers.'

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If we consider this blue ball here,

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what we want to do is we want to find the maximum

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number of balls we can have touching this ball here without any overlaps.

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My team and I really found this problem interesting,

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so we decided to continue working on it even after the camp ended.

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'We've got some results now

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'and we are trying to get our work published,

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'which is really exciting.

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In maths, there are lots of symmetry and lots of patterns within numbers

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and I think that's also true for music,

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where the theme is often repeated in many forms

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and I think that's kind of like sequences in numbers.

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Tomoka is such an extraordinary young woman.

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The wonderful things she's doing in the fields of maths and science

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at the same time as excelling on the piano

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and all the other things she does...

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You know, the sky is the limit for someone like Tomoka.

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So what does the future hold for Tomoka?

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I've applied to university for maths but that is only because I think

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it is easier to carry on both maths and music that way around.

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I'm not sure what I want to do in the future,

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so I'll definitely be carrying on music at the same level.

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Tell me about your experience of the BBC Young Musician competition.

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What's been the highlight so far?

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The highlights have been the performance opportunities.

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It was really great to be able

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to perform my repertoire in the first and second rounds

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and all this filming has been a great experience as well.

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And was it hard to choose the repertoire?

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Because of course, you have so much to choose from.

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I am quite happy with my own programme at the moment.

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I really love all three pieces

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and they are all quite contrasting, which is really good.

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Tomoka begins her programme with Chopin's Nocturne in B major.

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The piece I'm playing is one of Chopin's later works.

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Throughout his life, Chopin got more and more interested in counterpoint

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so all of his later works are quite contrapuntal.

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I really enjoy that aspect.

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Tomoka creating a spellbinding atmosphere in the hall

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with Chopin's Nocturne in B major.

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Next she performs Liszt's Transcendental Etude No. 5.

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The Liszt is notorious as one of the most difficult piano works,

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and I've chosen it because I enjoy a challenge.

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Although it's from around the same era as the Chopin,

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it's really different in terms of characters and textures.

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To close her performance, Tomoka plays a piece

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by contemporary British composer Michael Zev Gordon.

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The piece that I'm playing is called A Tango There Was,

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and the tango rhythm keeps on coming back throughout the piece.

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But there are also snatches of Jewish Klezmer music,

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which is a type of Jewish tango which existed in Eastern Europe.

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APPLAUSE

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17-year-old Tomoka with a really strong sense

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of her own musical voice and what she wants to say.

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Tomoka opened with a beautiful nocturne,

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she's a very poetic player,

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and then she chose this unusual piece by Michael Zev Gordon,

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I was totally blown away by it.

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Graceful and elegant all the way through,

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and then I was just so pleased that she chose the Michael Zev Gordon

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as her final piece, to really show some contrast

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and show that she can be gutsy.

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It was good, a good experience.

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Just playing to an audience was really good,

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to try to convey a story and express the emotion of the piece.

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Tomoka Kan there giving a remarkable performance,

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so bold this programme choice.

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The Chopin of course enchanted us straightaway,

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the Liszt, the clarity of sound was wonderful,

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and the Michael Zev Gordon, what a brilliant choice,

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I love this piece, don't you, Clemmie?

0:37:200:37:22

It was a fantastic piece, Ally, I completely agree,

0:37:220:37:24

I hope it was the right programme for her.

0:37:240:37:26

I was so captivated by that Chopin, I was in bits,

0:37:260:37:29

but then I hope that the next two pieces really show off all aspects

0:37:290:37:32

of her pianistic personality, because it's clearly huge.

0:37:320:37:35

But what an extraordinary performance.

0:37:350:37:37

Amazing, yeah, really well balanced.

0:37:370:37:39

And a reminder that you can see Tomoka's

0:37:390:37:41

and all of the other performances

0:37:410:37:43

in full on the BBC Young Musician website.

0:37:430:37:46

Next tonight, it's Jackie Campbell from Salford.

0:37:460:37:49

MUSIC: Hallelujah Chorus by Handel

0:37:530:37:55

15-year-old Jackie is studying for his GCSEs

0:37:550:37:57

at Chetham's School of Music,

0:37:570:37:59

a specialist music school in Manchester.

0:37:590:38:02

Jackie has been a pupil there since he was just eight years old.

0:38:100:38:13

Our first work is going to concentrate on oratorio.

0:38:130:38:17

Chetham's is a very good place for me to come to school,

0:38:170:38:20

because I get the chance both to do music

0:38:200:38:23

and devote a lot of time to it,

0:38:230:38:26

and I also can do all my academic subjects

0:38:260:38:29

like at any normal school.

0:38:290:38:31

So I'm not losing out on either.

0:38:310:38:34

Let's have a look, how are you getting on there?

0:38:340:38:36

Um...

0:38:360:38:38

Yeah, you can see that there, can't you?

0:38:380:38:40

I think I do like learning new things,

0:38:400:38:42

because it's something about just learning about the world

0:38:420:38:46

and how we are,

0:38:460:38:47

and I think everything can be interesting in its own way.

0:38:470:38:51

-TEACHER SINGS TUNE

-Go on, that's it.

0:38:510:38:54

I think I first started playing the piano when I was about...five maybe?

0:38:560:39:01

To be honest,

0:39:010:39:02

I can't quite remember why I chose the piano at first,

0:39:020:39:05

but I'm still happy with it now, so I think that's good.

0:39:050:39:09

Following in Jackie's footsteps is his younger brother Jordie,

0:39:110:39:15

who's also a student at the school.

0:39:150:39:17

To be honest, I think he started playing the piano

0:39:180:39:21

because I was playing the piano and he wanted to join in.

0:39:210:39:23

When we play duets, we can both be part of the music.

0:39:250:39:30

I do feel like there is some kind of musical connection,

0:39:340:39:36

because we can hear each other playing and so we don't need to

0:39:360:39:40

see each other making the sound,

0:39:400:39:42

but we can almost feel it and go together with it.

0:39:420:39:45

I think, for me, when I play by myself at the piano,

0:39:490:39:53

I want to go into the music and give this music to people.

0:39:530:39:58

I want to think about the way the music's going together,

0:40:070:40:11

what it's trying to express,

0:40:110:40:13

because it expresses feelings much more accurately than words can.

0:40:130:40:18

It's beyond words, but it speaks far more clearly to me

0:40:260:40:30

and to, I think, many people as well.

0:40:300:40:33

I just want to express the music, then I'm happy.

0:40:330:40:36

Jackie, how challenging is the step of taking your music

0:40:410:40:44

from the practice room into the concert hall stage?

0:40:440:40:46

Do it in the practice room properly,

0:40:460:40:48

it's not that difficult to take it to the stage, but it still needs

0:40:480:40:53

the willpower on the stage to do it properly

0:40:530:40:56

and the ability to focus more.

0:40:560:40:58

How does it feel when you step onto the stage,

0:40:580:41:00

that magical moment just before you walk out?

0:41:000:41:03

I guess it's a sense of purpose,

0:41:030:41:05

because I'm there to deliver something to the audience

0:41:050:41:08

and I need to do it properly.

0:41:080:41:10

And so, really it's just the music that's occupying all of my mind.

0:41:100:41:14

First we'll hear Jackie's performance of

0:41:160:41:18

Scriabin's Preludes Op 11, Nos 10 and 11.

0:41:180:41:21

APPLAUSE

0:44:190:44:21

Next, Jackie plays Debussy's Prelude from Book II, No. 12,

0:44:250:44:29

Feux d'Artifice, or "Fireworks".

0:44:290:44:32

Debussy wanted just pure feeling in his music

0:44:320:44:36

without being bound to any old laws,

0:44:360:44:39

and this piece is really exciting,

0:44:390:44:41

it's the sound of lights,

0:44:410:44:44

it's the way all this magic can come together in a slightly mystical way.

0:44:440:44:49

In his programme, Jackie also performed Ligeti's Etude No. 4,

0:47:490:47:52

but to end, we're going to hear him play

0:47:520:47:55

Rachmaninov's Etudes-Tableaux, Opus 39, No. 9.

0:47:550:47:58

Rachmaninov's music is very, very rich music, it's music that

0:48:000:48:07

expresses a lot, it's very... almost sophisticated, in a way.

0:48:070:48:12

But at the same the time, it's very plain speaking.

0:48:120:48:16

APPLAUSE

0:50:330:50:36

The audience understandably impressed by Jackie's performance,

0:50:410:50:44

but what did the judges make of it?

0:50:440:50:46

From coming on stage, you're just captivated by him.

0:50:480:50:53

All of the pieces he chose, on paper you'd say maybe there's similarity,

0:50:530:50:57

but actually he really inhabited each of those worlds so, so well.

0:50:570:51:01

He moved me to tears, actually, in one of the Scriabin pieces,

0:51:010:51:05

very special performer.

0:51:050:51:07

Of course there were bits that didn't quite go to plan, I guess,

0:51:070:51:11

but that always happens.

0:51:110:51:13

I did the best I could, so that's good enough for now.

0:51:130:51:17

Jackie Campbell making some fiendishly difficult repertoire seem incredibly easy.

0:51:190:51:23

Alison, you've been talking to him, we know he's a sensitive soul,

0:51:230:51:26

how did that come through in the performance?

0:51:260:51:29

You know what really moved me?

0:51:290:51:31

I felt like he was serving the music,

0:51:310:51:33

it wasn't about him, it was about the composers.

0:51:330:51:35

Especially in the Debussy, I actually had goose pimples,

0:51:350:51:38

because I knew this piece really well, because I just thought,

0:51:380:51:41

"This is taking us out of this space and into another world,

0:51:410:51:44

"this world of fireworks from Debussy." I loved it.

0:51:440:51:47

Well, before we hear the last two performers

0:51:470:51:49

in this keyboard category, let's have a look forward to

0:51:490:51:52

the Grand Final of BBC's Young Musician 2016.

0:51:520:51:55

This year it's taking place at London's Barbican Centre

0:51:550:51:58

on the 15th of May.

0:51:580:51:59

Three finalists will each perform a full concerto

0:51:590:52:02

with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mark Wigglesworth.

0:52:020:52:05

It's always an incredibly special occasion, and it provides

0:52:050:52:08

a real opportunity to see the next generation of young musical talent.

0:52:080:52:12

You'll be able to watch the final in full, here on BBC Four.

0:52:120:52:16

Later in this programme, we'll catch up with

0:52:160:52:18

the current BBC Young Musician titleholder, Martin James Bartlett,

0:52:180:52:21

and find out what he's been up to

0:52:210:52:23

since that night in Edinburgh almost two years ago.

0:52:230:52:26

But meanwhile, back to the competition,

0:52:260:52:28

and another face you may remember from last time around.

0:52:280:52:30

It's Julian Trevelyan.

0:52:300:52:32

Julian is no stranger to BBC Young Musician,

0:52:430:52:46

having made it to this stage of the competition two years ago.

0:52:460:52:49

He's home-schooled and lives in St Albans.

0:52:550:52:57

There, he can often be found performing, whether in choir

0:53:030:53:06

at St Albans Abbey, or as part of the local theatre group.

0:53:060:53:10

..thus advises thee.

0:53:100:53:12

Remember who commended thy yellow stockings...

0:53:120:53:15

..and wished to see...

0:53:170:53:18

'I've been acting in plays'

0:53:180:53:20

since at least I was seven or before.

0:53:200:53:23

'It's just a different perspective on performance,'

0:53:240:53:28

which I find very interesting.

0:53:280:53:29

So how have these experiences helped Julian prepare for this competition?

0:53:330:53:37

He was confident then,

0:53:390:53:40

but now I think he feels he has reached a stage

0:53:400:53:43

where he can play any piece of music on the piano,

0:53:430:53:46

there are no challenges he can't...try and master.

0:53:460:53:51

I like new challenges, I like new sounds.

0:53:530:53:56

In a performance, I'm always trying to find new paths

0:53:560:54:00

through the characters, through the emotions.

0:54:000:54:04

I'm going to continue exploring the music of every composer

0:54:060:54:10

from here to the sun.

0:54:100:54:13

There is so much out there,

0:54:130:54:16

I don't think I will ever feel satisfied, because...

0:54:160:54:20

there's so much in everything.

0:54:200:54:23

Julian, what do you hope to tell the jury about you as a performer?

0:54:280:54:32

I hope to tell the jury that I am an interesting performer

0:54:320:54:36

with a daring sense of the musicality.

0:54:360:54:39

And how did you choose the repertoire

0:54:390:54:41

for this evening's programme?

0:54:410:54:42

I chose the repertoire to give, like, a varied meal.

0:54:420:54:46

There's courses of different characters and sounds,

0:54:460:54:50

and...just give the audience a fun time.

0:54:500:54:54

APPLAUSE

0:54:580:55:00

The first piece we're going to hear from Julian is Noctuelles,

0:55:020:55:06

or "Moths", by the 20th-century French composer Ravel.

0:55:060:55:10

Julian playing Ravel's Noctuelles,

0:58:480:58:50

and next it's one of Schumann's Fantasie pieces - Warum.

0:58:500:58:54

The Schumann has got interweaving lines, it feels almost

0:58:540:58:59

as though it's a string quartet, with a quartet of singers.

0:58:590:59:04

APPLAUSE

1:02:091:02:12

Julian also played the first movement from Chopin's Sonata No. 2,

1:02:131:02:16

but to finish, it's a piece composed in 1992,

1:02:161:02:21

the first of five etudes in different intervals

1:02:211:02:24

by Nikolai Kapustin.

1:02:241:02:25

APPLAUSE

1:04:101:04:12

A 17-year-old pianist with great flair,

1:04:151:04:18

Julian Trevelyan looking completely comfortable up there on the stage.

1:04:181:04:21

But what do the judges think?

1:04:211:04:24

That was a really impressive programme,

1:04:241:04:26

I mean, he just walked on with all this confidence

1:04:261:04:29

-and just captured everyone.

-SHE LAUGHS

1:04:291:04:33

This one-page piece of Schumann called Warum

1:04:331:04:36

was one of the highlights of the evening for me,

1:04:361:04:38

magically played, I think the way he managed to weight all the harmonies,

1:04:381:04:44

he really captured the audience's attention with this piece.

1:04:441:04:47

The audience was very responsive and warm,

1:04:471:04:49

and I think they especially enjoyed the last piece, the Kapustin.

1:04:491:04:53

Julian Trevelyan there giving us a incredible all-round performance.

1:04:561:05:00

I think he's developed astonishingly since he was here two years ago.

1:05:001:05:04

The thing I loved about his playing the most, Clemmie,

1:05:041:05:06

was that he wasn't just playing the notes,

1:05:061:05:08

he was really inside that music, he'd really considered it,

1:05:081:05:11

he understood what he was playing, it was quite remarkable.

1:05:111:05:14

Yeah, not hard to see why he's back again

1:05:141:05:16

two years after being in the final.

1:05:161:05:18

Tremendously stylish performance I thought,

1:05:181:05:20

and I love someone who can conjure that whole soundscape,

1:05:201:05:24

the real spectrum, from wit to gravitas and everything in between.

1:05:241:05:28

Going to be hard to beat, I suspect.

1:05:281:05:30

Well, the last to perform this evening, and the youngest

1:05:301:05:33

across all our category finals this year, is 13-year-old Harvey Lin.

1:05:331:05:37

Harvey, from Bracknell,

1:05:441:05:46

has been playing the piano for the past six years.

1:05:461:05:49

When I was seven-and-a-half, I was at my old school,

1:05:491:05:53

there was a sheet of daytime club lists, and then I saw "piano",

1:05:531:05:57

and I just wanted to try something new.

1:05:571:06:01

I really liked the piano sound,

1:06:041:06:06

you can create all sorts of emotions on the piano.

1:06:061:06:08

If you don't have emotion,

1:06:081:06:10

then it really doesn't make your music come alive.

1:06:101:06:13

And if you want it to come alive,

1:06:161:06:17

then you've got to put your soul into the music.

1:06:171:06:20

At the weekend, Harvey returns home for lessons

1:06:271:06:30

with piano teacher Edita Stankeviciute.

1:06:301:06:33

The lessons are really intensive

1:06:351:06:38

and you have to put all of your focus into it.

1:06:381:06:42

# Bom...bom, bom, bom, bom. #

1:06:421:06:46

But it's really useful, and the advice that my teacher gives,

1:06:461:06:50

it's really helpful.

1:06:501:06:52

To have talent, it's just a gift, isn't it?

1:06:571:07:01

To use talent and to work hard, this is something,

1:07:011:07:06

and Harvey has that something.

1:07:061:07:07

I think my dream is to become a top concert pianist.

1:07:101:07:14

And Harvey takes another step closer to realising his dream,

1:07:151:07:18

as he prepares to play Beethoven's First Piano Concerto

1:07:181:07:21

with the Reading Symphony Orchestra.

1:07:211:07:23

Being the best is one of the things that motivates me.

1:07:321:07:35

I think you have to be the top of the top

1:07:351:07:38

to really stand out in the crowd.

1:07:381:07:40

He's got this musical maturity that seems to come from within him,

1:07:471:07:51

which is really natural.

1:07:511:07:53

It's really genuine, which is very rare for someone that young.

1:07:531:07:56

Isn't he amazing? Absolutely astounding.

1:07:561:07:59

For us it's amazing, because you don't even need to worry about

1:07:591:08:02

being together with him, cos he's such a strong musical personality

1:08:021:08:05

that you just join his musical inspiration.

1:08:051:08:08

Harvey's talent also found him a place

1:08:101:08:12

at the Lang Lang Foundation's Junior Music Camp,

1:08:121:08:15

where he received some advice from the world's most famous pianist.

1:08:151:08:19

The advice Lang Lang gave me was really, really helpful,

1:08:191:08:23

and he's a really good teacher as well, very clear,

1:08:231:08:26

you can understand what he's saying. I think he's really good.

1:08:261:08:30

He's one of my top heroes.

1:08:301:08:32

Harvey, tell us how it feels when you're standing at the side

1:08:391:08:42

of the stage, that split second before you walk on?

1:08:421:08:45

It's a very, very big thrill just to walk on the stage

1:08:451:08:49

with all these people clapping and cheering.

1:08:491:08:51

It makes me feel very happy and also proud of myself,

1:08:511:08:55

and also motivates me to play very nice music for them.

1:08:551:08:59

How did you choose the music and what does it mean to you?

1:09:011:09:04

Well, I chose the Mozart,

1:09:041:09:05

because it is a minor sonata in a minor key,

1:09:051:09:08

so I thought it would be interesting to play a sonata

1:09:081:09:12

that is more dark and gloomy.

1:09:121:09:15

Well, I'm sure Harvey will bring light and joy

1:09:151:09:17

to his performance nonetheless.

1:09:171:09:19

Here he is with the first movement of Mozart's Sonata in C minor.

1:09:191:09:22

APPLAUSE

1:11:201:11:22

Following that Mozart sonata,

1:11:221:11:24

Harvey turns to another titan of the piano repertoire.

1:11:241:11:27

I also chose a piece by Chopin, the Scherzo No. 1.

1:11:271:11:31

It's a very expressive melody

1:11:311:11:33

and I think it contrasts very well with the outer sections.

1:11:331:11:37

Fast, fiery, but also slow and singing.

1:11:371:11:41

Harvey Lin, playing Chopin's Scherzo No. 1 with remarkable maturity.

1:15:551:16:00

To end his performance,

1:16:001:16:02

he plays Rachmaninov's Prelude Opus 32, No. 12.

1:16:021:16:06

I chose the Rachmaninov because it's a very lyrical piece

1:16:061:16:10

and it has a lot of complicated harmony,

1:16:101:16:14

and there's always a very nice, lyrical melody

1:16:141:16:17

singing throughout the whole piece.

1:16:171:16:19

APPLAUSE

1:19:111:19:14

Harvey Lin, bringing this BBC Young Musician Keyboard Final

1:19:161:19:20

to a close.

1:19:201:19:21

Harvey is a great talent, he's only 13 years of age,

1:19:251:19:27

and I especially liked his Chopin's Scherzo.

1:19:271:19:30

Full of brilliance, really, lots of energy.

1:19:301:19:34

The Prelude, at the end,

1:19:341:19:36

that was one of the highlights of the evening, for me.

1:19:361:19:38

That's how I hope I would play that piece,

1:19:381:19:40

with the beautiful, singing melodies.

1:19:401:19:43

Well, after all the preparation,

1:19:431:19:45

it's all been done, and really, just...

1:19:451:19:48

I have to put emotion and enjoy the music and that's what I did.

1:19:481:19:52

I'm really happy with how I played.

1:19:521:19:55

Another astonishingly self-assured performance from Harvey, there.

1:19:571:20:00

He's the youngest across all of the categories.

1:20:001:20:03

Ali, if I shut my eyes, I could not believe I was hearing a 13-year-old.

1:20:031:20:07

He's only been playing for six years,

1:20:071:20:08

but there's something he brings to the music,

1:20:081:20:11

an incredible maturity,

1:20:111:20:13

and he's quite captivating to listen to, don't you think?

1:20:131:20:15

Totally captivating. I was also transfixed by his hands.

1:20:151:20:18

They've obviously all got amazing hands,

1:20:181:20:20

but his were really mesmerising.

1:20:201:20:22

Well, we've now seen all five performers

1:20:221:20:24

in this Keyboard Final.

1:20:241:20:25

You've probably got your favourites.

1:20:251:20:27

I have to say, I would not want to be in the jury's shoes.

1:20:271:20:31

I mean, on any given year,

1:20:311:20:32

any one of them could be going through,

1:20:321:20:34

but there can, of course, only be one winner.

1:20:341:20:36

But while the jury are making the all-important decision,

1:20:361:20:39

we're going to catch up with the current BBC Young Musician,

1:20:391:20:42

Martin James Bartlett.

1:20:421:20:44

A very popular winner in 2014,

1:20:441:20:46

the past two years have seen his life change in many ways.

1:20:461:20:49

MUSIC: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninov

1:20:491:20:53

Competing in BBC Young Musician was such an exhilarating experience.

1:21:001:21:04

My first time ever to play with a professional orchestra

1:21:041:21:07

on such a wonderful stage.

1:21:071:21:10

I was so zoned in on what I was doing

1:21:101:21:12

that I had no idea of the cameras at all, moving around.

1:21:121:21:16

And I think once you know a piece so well,

1:21:161:21:18

that it's really ingrained in you,

1:21:181:21:20

there's that capability to just lose yourself in the music.

1:21:201:21:23

APPLAUSE

1:21:231:21:25

It was an unforgettable experience.

1:21:251:21:28

Since being named BBC Young Musician

1:21:281:21:31

Martin has been in huge demand at concert venues across the country,

1:21:311:21:34

and last summer he gave his first-ever performance

1:21:341:21:37

at the biggest classical music festival in the world.

1:21:371:21:40

The Proms debut was an incredibly wonderful experience,

1:21:401:21:44

and to walk out onto the stage of the Royal Albert Hall

1:21:441:21:46

and to see so many people there really does set the nerves a little,

1:21:461:21:50

but at the same time, it's great fun.

1:21:501:21:53

MUSIC: Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin

1:21:531:21:56

As well as his busy concert schedule,

1:22:231:22:25

Martin also studies full-time at London's Royal College of Music.

1:22:251:22:29

I'm now studying here, in my second year of my degree,

1:22:291:22:32

with Vanessa Latarche.

1:22:321:22:35

SHE VOCALISES

1:22:351:22:37

I think it's very important

1:22:371:22:38

never to stop your development as a musician,

1:22:381:22:41

and that's what college does so well,

1:22:411:22:43

is that it provides you with the background knowledge

1:22:431:22:45

whilst also allowing you to hone your craft of performing.

1:22:451:22:49

HE PLAYS ENERGETIC PIECE

1:22:491:22:51

I feel very humbled to be invited

1:22:551:22:58

to these concert halls all around the country,

1:22:581:23:00

and I'm definitely sure that BBC Young Musician

1:23:001:23:03

is the reason for that,

1:23:031:23:05

so it's a wonderful platform to really show what you have.

1:23:051:23:08

The unique and wonderful Martin James Bartlett, there.

1:23:141:23:17

Gosh, I find him so inspiring,

1:23:171:23:18

and I'm sure we'll be hearing lots more of him in the future.

1:23:181:23:21

As you can see now, I'm backstage with this year's keyboard finalists,

1:23:211:23:24

and we're just about to hear the announcement.

1:23:241:23:26

First, though, a quick recap of tonight's performances.

1:23:261:23:29

Yuanfan gave a really controlled performance.

1:23:361:23:38

Very professional, he had lots of poise at the piano.

1:23:411:23:44

I especially liked his Prokofiev at the end,

1:23:441:23:47

it was a real blistering account of it.

1:23:471:23:49

Tomoka started off with some Chopin,

1:23:541:23:56

which was very beautiful in its own right,

1:23:561:23:59

but I got the impression slightly she was playing for herself.

1:23:591:24:03

But then she finished with a piece

1:24:041:24:06

by a composer I'd never encountered before.

1:24:061:24:10

She really made the piece build from beginning to end.

1:24:101:24:14

This was probably the most convincing performance

1:24:141:24:17

of a contemporary piece in the concert tonight.

1:24:171:24:20

Jackie has very special qualities.

1:24:231:24:26

He's a very natural player and he let the music speak.

1:24:261:24:30

He communicated to the audience in a very sincere way

1:24:331:24:38

and there were moments that were really touching.

1:24:381:24:41

Julian's programme

1:24:441:24:46

was one of the best-constructed programmes in the evening

1:24:461:24:49

and his Schumann was particularly beautiful, I think -

1:24:491:24:52

he really held me there.

1:24:521:24:54

He finished off with another of these pieces I've never encountered,

1:24:561:24:59

and it looked horrendously difficult

1:24:591:25:01

from following the music in the score.

1:25:011:25:02

It made my right hand ache just to look at the music,

1:25:041:25:07

never mind trying to play it,

1:25:071:25:09

but he seemed to be coping all right

1:25:091:25:11

and giving it a sense of fun.

1:25:111:25:13

Harvey - incredible young musician.

1:25:171:25:19

All the way through he projected this real calm,

1:25:191:25:23

that kind of ability to be happy with yourself.

1:25:231:25:26

Maybe the programme was something

1:25:291:25:31

that one would expect from a competition,

1:25:311:25:33

and I would have liked to see him choose something more unusual,

1:25:331:25:37

potentially, but he delivered it all to such a high level.

1:25:371:25:40

It was an unforgettable evening. The standard was exceptionally high.

1:25:441:25:47

It was great to experience,

1:25:471:25:49

we were really privileged to just sit there and listen.

1:25:491:25:53

APPLAUSE

1:25:531:25:55

So here is chair of the jury, Dobrinka Tabakova,

1:25:551:25:57

to announce the winner of this BBC Young Musician Keyboard Final.

1:25:571:26:01

My colleague adjudicators and I would like to thank

1:26:011:26:04

tonight's contestants for a spectacular evening.

1:26:041:26:07

The level was exceptionally high.

1:26:071:26:09

It was really rather difficult, but it gives me great pleasure

1:26:091:26:13

to announce the winner of the BBC Young Musician 2016 Keyboard Final

1:26:131:26:18

is Jackie Campbell.

1:26:181:26:20

APPLAUSE

1:26:201:26:23

Jackie stood out immediately.

1:26:381:26:40

There was just something really unique about him.

1:26:401:26:43

He interpreted the works his own way,

1:26:431:26:45

it's his style and he had something to say to us as well.

1:26:451:26:49

I found his performance really moving.

1:26:491:26:51

Jackie, congratulations. That's fantastic.

1:26:511:26:54

You played so wonderfully. How are you feeling?

1:26:541:26:56

I don't know, to be honest!

1:26:561:26:58

I just...I just played and I didn't expect anything.

1:26:581:27:02

We all did our best,

1:27:021:27:03

and I think... I...

1:27:031:27:06

I think we're all really special.

1:27:061:27:08

Well, I can't speak for myself, I take that back, actually!

1:27:081:27:12

You must be so pleased. I'm so thrilled for you, well done.

1:27:121:27:15

Thank you.

1:27:151:27:17

APPLAUSE

1:27:171:27:19

Huge congratulations to Jackie Campbell.

1:27:191:27:22

We'll be seeing him again in four weeks' time,

1:27:221:27:24

when he performs in the semifinal

1:27:241:27:26

with the other four category winners.

1:27:261:27:28

They'll all be after those three coveted places

1:27:281:27:30

in the Grand Final of BBC Young Musician 2016.

1:27:301:27:34

Tonight really has been a fantastic night of music-making, hasn't it?

1:27:341:27:37

And a wonderful way to kick off this year's competition.

1:27:371:27:40

A reminder that if you'd like to hear and see

1:27:401:27:42

the performances in full, you can do so on our website -

1:27:421:27:45

bbc.co.uk/youngmusician.

1:27:451:27:48

We'll be back again next Friday for the woodwind category final,

1:27:481:27:51

so hope you can join us, then.

1:27:511:27:53

Meanwhile, from all of us here in Cardiff, goodnight.

1:27:531:27:56

We'll definitely see fireworks.

1:27:591:28:01

I still can't believe that I got this far.

1:28:011:28:05

I just love playing the saxophone,

1:28:051:28:06

and to be able to play in the competition is brilliant.

1:28:061:28:10

Being on stage, it's just the rush.

1:28:101:28:13

What a privilege to hear such accomplished performers.

1:28:131:28:16

The whole audience was with her.

1:28:161:28:18

Sensational.

1:28:181:28:20

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