0:00:03 > 0:00:07Last week, Jess Gillam delivered a charismatic and virtuosic
0:00:07 > 0:00:11performance on saxophone to triumph in the woodwind final.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14And the winner is Jess Gillam.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15SHE GASPS
0:00:15 > 0:00:17APPLAUSE
0:00:17 > 0:00:20You'll be able to see Jess again in two weeks' time,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23together with keyboard winner Jackie Campbell, and three more
0:00:23 > 0:00:27category winners when they compete head-to-head in the semifinal.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Tonight, it's the turn of the multi-instrumentalists,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37as percussion takes centre stage.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40It'll be energetic, theatrical, and probably very loud.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Welcome to the 2016 BBC Young Musician percussion final.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12After last week's all-girl woodwind final, now it's all about the boys.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15This percussion category is always such a thrill to watch,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18with the performance leaping around from marimba to drums,
0:01:18 > 0:01:19gongs to timpani,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22with some spectacular choreography along the way.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25And with such a wide range of tuned and untuned instruments
0:01:25 > 0:01:27at their disposal,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29we can expect the unexpected.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Two years ago, 15-year-old Elliott Gaston-Ross
0:01:35 > 0:01:37made it to the grand final in Edinburgh,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40and gave us wheelbarrows and dustbins.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44What he delivered on them was truly thrilling.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48In fact, ever since percussion was introduced as a category
0:01:48 > 0:01:51in this competition back in 1994,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54the standard of musicianship has been top-notch.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57The category's first-ever winner, Colin Currie,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59is now a world-renowned percussionist.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06And then, in 1998, Adrian Spillett became the first percussionist
0:02:06 > 0:02:08to win the overall title.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12To date, he is the only percussionist to have done so.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22So, will 2016 be the year that we see another percussionist crowned
0:02:22 > 0:02:25BBC Young Musician?
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Ali, you actually competed against Adrian in that final.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29Any hard feelings?
0:02:29 > 0:02:30No, not at all, Clemmie.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Not only did we become really good friends from competing together,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37we also decided to form a trumpet and percussion duo.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40And I just noticed earlier today that one of the competitors tonight
0:02:40 > 0:02:42is actually performing one of the pieces that we commissioned,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Jan Bradley's Chieba, which is going to be...
0:02:45 > 0:02:46I can't wait to hear it, I have to say.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Hopefully, the five percussionists who are competing tonight
0:02:49 > 0:02:52will end up great mates but, meanwhile, they're all hoping to
0:02:52 > 0:02:53emulate Adrian's success.
0:02:53 > 0:02:54Here's the line-up.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59First, it's 18-year-old Tom Pritchard, from Yorkshire.
0:03:00 > 0:03:01I was honoured to get this far.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05It's a really great platform to perform some great pieces.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11It is a wicked opportunity.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Joe Parks, who's 16 and from Bromley.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20I've been watching BBC Young Musician since I was ten,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24and I always wanted to get to this stage on TV.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32To be here is just amazing.
0:03:35 > 0:03:3717-year-old Hristiyan Hristov,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41who's originally from Bulgaria, but studies in the UK.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44I didn't expect to reach this stage at all.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47And it was a great surprise for me,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50actually, when they told me I was like, "Wow!"
0:03:54 > 0:03:56I'm really looking forward to it.
0:03:58 > 0:04:0115-year-old Matthew Brett, who's from Crewe.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Performing in the category feels absolutely amazing.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07I'm going to try my hardest, like I do with every performance.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13No matter what happens, I'm proud that I've got this far.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20And Andrew Woolcock, who's 16 and comes from Preston.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22It's going to be a really great experience to have,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25to perform on television and in a competition setting.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28It'll just be different, because it's not something that you really
0:04:28 > 0:04:30kind of wake up and do every day.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37I'm a little bit nervous, but I'm just going to kind of get on with it
0:04:37 > 0:04:38and hope for the best, really.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40That's all I can do.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43So, there they are.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45A cracking line-up for our percussion final.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47As well as trying to win their category,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51a place in the BBC's Young Musician semifinal is also at stake.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54All they have to do is convince tonight's expert panel.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58The jury are...
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Simone Rebello, acclaimed soloist
0:05:00 > 0:05:04and director of percussion at the Royal Northern College Of Music.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Obviously, you have to play all the notes in the right order
0:05:07 > 0:05:11with the right dynamics, but then you have to lift it off the page,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13and make it live.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16That is what makes somebody stand out.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18When I see it, I'll know.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Joby Burgess, one of Britain's most in-demand percussionists.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27First of all, I'll just be hoping to have a really good evening out.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30I kind of expect to be entertained for the evening.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34As percussionists, I think one lives or dies by their sound.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Try and make a piece of wood sing, it's quite difficult.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39So, people who can bring the instruments to life,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41that's really important for me.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46And chair of the jury, composer Dobrinka Tabakova.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49All of us know when we see something really special,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51even if it's through a television screen, it's a connection
0:05:51 > 0:05:54that the musician manages to make with the audience,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56just to speak to them directly.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01That ability to read the composer's intentions,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04to inhabit the music and to make it their own
0:06:04 > 0:06:05is what I'll be looking for.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10And that's tonight's percussion jury.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16So, the stage is almost set and, to be honest,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18with this category, that's actually no mean feat.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Ali, it does look like a bit of a logistical challenge, doesn't it,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23to precisely arrange their instruments
0:06:23 > 0:06:24just before a performance?
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Yes, this is exactly the reason why I'm glad I play the trumpet.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30But the thing that always impresses me the most about these musicians
0:06:30 > 0:06:33is their agility and the way they move from one instrument to another
0:06:33 > 0:06:37in a split second, and always seem to keep the musical focus.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39It's absolutely astonishing to watch them and, for me,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42one of the real pleasures of this category is also the opportunity
0:06:42 > 0:06:45to hear a whole range of new and unfamiliar music,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47much of it written in the last 50 years or so.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Yeah, I'm really looking forward
0:06:49 > 0:06:51to discovering some of the new compositions.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53I'm sure we have a few surprises in store, as well.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58It is time for the first of our percussion finalists.
0:06:58 > 0:07:0018-year-old Tom Pritchard, from Leeds.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11It's Friday night,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14and Tom is getting ready for orchestra rehearsals.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18I've been in the City Of Leeds Youth Orchestra for five years now.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21So, I always have to turn up extra, extra early for rehearsals
0:07:21 > 0:07:22to make sure that we can get all the gear out,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24make sure we wheel everything out
0:07:24 > 0:07:26before the rest of the orchestra come piling in.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35The City Of Leeds Youth Orchestra was the first place that
0:07:35 > 0:07:39I found orchestral music, and ever since, it's helped me grow
0:07:39 > 0:07:41as an ensemble player, listening to other musicians.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48It was really interesting, even at sort of 12, you could see
0:07:48 > 0:07:52the detail with which he was watching what was going on.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56I think it was clear, right from the start, that he has a remarkably
0:07:56 > 0:08:01mature sense of orchestral craft, as well as a great technique.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05It was from this point that I thought I could progress further,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08so I applied for the National Youth Orchestra Of Great Britain,
0:08:08 > 0:08:09in which I gained a place four years ago.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13And, ever since, the two have helped each other massively.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Bringing together the UK's top young musicians,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19the National Youth Orchestra Of Great Britain plays high-profile
0:08:19 > 0:08:23concerts, including regular performances at the BBC Proms.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Tom is principal percussionist.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Being on a stage that so many amazing orchestras have played on
0:08:30 > 0:08:33is something like you'll never experience, really.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42As a percussionist, Tom's had numerous opportunities,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45including performing alongside the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
0:08:45 > 0:08:47in the BBC's 10 Pieces II,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51an initiative to get young people engaged with classical music.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Do you just want to go from B? From that section.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Tom is passionate about percussion, and is already passing on
0:09:02 > 0:09:06his knowledge to other future percussionists.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Do you want to stop there? Don't rush that last bit, as well.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11OK, go back to the top now.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19It's great just to be teaching these techniques, just because it makes me
0:09:19 > 0:09:22look at my own playing and think, am I actually doing this, as well?
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Am I applying this musicality and phrasing to my work?
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It's turned into my life, really.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I really enjoy every minute of it
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and, hopefully, will carry it forward to a future career.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39I just want to be able to be called up for any job.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Anything, if it's just maracas in the next Star Wars movie
0:09:43 > 0:09:45or whatever, I don't care.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50Just as long as I'm playing and getting to meet new people.
0:09:50 > 0:09:51Anything.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Tom, tell us the differences of being a solo percussionist,
0:09:59 > 0:10:00compared to being in the orchestra,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03or playing in a band with your friends?
0:10:03 > 0:10:06In an orchestra, you're obviously playing with everyone else,
0:10:06 > 0:10:07so it's about fitting in with them.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Whereas solo playing, there's a lot more composers out there
0:10:10 > 0:10:12that are writing for percussion.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Do you feel that you use different parts of your musical personality?
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Definitely. In a solo performance,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19you can create that atmosphere for yourself,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22whether that be aggressive and fiery,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24or whether that be a calm and gentle feel.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28APPLAUSE And here is Tom.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30He'll begin his bid for the percussion title
0:10:30 > 0:10:32with a multi-instrumental piece
0:10:32 > 0:10:34by the New Zealand composer, John Psathas.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39In my piece, One Study One Summary, he's written for marimba,
0:10:39 > 0:10:41backing tape and junk percussion.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43And the junk percussion consists of cymbals,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46bits and bobs you can find around the house,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48like pots and pans, mixing bowls.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50And it's a really flashy piece.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41From marimba and junk percussion now
0:13:41 > 0:13:44to the mellow sound of the vibraphone.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48With an arrangement of a classic Hollywood song, Over The Rainbow.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Originally sung by Judy Garland in The Wizard Of Oz,
0:13:51 > 0:13:56but it's a really beautiful arrangement for the vibraphone.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58It really shows you all the colours that you can create
0:13:58 > 0:14:00with just this one simple instrument.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08APPLAUSE
0:17:09 > 0:17:13To end, it's the piece written for BBC Young Musician alumni,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Adrian Spillett and Alison Balsam.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17Chieba, by Jan Bradley,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20who is in the audience tonight.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23It's a really wacky piece, lots of really cool ideas.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31For example, at the end of the piece, there's a cymbal throw,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34where the percussionist has to spin the cymbal for the trumpet player.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37And this can go quite badly sometimes.
0:20:44 > 0:20:45APPLAUSE
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Tom Pritchard and Aaron Akugbo on trumpet, performing Chieba.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Composer Jan Bradley in the audience,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59clearly enjoying their interpretation of his piece.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Tom's performance was very exciting.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08What a great way to start the competition.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10I really liked his John Psathas piece.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12It's a very interesting piece of music.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15And he got around the set-up really, really well.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19He had a really clean technique and his runs in Over the Rainbow,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22the quiet ones were just absolutely beautiful.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25I just maybe wish that he'd taken a little bit more time
0:21:25 > 0:21:27just to let the piece breathe a little more.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I said to myself, whatever the result at the end of the day,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32as long as I'm doing myself proud, that's what matters.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34And I'm happy with how it went.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Tom Pritchard, a lovely performer.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42We know he's incredibly experienced at playing in orchestras.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44- Do you think he held his own as a soloist tonight?- I think he did.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46I think one of the reasons for that
0:21:46 > 0:21:48was he had the tape in the first piece
0:21:48 > 0:21:50and then he had his friend playing trumpet.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53And him and Aaron, they obviously made a great duo partnership.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55I thought it was a very clever programme.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57And it's always a challenge in percussion music
0:21:57 > 0:22:00to find a variety of repertoire that really shows off everything.
0:22:00 > 0:22:01I think he did that brilliantly.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04You have a particular insight into Chieba, the final piece.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07It was written for you and Adrian Spillett. Did they do it justice?
0:22:07 > 0:22:09They definitely did it justice.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11It was very interesting to watch, actually,
0:22:11 > 0:22:13and just sit and be objective about the piece for the first time.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16I think Jan Bradley will be very, very proud.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Well, next to perform in this percussion final, from London,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21it's 16-year-old Joe Parks.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Joe has been playing percussion since he was six.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31During the week, he studies full-time at the Purcell School,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35one of the UK's leading specialist music schools.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38But every weekend, he returns to the family home in Bromley,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41where he remains a strong presence, whether he's there or not.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43I have taken over the dining room a bit.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46I mean, basically, we don't eat now. Um...!
0:22:49 > 0:22:52I think we have three sets of bongos now and two cajons.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- At the last count.- They've slowly taken over the whole house.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03And acquiring a collection of instruments this big
0:23:03 > 0:23:04isn't without its problems.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07The dining room gets used maybe on Christmas Day
0:23:07 > 0:23:09for its proper purpose.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12- That's why we're squashed around that table in the kitchen.- Yeah...
0:23:16 > 0:23:19I love percussion's intuitive nature.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23With a lot of instruments, it's very, very nice to listen to,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25but when you're looking at someone play it,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27it can sort of seem a bit foreign.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Whereas with percussion,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31it's so hands-on that you just want to get involved.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34And that's exactly why I got into percussion in the first place,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36because I was just pulled in.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Right.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49OK, is everyone looking at the top of page 18?
0:23:49 > 0:23:51'On Sunday mornings, I teach Hebrew.'
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Partly to get away from music because otherwise,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55it's music Monday to Saturday and nothing else,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58but also because I've been going to the synagogue
0:23:58 > 0:24:00longer than I've been playing music,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02so I feel like I want to give something back
0:24:02 > 0:24:06and I enjoy teaching, so I feel it's a natural thing to do.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10This letter here is a final kaf,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12which makes the sound, "chaf".
0:24:12 > 0:24:17I think teaching might be something I'm naturally more attracted to
0:24:17 > 0:24:18because my mum's a teacher.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Um...and I quite like telling people what to do, really! Huh!
0:24:22 > 0:24:24What's the letter before it?
0:24:24 > 0:24:26- Patakh.- Patakh.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Teacher then becomes student when, once a week,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Joe returns to the Royal College of Music Junior Department, where his
0:24:35 > 0:24:39passion for composing has a strong influence on his percussion playing.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I think one of the things that comes through his music-making
0:24:47 > 0:24:49is this kind of compositional ability.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53He's thinking very carefully about structures and sounds
0:24:53 > 0:24:55and timbre and all those kind of things.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02There's a tremendous kind of Macbeth,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04witches-over-cauldron moment that happens.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08Whenever you play piano, you kind of loom over the instrument.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12- Can you stay relaxed and stay up? - OK.- Yeah?
0:25:16 > 0:25:19In a completely dream world, I would absolutely love to be a composer,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23but I think that it's really important to be a fantastic musician
0:25:23 > 0:25:25in order to be a good composer,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29and I will certainly keep playing percussion both in orchestras
0:25:29 > 0:25:31and solo right the way through my life, I hope.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Joe, how do you feel now the day of the category finals is here at last?
0:25:40 > 0:25:43I feel quite nervous. It's a big thing.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45But I definitely, actually,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48enjoyed performing in the last round more than I thought I would
0:25:48 > 0:25:51and I hope that that's going to be the same today.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54And can you tell us what the joys are of being a percussionist?
0:25:54 > 0:25:56It's very therapeutic.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59If you've got a lot of stress or anxiety, just to be able to
0:25:59 > 0:26:02whack the hell out of a drum is actually quite therapeutic.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06APPLAUSE
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Well, Joe begins with a real show piece,
0:26:10 > 0:26:11hopefully a therapeutic one.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13It's two movements from Marimba
0:26:13 > 0:26:17by the Japanese composer, Toshimitsu Tanaka.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19The Tanaka was written in the '60s
0:26:19 > 0:26:22for the newly-developing classical marimba scene.
0:26:22 > 0:26:28It uses a lot of very Japanese, spiky harmonies and rhythms.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32And the two movements overall share the same sort of core textures.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39APPLAUSE
0:28:39 > 0:28:43Now, Joe moves on to the dark and mysterious second movement.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03APPLAUSE
0:31:04 > 0:31:08Next, a multi-instrumental piece composed in 2002.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12It's Canned Heat, by the German composer, Eckhard Kopetzki.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16It's scored for a can and a resonant metal sound.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19However, um...for a slight twist,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21I'm using an utensil holder from Homebase
0:31:21 > 0:31:23and a paint kettle from Wickes.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25APPLAUSE
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Canned Heat by Eckhard Kopetzki, bringing Joe's bid
0:35:30 > 0:35:34for the BBC Young Musician percussion title to a close.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Joe picked some really interesting pieces
0:35:42 > 0:35:44because he picked a piece of music
0:35:44 > 0:35:47that's very much from the older style repertoire in the marimba.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51We thought he showed some really intelligent playing in that particular piece.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53It was nice to see some really nice musical touches
0:35:53 > 0:35:55and flourishes coming through.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57I really enjoyed Joe's performance. One of the highlights
0:35:57 > 0:36:00was when I saw him really start to listen to the instruments
0:36:00 > 0:36:04and listen to the room and acoustics he was playing during Canned Heat.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05- It was fantastic! - I really enjoyed it.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07Some things could have gone better,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10some things I think went well. We'll have to see, won't we?
0:36:14 > 0:36:17Joe Parks there, performing two complex and sophisticated pieces.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21He's a very intelligent young man. You can hear that in his playing.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23And as a composer, I really did feel
0:36:23 > 0:36:26that he'd got inside those compositions. What did you think?
0:36:26 > 0:36:29It was a fantastically intellectual performance in some ways.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31You definitely get that intelligence coming through.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Wonderful technical virtuosity.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36I love that he showed us really what the marimba is capable of doing.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38For me, he's such a soulful guy,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41he's a very empathetic person, he really cares about people.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44And I wonder if we got quite enough of his soul coming through.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46But it's up to the judges to decide.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48- It was a terrific performance. - It was.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50So, Joe Parks and Tom Pritchard
0:36:50 > 0:36:52have made their mark in this percussion final.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56Still to come, Matthew Brett and Andrew Woolcock.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59But next, it's 17-year-old Hristiyan Hristou.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10Hristiyan studies at the Whitgift School
0:37:10 > 0:37:13after winning a place through their international music competition.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19I come from Pleven, Bulgaria.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21When Whitgift School came to Bulgaria,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23they were looking for string players.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29The competition, established in 2013, gives string players
0:37:29 > 0:37:32from Eastern Europe the chance to study in the UK.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35His teacher said, "Oh, can't you please listen to him?"
0:37:35 > 0:37:40And we said, "No. We only really want to listen to string players for our competition."
0:37:40 > 0:37:43And I said, "He's probably practised a lot, so let's hear him".
0:37:44 > 0:37:49Out from behind the curtains came Hristiyan Hristou.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57And it was an absolutely stunning moment.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01And we said, "We must offer him a scholarship to study at Whitgift".
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Since arriving, Hristiyan's passion for music
0:38:05 > 0:38:08has continued to be obvious for all to see.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13Music is my first priority. It's always been and it will be.
0:38:13 > 0:38:18And I find it really nice to go and play in front of people,
0:38:18 > 0:38:20to entertain people, as well.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27You want to make the best of yourself, as well,
0:38:27 > 0:38:28to express your feelings.
0:38:33 > 0:38:38He likes to understand the style of the music,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41really, before anything else.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44It's fortissimo, after all.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45He's a great communicator.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49He really knows how to bring that forward
0:38:49 > 0:38:54so that the audience are fully engaged with the sense of the music.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58He's obviously got this real brilliance in his performance,
0:38:58 > 0:39:02but what I think will take him far is his personality.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03He relates so well to people.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08Anyone would want to work with him, anyone would like to teach him.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13He's got, I think, limitless potential.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15He's such an impressive young man.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19I didn't expect even to pass the category auditions.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23I mean, I tried my best and after they told me I passed,
0:39:23 > 0:39:24I was so excited about it
0:39:24 > 0:39:27and I'm still really, really excited about it.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32APPLAUSE
0:39:36 > 0:39:40Hristiyan, your family are here from Bulgaria to support you tonight.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42How proud of you are they?
0:39:42 > 0:39:45Er...they're very proud and they're very excited
0:39:45 > 0:39:48and they're looking really forward to it
0:39:48 > 0:39:50because it's a great experience for them.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54They haven't been here before, in Cardiff.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57And they're really enjoying their time here.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59Your teacher talks about you being
0:39:59 > 0:40:01a natural, great communicator with your music.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03How important is that for you?
0:40:03 > 0:40:08It is very, very important because you can express your feelings.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12I feel good when I'm representing the piece of music that I play
0:40:12 > 0:40:15to the people who are listening.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18APPLAUSE
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Hristiyan brings the sounds of Eastern Europe to Cardiff
0:40:22 > 0:40:24with his first piece.
0:40:24 > 0:40:30It's called Iljas and it's by Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34It's a virtuosic piece, which allows you
0:40:34 > 0:40:38to show the beauty and the depth of the sound of the marimba
0:40:38 > 0:40:40and I really enjoy it
0:40:40 > 0:40:42because it reminds me of home.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35A Japanese multi-percussion piece is next from Hristiyan,
0:43:35 > 0:43:38Side By Side by Michio Kitazume.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42It uses a lot of different rhythmic techniques
0:43:42 > 0:43:45and it allows you to, I don't know,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48to free yourself on the stage and it starts simple,
0:43:48 > 0:43:52but as it goes on, it gets a bit more complicated.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02APPLAUSE
0:46:02 > 0:46:05For his final piece, Hristiyan is joined on stage
0:46:05 > 0:46:07by Luke Baxter and Max Ireland
0:46:07 > 0:46:10to perform Libertango by Eric Sammut.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13They will be playing other percussion instruments
0:46:13 > 0:46:17and the relationship, the atmosphere on the stage,
0:46:17 > 0:46:22it's much better when there are people next to you, smiling
0:46:22 > 0:46:26and, you know, making that contact between each other
0:46:26 > 0:46:29and I really enjoy playing it.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38APPLAUSE
0:49:40 > 0:49:43Hristiyan bringing a bit of a party atmosphere
0:49:43 > 0:49:45to proceedings there, with Libertango.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47Lovely to see his parents here, too,
0:49:47 > 0:49:51having made the journey from Bulgaria to watch him compete.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58I felt quite nervous at the start, but as I played through,
0:49:58 > 0:50:01I felt just like at home, you know.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04The Zivkovic, to begin with, it's a wonderful piece.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07He showed that he understands irregular time signatures
0:50:07 > 0:50:09and just really played with that.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12I possibly wish that he could have had a slightly cleaner performance,
0:50:12 > 0:50:15but it was still a really great piece.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Particularly nice to see the interaction
0:50:17 > 0:50:20between him and his friends, they were just having a great time
0:50:20 > 0:50:22and just enjoying the moment
0:50:22 > 0:50:25and that's what music is all about, isn't it?
0:50:25 > 0:50:30It was a really great experience, to play in a hall like this,
0:50:30 > 0:50:32with an atmosphere like this,
0:50:32 > 0:50:34and that my parents are here, as well.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36I got really happy.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42Hristiyan really transporting us from Eastern Europe to Latin America
0:50:42 > 0:50:43and everything in between.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46I have to say, I absolutely loved that programme.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48He is a fantastically generous musician, you could see that
0:50:48 > 0:50:51in the last piece, the Libertango, with his two friends there,
0:50:51 > 0:50:53but actually, just between him and the audience.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56For me, he really has something special. What did you make of it?
0:50:56 > 0:50:59Yeah, I totally agree, Clemmie. I thought he was incredibly soulful
0:50:59 > 0:51:02and the thing that comes up time and again in BBC Young Musician
0:51:02 > 0:51:05is that it so hard to compare this instrument with that instrument,
0:51:05 > 0:51:06but throughout his programme,
0:51:06 > 0:51:09I felt I could hear who he was as a musician and it didn't matter
0:51:09 > 0:51:13what instrument he was playing and I think that will serve him very well.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17Well, we'll see. Before we hear our last two performers,
0:51:17 > 0:51:18a quick word now about the grand final.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22This year, it is taking place at the Barbican in London on May 15th.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26Before that, the three finalists will have the chance
0:51:26 > 0:51:28to meet Nicola Benedetti,
0:51:28 > 0:51:30former BBC Young Musician Winner
0:51:30 > 0:51:32and the competition's ambassador.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36In the final, they will perform a full concerto
0:51:36 > 0:51:38with the BBC Symphony Orchestra,
0:51:38 > 0:51:41conducted by the acclaimed British maestro Mark Wigglesworth.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45And you will be able to see and hear every note here on BBC Four.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48It's always a very special event, so don't miss it.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Back to tonight's percussion final now
0:51:50 > 0:51:52and our youngest performer tonight,
0:51:52 > 0:51:5515-year-old Matthew Brett from Cheshire.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Matthew goes to Sandbach School in the Midlands,
0:52:05 > 0:52:09where he's part of the Love Music Trust Percussion Ensemble.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12Since I started with the percussion ensemble,
0:52:12 > 0:52:16I got to see that percussion wasn't just standing at the back of a band
0:52:16 > 0:52:19or orchestra and just playing along to keep everyone else in time,
0:52:19 > 0:52:22it was something that you can make tunes on,
0:52:22 > 0:52:25you can be a soloist, you can be an accompanist
0:52:25 > 0:52:28and there is a lot of repertoire out there that I wasn't aware of.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31I think the fact that the school here
0:52:31 > 0:52:33comes under the banner of the Love Music Trust,
0:52:33 > 0:52:35which is the local music hub,
0:52:35 > 0:52:38has made a massive difference to somebody like Matthew.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40The fact that we've got a five-octave marimba,
0:52:40 > 0:52:41a four-and-a-third marimba,
0:52:41 > 0:52:44having the instruments in school makes a massive difference.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47MATTHEW PLAYS A SOLO
0:52:49 > 0:52:51They run the local percussion ensemble that I play with.
0:52:53 > 0:52:58They offer a great wide range of support and a lot of funding
0:52:58 > 0:53:01and help for students like me who love music
0:53:01 > 0:53:04and want to progress that further into a career.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06PARP! PARP!
0:53:08 > 0:53:10Every week, Matthew goes to Manchester
0:53:10 > 0:53:12to play with the Halle Youth Orchestra,
0:53:12 > 0:53:17who regularly perform concerts alongside the main Halle Orchestra.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20I find being associated with Halle, I'm quite proud of it.
0:53:20 > 0:53:24I get to tell other people I'm linked to a great orchestra.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29And being part of that chain, I get to work with the professionals
0:53:29 > 0:53:32from the real orchestra quite regularly.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36I think, this year, he's developed enormously from where he was.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39He is much more confident, he's relaxed when he's performing.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42He's in control of what he does
0:53:42 > 0:53:44and I think he's shown that he enjoys what he does.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48He will play literally anywhere now, cos when he first started,
0:53:48 > 0:53:51it would have been a challenge
0:53:51 > 0:53:55to get him to play in a cold situation in front of strangers.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06As well as playing in the youth orchestra,
0:54:06 > 0:54:09Matthew is passionate about playing as a soloist.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12I really enjoy playing solo percussion
0:54:12 > 0:54:14because I get to show people what I can do.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18It's definitely made me more outgoing because I've been exposed
0:54:18 > 0:54:22to so many different scenarios where I have had to adjust my playing.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25It's helped me to realise that, as a soloist,
0:54:25 > 0:54:29I have to not just play the music, but perform the music.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Matthew, how does it feel to be performing
0:54:39 > 0:54:41in the category finals tonight?
0:54:41 > 0:54:43Absolutely amazing, it's a great opportunity
0:54:43 > 0:54:44just to be able to get this far
0:54:44 > 0:54:47and say that I've come into the top five of my instrument
0:54:47 > 0:54:49and it's a great musical experience
0:54:49 > 0:54:52for me to be able to perform in a great venue
0:54:52 > 0:54:55and to get to know how it is to perform on an amazing stage.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57Have you followed BBC Young Musician in the past?
0:54:57 > 0:54:59I try and follow every competition.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02That has inspired me and taken me to where I am now,
0:55:02 > 0:55:04being able to watch people at a certain level,
0:55:04 > 0:55:06aspire to be how great they are.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09To get further in the competition would be absolutely amazing.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12My family would definitely be ecstatic for me,
0:55:12 > 0:55:16but just to be able to say I've got this far, I think, is amazing.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19APPLAUSE
0:55:21 > 0:55:23And Matthew begins his programme
0:55:23 > 0:55:26with a piece we heard Tom Pritchard play earlier in this category final.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29It's One Study One Summary by John Psathas.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35It's quite a challenge in its own right,
0:55:35 > 0:55:38getting all the instruments together and finding a way
0:55:38 > 0:55:41to make it work, having the instruments laid out
0:55:41 > 0:55:44so you can play them as well as the marimba.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:57:39 > 0:57:43Next up, it's a world premiere from a composer
0:57:43 > 0:57:46who we've already heard this evening, Jan Bradley.
0:57:46 > 0:57:50He's here in the audience in Cardiff and he has composed Play Some Time
0:57:50 > 0:57:53especially for Matthew to perform in this percussion final.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55It's really entertaining to watch.
0:57:55 > 0:57:59The drums are laid out in the shape of an alarm clock,
0:57:59 > 0:58:03so if you play the drum at the one-o'clock position,
0:58:03 > 0:58:05you play it once,
0:58:05 > 0:58:0712 o'clock, you play it 12 times in the pattern.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10It's got two cowbells at the top and they sound at the end,
0:58:10 > 0:58:12so it's sort of building up and building up and building up
0:58:12 > 0:58:14until we hear that final alarm.
0:58:14 > 0:58:16It's an amazing piece to listen to and to play.
1:01:48 > 1:01:50CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:01:50 > 1:01:54An enthusiastic reaction to that first-ever public performance
1:01:54 > 1:01:55of Play Some Time.
1:01:55 > 1:01:58Fab moment, too, for the composer, Jan Bradley.
1:01:58 > 1:02:01Well, now, it's time for Matthew's final piece,
1:02:01 > 1:02:04Piazonore by Alexej Gerassimez.
1:02:04 > 1:02:07It's really funky and it's got quite a Latin feel to it.
1:02:07 > 1:02:10You know, you can tap your foot along to it.
1:02:10 > 1:02:14It's with piano, so there's a lot of communication
1:02:14 > 1:02:15and there are some bits
1:02:15 > 1:02:18where it's almost like a duet rather than a solo.
1:05:18 > 1:05:23CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
1:05:23 > 1:05:26Matthew Brett, ending his bid for this percussion title
1:05:26 > 1:05:29with Piazonore by Gerassimez.
1:05:32 > 1:05:33The first piece was...
1:05:33 > 1:05:37It's a real challenging piece, it's almost like running a marathon,
1:05:37 > 1:05:39but running it at 100-metre-sprint speed
1:05:39 > 1:05:42and I felt he managed that very efficiently.
1:05:42 > 1:05:44I really enjoyed the new drum piece.
1:05:44 > 1:05:46I wasn't kind of like smitten with the idea,
1:05:46 > 1:05:48but it came through and worked really, really well.
1:05:48 > 1:05:50It went absolutely amazing, the audience...
1:05:50 > 1:05:52it went down really well with them,
1:05:52 > 1:05:55they seemed to love it and I just got a real buzz from performing.
1:05:58 > 1:06:01Matthew Brett, there, playing three very contrasting pieces.
1:06:01 > 1:06:04I have to say, I loved that drumming piece by Jan Bradley.
1:06:04 > 1:06:06It was a world premiere, he really made it his own.
1:06:06 > 1:06:08I thought it was an interesting programme,
1:06:08 > 1:06:10obviously three completely different pieces,
1:06:10 > 1:06:12but that was the one where I thought,
1:06:12 > 1:06:14"Yeah, he has really relaxed into this now."
1:06:14 > 1:06:16Yeah, that really brought out who he was.
1:06:16 > 1:06:18You know, we saw a bit of showmanship,
1:06:18 > 1:06:19he was really enjoying it
1:06:19 > 1:06:22and what a thrill to see and hear a world premiere!
1:06:22 > 1:06:24It's one thing that I really do love about percussion,
1:06:24 > 1:06:28you get to hear music that sounds so incredibly alive
1:06:28 > 1:06:30and is literally being created in front of you.
1:06:30 > 1:06:33I know, lovely to have a living composer in the hall.
1:06:33 > 1:06:35To bring this percussion final to a close,
1:06:35 > 1:06:3916-year-old Andrew Woolcock from Preston.
1:06:47 > 1:06:50Andrew studies at sixth-form college in Preston
1:06:50 > 1:06:53and each weekend he travels to Manchester for percussion lessons
1:06:53 > 1:06:57at the Junior Royal Northern College Of Music with Ian Forgrieve.
1:07:05 > 1:07:07Andrew has tried out a few instruments,
1:07:07 > 1:07:10but is a relative newcomer to percussion.
1:07:10 > 1:07:12I just quite like the sound of it, I guess,
1:07:12 > 1:07:14it just seems like something fun to play.
1:07:15 > 1:07:17It was, "Can I play piano?"
1:07:17 > 1:07:20And then it's, "And now can I have guitar lessons?
1:07:20 > 1:07:23"And now can I have drum lessons?"
1:07:23 > 1:07:25And eventually, "Can I have percussion lessons?"
1:07:25 > 1:07:28So, it was the last instrument that he actually took on.
1:07:29 > 1:07:33- I think he just enjoyed playing all the different things at once.- Yeah.
1:07:38 > 1:07:41I started playing bits of percussion in my high-school wind band
1:07:41 > 1:07:43when I was about 11.
1:07:43 > 1:07:47Andrew, to be honest, wasn't anything special
1:07:47 > 1:07:50and then, gradually, it began to sort of emerge
1:07:50 > 1:07:52that actually, no, he was making quite rapid progress
1:07:52 > 1:07:54and he started to take it very seriously.
1:07:56 > 1:08:01Cate really influenced me and kind of opened the doors in my music.
1:08:02 > 1:08:05I pushed him very hard and he just rose to it.
1:08:05 > 1:08:09He got up to Grade 8 in the space of about a year and a half,
1:08:09 > 1:08:12on both drum kit and also on tuned.
1:08:14 > 1:08:16Because we're not really musicians,
1:08:16 > 1:08:19- we didn't really know he was that good, did we?- No.
1:08:19 > 1:08:21And, really, it has sort of crept up on us,
1:08:21 > 1:08:23this, a little bit, to be honest.
1:08:23 > 1:08:27It just kind of evolved, really, I don't really know how.
1:08:27 > 1:08:30It's been a pretty steep learning curve.
1:08:33 > 1:08:35Once a week, Andrew returns to his old secondary school,
1:08:35 > 1:08:39no longer as a pupil, but now as a percussion teacher and conductor.
1:08:39 > 1:08:40One, two, three...
1:08:40 > 1:08:43ORCHESTRA PLAYS
1:08:44 > 1:08:47One... Bah! Good!
1:08:48 > 1:08:51'I do like conducting, it's something that's kind of
1:08:51 > 1:08:53'different from percussion, that's another angle of music.'
1:08:56 > 1:08:58Andrew is very good as a conductor.
1:08:58 > 1:09:00It was quite evident that he had presence
1:09:00 > 1:09:03in front of a group of kids, they took him seriously.
1:09:09 > 1:09:10Nice one.
1:09:12 > 1:09:14Back at home, it's practice time,
1:09:14 > 1:09:16and when you play loud percussion instruments,
1:09:16 > 1:09:19you have to think carefully about your schedule.
1:09:19 > 1:09:24TAPPING OF DRUM KIT REVERBERATES
1:09:24 > 1:09:27Well, at the moment, I'm doing about three or four hours a day.
1:09:29 > 1:09:31What I'll do is I'll play kind of the snare drum,
1:09:31 > 1:09:33which is the noisiest instrument of the lot,
1:09:33 > 1:09:36pretty early on in the evening, so about five, six o'clock
1:09:36 > 1:09:38and then, as it gets later, I'll play kind of
1:09:38 > 1:09:42the tuned percussion instruments, which is a bit easier on the ear
1:09:42 > 1:09:44and then I can play my electric kit
1:09:44 > 1:09:46because it doesn't really make any noise, at any time.
1:09:46 > 1:09:48I might leave that till quite late at night
1:09:48 > 1:09:51because I can just kind of relax with it at that time.
1:09:51 > 1:09:54ELECTRONIC DRUM RIFF
1:09:54 > 1:09:56I love solo percussion playing.
1:09:56 > 1:09:59I mean, it's the form of playing percussion that I enjoy most doing
1:09:59 > 1:10:01because I feel I can express myself through it.
1:10:01 > 1:10:03I just love it.
1:10:09 > 1:10:11Andrew, how does it feel to be here
1:10:11 > 1:10:14at the category finals of BBC Young musician?
1:10:14 > 1:10:17I still can't quite believe it, to be honest!
1:10:17 > 1:10:20It's just because I watched it two years ago
1:10:20 > 1:10:21and, at that point, I had only
1:10:21 > 1:10:24been playing percussion for about six months or so
1:10:24 > 1:10:28and I thought, "Wow, those players are really, really good,"
1:10:28 > 1:10:31and that kind of inspired me, in a sense.
1:10:31 > 1:10:34That... That's kind of... It's what I've aimed for in a way,
1:10:34 > 1:10:38like seeing people my age being that good just kind of pushed me.
1:10:38 > 1:10:41How would it feel if you actually get through to the next round?
1:10:41 > 1:10:45I don't really know, I'd be pretty overcome with it, I think,
1:10:45 > 1:10:48but I'd just roll with it and keep on going, I reckon.
1:10:50 > 1:10:52APPLAUSE
1:10:52 > 1:10:55My first piece, Asventuras by Alexej Gerassimez, is a snare-drum solo,
1:10:55 > 1:10:58but it also functions as a bit of a multi-percussion solo
1:10:58 > 1:11:01because you are not just playing the head of the snare drum
1:11:01 > 1:11:02with two snare drumsticks,
1:11:02 > 1:11:04you use your hand or a brush or a timpani stick
1:11:04 > 1:11:08to create lots of different sounds out of just a snare drum.
1:14:11 > 1:14:14APPLAUSE
1:14:14 > 1:14:19Andrew bringing out all the colours of the snare drum in that piece.
1:14:19 > 1:14:22Next, he heads over to the marimba for a piece,
1:14:22 > 1:14:26by the Japanese composer Takatsugu Muramatsu, called Land.
1:14:26 > 1:14:27It's just a beautiful piece.
1:14:27 > 1:14:29What you should listen out for
1:14:29 > 1:14:31is the really low notes on the marimba
1:14:31 > 1:14:34because they just sound gorgeous when you hit them right
1:14:34 > 1:14:36and especially the harmonies in that piece, as well,
1:14:36 > 1:14:40lovely tonal clashes, which create gorgeous colours to listen to.
1:18:26 > 1:18:29APPLAUSE
1:18:29 > 1:18:32Like his fellow competitor Matthew Brett,
1:18:32 > 1:18:34Andrew has chosen to finish his programme
1:18:34 > 1:18:36with Piazonore by Alexej Gerassimez.
1:18:38 > 1:18:41I love Piazonore because it's a vibes and piano duo,
1:18:41 > 1:18:43so it's kind of a different aspect to take on it.
1:18:43 > 1:18:46It's quite jazzy, which is something you don't normally see in, like,
1:18:46 > 1:18:48a classical music concert repertoire.
1:20:24 > 1:20:26WHOOPS AND APPLAUSE
1:20:26 > 1:20:30A thrilling conclusion to Andrew's programme,
1:20:30 > 1:20:34as he also rounds off another superb percussion final.
1:20:41 > 1:20:43Fabulous performance by Andrew.
1:20:43 > 1:20:47The snare-drum piece was killer, so many sounds out of one tiny drum.
1:20:47 > 1:20:49It's a beautiful thing to see as a percussionist,
1:20:49 > 1:20:52to kind of really get into that one single instrument.
1:20:52 > 1:20:56For the marimba piece, I loved hearing the quieter sound
1:20:56 > 1:20:59of the instrument and the fact that he was using the room acoustic
1:20:59 > 1:21:02and really listening to what he was doing.
1:21:02 > 1:21:05It just goes straight out of your brain, you can't remember much,
1:21:05 > 1:21:08but I thought it was OK, I am fairly happy with that, yeah!
1:21:13 > 1:21:15Andrew is such a charismatic performer,
1:21:15 > 1:21:19incredible self-control and assurance on stage
1:21:19 > 1:21:21and I loved how he put that programme together,
1:21:21 > 1:21:23very dramatic opening and then we really got to see
1:21:23 > 1:21:26all of his musicality, all of his lyricism
1:21:26 > 1:21:30and then a really thrilling finale. I loved it. What did you make of it?
1:21:30 > 1:21:32What can I say? I felt that he played his personality.
1:21:32 > 1:21:35After talking to him in the interview earlier,
1:21:35 > 1:21:36it was exactly what I saw then.
1:21:36 > 1:21:39He is so open, almost vulnerable,
1:21:39 > 1:21:42and yet, so comfortable and so at home on the stage
1:21:42 > 1:21:46and, you know, it was very simple - snare drum, marimba, vibes -
1:21:46 > 1:21:48but it just kind of said everything, didn't it?
1:21:48 > 1:21:50It worked, I think it did.
1:21:50 > 1:21:53So, we have heard all five of tonight's finalists.
1:21:53 > 1:21:55They have certainly kept us entertained.
1:21:55 > 1:21:57No doubt they have given the jury lots to think about.
1:21:57 > 1:22:00Let's have a quick recap of their performances.
1:22:08 > 1:22:10Tom was first up.
1:22:10 > 1:22:13He came out, he really, really went for it.
1:22:13 > 1:22:16It was nice to see him working with another musician
1:22:16 > 1:22:18in the piece with the trumpet.
1:22:19 > 1:22:22And then, of course, his piece in the middle there -
1:22:22 > 1:22:24a real contrast, so a good choice of piece.
1:22:24 > 1:22:27And interesting to see something a little more jazzy.
1:22:31 > 1:22:35Joe's programme was so intimate, and he just managed to make
1:22:35 > 1:22:39the percussion really individual and personal.
1:22:39 > 1:22:43His pianissimo trills on the marimba were absolutely exquisite.
1:22:43 > 1:22:46I felt the piece was quite a mature piece,
1:22:46 > 1:22:48and I think it was quite a long piece.
1:22:48 > 1:22:51So, it's very difficult to sustain some of the lines.
1:22:54 > 1:22:59He contrasted that with an incredible, choreographed piece
1:22:59 > 1:23:03that showed his real understanding of the spectrum of dynamics.
1:23:08 > 1:23:11Hristiyan played some fantastic marimba this evening.
1:23:11 > 1:23:13Two pieces, quite similar,
1:23:13 > 1:23:17but with the addition of some friends for the final number.
1:23:17 > 1:23:20It was great to see him acting with the guys
1:23:20 > 1:23:21and really having a rapport.
1:23:21 > 1:23:25A real sense of enjoyment and life and some really, sort of,
1:23:25 > 1:23:28Spanish spirit and flair in that performance.
1:23:28 > 1:23:30It was really lovely.
1:23:33 > 1:23:36Matthew gave us another brilliant performance this evening.
1:23:36 > 1:23:39And a brand-new work, which was great to hear on the programme.
1:23:39 > 1:23:42And some really sensitive drum playing.
1:23:43 > 1:23:47The vibraphone and piano piece, and his very delicate playing,
1:23:47 > 1:23:50was really, really sensitive.
1:23:50 > 1:23:51He seemed very nervous,
1:23:51 > 1:23:54but he seemed to really come to life in that final piece.
1:23:54 > 1:23:57So, it's good to see him having a good time.
1:24:01 > 1:24:04I love the way Andrew pulled all the sounds from the drum.
1:24:04 > 1:24:08He was very natural on the performance element of it.
1:24:08 > 1:24:12I felt that he really engaged in what is a piece of music for,
1:24:12 > 1:24:14technically, one drum.
1:24:14 > 1:24:16The contrasting piece then was the marimba piece,
1:24:16 > 1:24:18which was great to hear.
1:24:18 > 1:24:21A really warm tone from the instrument.
1:24:21 > 1:24:23And then for his final piece,
1:24:23 > 1:24:27it was good to see him working with another musician.
1:24:27 > 1:24:29The vibraphone part really locked in together
1:24:29 > 1:24:31with the piano part throughout.
1:24:31 > 1:24:34And nice to see a real sense of occasion.
1:24:37 > 1:24:39Everyone brought their A game,
1:24:39 > 1:24:42and totally believed in their choice of programme,
1:24:42 > 1:24:45totally believed in their performance.
1:24:45 > 1:24:48And I think that came out to all of us in the audience
1:24:48 > 1:24:50throughout the entire evening.
1:24:50 > 1:24:52CROWD APPLAUDS
1:24:57 > 1:25:00Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all so much for waiting.
1:25:00 > 1:25:03It's a very nerve-racking thing, that whole judging process, isn't it?
1:25:03 > 1:25:06Now, please welcome back our chair of the jury, Dobrinka Tabakova,
1:25:06 > 1:25:09as well as Simone Rebello, and, to announce the winner of this
1:25:09 > 1:25:12percussion category final, it's Joby Burgess.
1:25:12 > 1:25:15APPLAUSE
1:25:19 > 1:25:22Thank you to all of this evening's young musicians
1:25:22 > 1:25:24for your wonderful performances.
1:25:24 > 1:25:29It's been an incredibly difficult and very, very close decision.
1:25:29 > 1:25:31But we have come to a unanimous decision.
1:25:31 > 1:25:37The winner of the BBC Young Musician 2016 percussion final is...
1:25:37 > 1:25:39Andrew Woolcock.
1:25:39 > 1:25:41APPLAUSE
1:25:58 > 1:26:01It was a really tight decision this evening.
1:26:01 > 1:26:05But Andrew's musicality was really the thing that shone through.
1:26:05 > 1:26:11And just really pulled us in and really communicated the music to us.
1:26:11 > 1:26:14You know what, I'm so thrilled for you. How do you feel?
1:26:14 > 1:26:17I can't really describe it, to be honest. It's just...
1:26:17 > 1:26:20- It's just incredible! - When you heard your name,
1:26:20 > 1:26:22- what went through your head? - I was just like, are you sure?
1:26:22 > 1:26:24"Is that my name?"
1:26:24 > 1:26:27- So good, so deserved. - Mental. Thank you very much.
1:26:27 > 1:26:30I think you captivated everyone from the first notes on the snare drum.
1:26:30 > 1:26:32I thought it went... It was all right.
1:26:32 > 1:26:36I played my pieces quite well, I thought. But I just enjoyed it.
1:26:36 > 1:26:39- Well done, you're fabulous. - Thank you very much.
1:26:48 > 1:26:51Huge congratulations to Andrew Woolcock.
1:26:51 > 1:26:53He'll be back in three weeks' time to compete
1:26:53 > 1:26:55in the BBC Young Musician semifinal,
1:26:55 > 1:26:57together with the other category winners.
1:26:57 > 1:27:00They'll all be competing for just three places in the grand final.
1:27:00 > 1:27:04It's been another terrific evening, here in Cardiff.
1:27:04 > 1:27:06And a reminder that if you'd like see the performances in full,
1:27:06 > 1:27:08you can do so on our website...
1:27:10 > 1:27:13You'll also find much more about the competition there, too.
1:27:13 > 1:27:16We'll be back next Friday with the brass final.
1:27:16 > 1:27:19- I'm really looking forward to that one.- Can't think why(!)
1:27:19 > 1:27:21- Here's as sneak preview. BOTH:- Goodnight.
1:27:23 > 1:27:26Brass players are a really gregarious lot.
1:27:26 > 1:27:28The cameras are there, the microphones are there,
1:27:28 > 1:27:30we can't really have too many mistakes.
1:27:30 > 1:27:31It's something they're not used to.
1:27:31 > 1:27:34- Do you feel nervous?- Yes.- It takes you and out of your comfort zone,
1:27:34 > 1:27:37there's no escaping it, you're there, you've got to go.
1:27:37 > 1:27:39You can smell it on someone, if they're a great performer or not.
1:27:39 > 1:27:42The way you walk on stage, your demeanour on stage.
1:27:42 > 1:27:45They're young, and they don't know how difficult it is!