Percussion Final BBC Young Musician

Last week, Jess Gillam delivered a charismatic and virtuosic

performance on saxophone to triumph in the woodwind final.

And the winner is Jess Gillam.

SHE GASPS

APPLAUSE

You'll be able to see Jess again in two weeks' time,

together with keyboard winner Jackie Campbell, and three more

category winners when they compete head-to-head in the semifinal.

Tonight, it's the turn of the multi-instrumentalists,

as percussion takes centre stage.

It'll be energetic, theatrical, and probably very loud.

Welcome to the 2016 BBC Young Musician percussion final.

After last week's all-girl woodwind final, now it's all about the boys.

This percussion category is always such a thrill to watch,

with the performance leaping around from marimba to drums,

gongs to timpani,

with some spectacular choreography along the way.

And with such a wide range of tuned and untuned instruments

at their disposal,

we can expect the unexpected.

Two years ago, 15-year-old Elliott Gaston-Ross

made it to the grand final in Edinburgh,

and gave us wheelbarrows and dustbins.

What he delivered on them was truly thrilling.

In fact, ever since percussion was introduced as a category

in this competition back in 1994,

the standard of musicianship has been top-notch.

The category's first-ever winner, Colin Currie,

is now a world-renowned percussionist.

And then, in 1998, Adrian Spillett became the first percussionist

to win the overall title.

To date, he is the only percussionist to have done so.

So, will 2016 be the year that we see another percussionist crowned

BBC Young Musician?

Ali, you actually competed against Adrian in that final.

Any hard feelings?

No, not at all, Clemmie.

Not only did we become really good friends from competing together,

we also decided to form a trumpet and percussion duo.

And I just noticed earlier today that one of the competitors tonight

is actually performing one of the pieces that we commissioned,

Jan Bradley's Chieba, which is going to be...

I can't wait to hear it, I have to say.

Hopefully, the five percussionists who are competing tonight

will end up great mates but, meanwhile, they're all hoping to

emulate Adrian's success.

Here's the line-up.

First, it's 18-year-old Tom Pritchard, from Yorkshire.

I was honoured to get this far.

It's a really great platform to perform some great pieces.

It is a wicked opportunity.

Joe Parks, who's 16 and from Bromley.

I've been watching BBC Young Musician since I was ten,

and I always wanted to get to this stage on TV.

To be here is just amazing.

17-year-old Hristiyan Hristov,

who's originally from Bulgaria, but studies in the UK.

I didn't expect to reach this stage at all.

And it was a great surprise for me,

actually, when they told me I was like, "Wow!"

I'm really looking forward to it.

15-year-old Matthew Brett, who's from Crewe.

Performing in the category feels absolutely amazing.

I'm going to try my hardest, like I do with every performance.

No matter what happens, I'm proud that I've got this far.

And Andrew Woolcock, who's 16 and comes from Preston.

It's going to be a really great experience to have,

to perform on television and in a competition setting.

It'll just be different, because it's not something that you really

kind of wake up and do every day.

I'm a little bit nervous, but I'm just going to kind of get on with it

and hope for the best, really.

That's all I can do.

So, there they are.

A cracking line-up for our percussion final.

As well as trying to win their category,

a place in the BBC's Young Musician semifinal is also at stake.

All they have to do is convince tonight's expert panel.

The jury are...

Simone Rebello, acclaimed soloist

and director of percussion at the Royal Northern College Of Music.

Obviously, you have to play all the notes in the right order

with the right dynamics, but then you have to lift it off the page,

and make it live.

That is what makes somebody stand out.

When I see it, I'll know.

Joby Burgess, one of Britain's most in-demand percussionists.

First of all, I'll just be hoping to have a really good evening out.

I kind of expect to be entertained for the evening.

As percussionists, I think one lives or dies by their sound.

Try and make a piece of wood sing, it's quite difficult.

So, people who can bring the instruments to life,

that's really important for me.

And chair of the jury, composer Dobrinka Tabakova.

All of us know when we see something really special,

even if it's through a television screen, it's a connection

that the musician manages to make with the audience,

just to speak to them directly.

That ability to read the composer's intentions,

to inhabit the music and to make it their own

is what I'll be looking for.

And that's tonight's percussion jury.

So, the stage is almost set and, to be honest,

with this category, that's actually no mean feat.

Ali, it does look like a bit of a logistical challenge, doesn't it,

to precisely arrange their instruments

just before a performance?

Yes, this is exactly the reason why I'm glad I play the trumpet.

But the thing that always impresses me the most about these musicians

is their agility and the way they move from one instrument to another

in a split second, and always seem to keep the musical focus.

It's absolutely astonishing to watch them and, for me,

one of the real pleasures of this category is also the opportunity

to hear a whole range of new and unfamiliar music,

much of it written in the last 50 years or so.

Yeah, I'm really looking forward

to discovering some of the new compositions.

I'm sure we have a few surprises in store, as well.

It is time for the first of our percussion finalists.

18-year-old Tom Pritchard, from Leeds.

It's Friday night,

and Tom is getting ready for orchestra rehearsals.

I've been in the City Of Leeds Youth Orchestra for five years now.

So, I always have to turn up extra, extra early for rehearsals

to make sure that we can get all the gear out,

make sure we wheel everything out

before the rest of the orchestra come piling in.

The City Of Leeds Youth Orchestra was the first place that

I found orchestral music, and ever since, it's helped me grow

as an ensemble player, listening to other musicians.

It was really interesting, even at sort of 12, you could see

the detail with which he was watching what was going on.

I think it was clear, right from the start, that he has a remarkably

mature sense of orchestral craft, as well as a great technique.

It was from this point that I thought I could progress further,

so I applied for the National Youth Orchestra Of Great Britain,

in which I gained a place four years ago.

And, ever since, the two have helped each other massively.

Bringing together the UK's top young musicians,

the National Youth Orchestra Of Great Britain plays high-profile

concerts, including regular performances at the BBC Proms.

Tom is principal percussionist.

Being on a stage that so many amazing orchestras have played on

is something like you'll never experience, really.

As a percussionist, Tom's had numerous opportunities,

including performing alongside the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

in the BBC's 10 Pieces II,

an initiative to get young people engaged with classical music.

Do you just want to go from B? From that section.

Tom is passionate about percussion, and is already passing on

his knowledge to other future percussionists.

Do you want to stop there? Don't rush that last bit, as well.

OK, go back to the top now.

It's great just to be teaching these techniques, just because it makes me

look at my own playing and think, am I actually doing this, as well?

Am I applying this musicality and phrasing to my work?

It's turned into my life, really.

I really enjoy every minute of it

and, hopefully, will carry it forward to a future career.

I just want to be able to be called up for any job.

Anything, if it's just maracas in the next Star Wars movie

or whatever, I don't care.

Just as long as I'm playing and getting to meet new people.

Anything.

Tom, tell us the differences of being a solo percussionist,

compared to being in the orchestra,

or playing in a band with your friends?

In an orchestra, you're obviously playing with everyone else,

so it's about fitting in with them.

Whereas solo playing, there's a lot more composers out there

that are writing for percussion.

Do you feel that you use different parts of your musical personality?

Definitely. In a solo performance,

you can create that atmosphere for yourself,

whether that be aggressive and fiery,

or whether that be a calm and gentle feel.

APPLAUSE And here is Tom.

He'll begin his bid for the percussion title

with a multi-instrumental piece

by the New Zealand composer, John Psathas.

In my piece, One Study One Summary, he's written for marimba,

backing tape and junk percussion.

And the junk percussion consists of cymbals,

bits and bobs you can find around the house,

like pots and pans, mixing bowls.

And it's a really flashy piece.

From marimba and junk percussion now

to the mellow sound of the vibraphone.

With an arrangement of a classic Hollywood song, Over The Rainbow.

Originally sung by Judy Garland in The Wizard Of Oz,

but it's a really beautiful arrangement for the vibraphone.

It really shows you all the colours that you can create

with just this one simple instrument.

APPLAUSE

To end, it's the piece written for BBC Young Musician alumni,

Adrian Spillett and Alison Balsam.

Chieba, by Jan Bradley,

who is in the audience tonight.

It's a really wacky piece, lots of really cool ideas.

For example, at the end of the piece, there's a cymbal throw,

where the percussionist has to spin the cymbal for the trumpet player.

And this can go quite badly sometimes.

APPLAUSE

Tom Pritchard and Aaron Akugbo on trumpet, performing Chieba.

Composer Jan Bradley in the audience,

clearly enjoying their interpretation of his piece.

Tom's performance was very exciting.

What a great way to start the competition.

I really liked his John Psathas piece.

It's a very interesting piece of music.

And he got around the set-up really, really well.

He had a really clean technique and his runs in Over the Rainbow,

the quiet ones were just absolutely beautiful.

I just maybe wish that he'd taken a little bit more time

just to let the piece breathe a little more.

I said to myself, whatever the result at the end of the day,

as long as I'm doing myself proud, that's what matters.

And I'm happy with how it went.

Tom Pritchard, a lovely performer.

We know he's incredibly experienced at playing in orchestras.

-Do you think he held his own as a soloist tonight?

-I think he did.

I think one of the reasons for that

was he had the tape in the first piece

and then he had his friend playing trumpet.

And him and Aaron, they obviously made a great duo partnership.

I thought it was a very clever programme.

And it's always a challenge in percussion music

to find a variety of repertoire that really shows off everything.

I think he did that brilliantly.

You have a particular insight into Chieba, the final piece.

It was written for you and Adrian Spillett. Did they do it justice?

They definitely did it justice.

It was very interesting to watch, actually,

and just sit and be objective about the piece for the first time.

I think Jan Bradley will be very, very proud.

Well, next to perform in this percussion final, from London,

it's 16-year-old Joe Parks.

Joe has been playing percussion since he was six.

During the week, he studies full-time at the Purcell School,

one of the UK's leading specialist music schools.

But every weekend, he returns to the family home in Bromley,

where he remains a strong presence, whether he's there or not.

I have taken over the dining room a bit.

I mean, basically, we don't eat now. Um...!

I think we have three sets of bongos now and two cajons.

-At the last count.

-They've slowly taken over the whole house.

And acquiring a collection of instruments this big

isn't without its problems.

The dining room gets used maybe on Christmas Day

for its proper purpose.

-That's why we're squashed around that table in the kitchen.

-Yeah...

I love percussion's intuitive nature.

With a lot of instruments, it's very, very nice to listen to,

but when you're looking at someone play it,

it can sort of seem a bit foreign.

Whereas with percussion,

it's so hands-on that you just want to get involved.

And that's exactly why I got into percussion in the first place,

because I was just pulled in.

Right.

OK, is everyone looking at the top of page 18?

'On Sunday mornings, I teach Hebrew.'

Partly to get away from music because otherwise,

it's music Monday to Saturday and nothing else,

but also because I've been going to the synagogue

longer than I've been playing music,

so I feel like I want to give something back

and I enjoy teaching, so I feel it's a natural thing to do.

This letter here is a final kaf,

which makes the sound, "chaf".

I think teaching might be something I'm naturally more attracted to

because my mum's a teacher.

Um...and I quite like telling people what to do, really! Huh!

What's the letter before it?

-Patakh.

-Patakh.

Teacher then becomes student when, once a week,

Joe returns to the Royal College of Music Junior Department, where his

passion for composing has a strong influence on his percussion playing.

I think one of the things that comes through his music-making

is this kind of compositional ability.

He's thinking very carefully about structures and sounds

and timbre and all those kind of things.

There's a tremendous kind of Macbeth,

witches-over-cauldron moment that happens.

Whenever you play piano, you kind of loom over the instrument.

-Can you stay relaxed and stay up?

-OK.

-Yeah?

In a completely dream world, I would absolutely love to be a composer,

but I think that it's really important to be a fantastic musician

in order to be a good composer,

and I will certainly keep playing percussion both in orchestras

and solo right the way through my life, I hope.

Joe, how do you feel now the day of the category finals is here at last?

I feel quite nervous. It's a big thing.

But I definitely, actually,

enjoyed performing in the last round more than I thought I would

and I hope that that's going to be the same today.

And can you tell us what the joys are of being a percussionist?

It's very therapeutic.

If you've got a lot of stress or anxiety, just to be able to

whack the hell out of a drum is actually quite therapeutic.

APPLAUSE

Well, Joe begins with a real show piece,

hopefully a therapeutic one.

It's two movements from Marimba

by the Japanese composer, Toshimitsu Tanaka.

The Tanaka was written in the '60s

for the newly-developing classical marimba scene.

It uses a lot of very Japanese, spiky harmonies and rhythms.

And the two movements overall share the same sort of core textures.

APPLAUSE

Now, Joe moves on to the dark and mysterious second movement.

APPLAUSE

Next, a multi-instrumental piece composed in 2002.

It's Canned Heat, by the German composer, Eckhard Kopetzki.

It's scored for a can and a resonant metal sound.

However, um...for a slight twist,

I'm using an utensil holder from Homebase

and a paint kettle from Wickes.

APPLAUSE

Canned Heat by Eckhard Kopetzki, bringing Joe's bid

for the BBC Young Musician percussion title to a close.

Joe picked some really interesting pieces

because he picked a piece of music

that's very much from the older style repertoire in the marimba.

We thought he showed some really intelligent playing in that particular piece.

It was nice to see some really nice musical touches

and flourishes coming through.

I really enjoyed Joe's performance. One of the highlights

was when I saw him really start to listen to the instruments

and listen to the room and acoustics he was playing during Canned Heat.

-It was fantastic!

-I really enjoyed it.

Some things could have gone better,

some things I think went well. We'll have to see, won't we?

Joe Parks there, performing two complex and sophisticated pieces.

He's a very intelligent young man. You can hear that in his playing.

And as a composer, I really did feel

that he'd got inside those compositions. What did you think?

It was a fantastically intellectual performance in some ways.

You definitely get that intelligence coming through.

Wonderful technical virtuosity.

I love that he showed us really what the marimba is capable of doing.

For me, he's such a soulful guy,

he's a very empathetic person, he really cares about people.

And I wonder if we got quite enough of his soul coming through.

But it's up to the judges to decide.

-It was a terrific performance.

-It was.

So, Joe Parks and Tom Pritchard

have made their mark in this percussion final.

Still to come, Matthew Brett and Andrew Woolcock.

But next, it's 17-year-old Hristiyan Hristou.

Hristiyan studies at the Whitgift School

after winning a place through their international music competition.

I come from Pleven, Bulgaria.

When Whitgift School came to Bulgaria,

they were looking for string players.

The competition, established in 2013, gives string players

from Eastern Europe the chance to study in the UK.

His teacher said, "Oh, can't you please listen to him?"

And we said, "No. We only really want to listen to string players for our competition."

And I said, "He's probably practised a lot, so let's hear him".

Out from behind the curtains came Hristiyan Hristou.

And it was an absolutely stunning moment.

And we said, "We must offer him a scholarship to study at Whitgift".

Since arriving, Hristiyan's passion for music

has continued to be obvious for all to see.

Music is my first priority. It's always been and it will be.

And I find it really nice to go and play in front of people,

to entertain people, as well.

You want to make the best of yourself, as well,

to express your feelings.

He likes to understand the style of the music,

really, before anything else.

It's fortissimo, after all.

He's a great communicator.

He really knows how to bring that forward

so that the audience are fully engaged with the sense of the music.

He's obviously got this real brilliance in his performance,

but what I think will take him far is his personality.

He relates so well to people.

Anyone would want to work with him, anyone would like to teach him.

He's got, I think, limitless potential.

He's such an impressive young man.

I didn't expect even to pass the category auditions.

I mean, I tried my best and after they told me I passed,

I was so excited about it

and I'm still really, really excited about it.

APPLAUSE

Hristiyan, your family are here from Bulgaria to support you tonight.

How proud of you are they?

Er...they're very proud and they're very excited

and they're looking really forward to it

because it's a great experience for them.

They haven't been here before, in Cardiff.

And they're really enjoying their time here.

Your teacher talks about you being

a natural, great communicator with your music.

How important is that for you?

It is very, very important because you can express your feelings.

I feel good when I'm representing the piece of music that I play

to the people who are listening.

APPLAUSE

Hristiyan brings the sounds of Eastern Europe to Cardiff

with his first piece.

It's called Iljas and it's by Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic.

It's a virtuosic piece, which allows you

to show the beauty and the depth of the sound of the marimba

and I really enjoy it

because it reminds me of home.

A Japanese multi-percussion piece is next from Hristiyan,

Side By Side by Michio Kitazume.

It uses a lot of different rhythmic techniques

and it allows you to, I don't know,

to free yourself on the stage and it starts simple,

but as it goes on, it gets a bit more complicated.

APPLAUSE

For his final piece, Hristiyan is joined on stage

by Luke Baxter and Max Ireland

to perform Libertango by Eric Sammut.

They will be playing other percussion instruments

and the relationship, the atmosphere on the stage,

it's much better when there are people next to you, smiling

and, you know, making that contact between each other

and I really enjoy playing it.

APPLAUSE

Hristiyan bringing a bit of a party atmosphere

to proceedings there, with Libertango.

Lovely to see his parents here, too,

having made the journey from Bulgaria to watch him compete.

I felt quite nervous at the start, but as I played through,

I felt just like at home, you know.

The Zivkovic, to begin with, it's a wonderful piece.

He showed that he understands irregular time signatures

and just really played with that.

I possibly wish that he could have had a slightly cleaner performance,

but it was still a really great piece.

Particularly nice to see the interaction

between him and his friends, they were just having a great time

and just enjoying the moment

and that's what music is all about, isn't it?

It was a really great experience, to play in a hall like this,

with an atmosphere like this,

and that my parents are here, as well.

I got really happy.

Hristiyan really transporting us from Eastern Europe to Latin America

and everything in between.

I have to say, I absolutely loved that programme.

He is a fantastically generous musician, you could see that

in the last piece, the Libertango, with his two friends there,

but actually, just between him and the audience.

For me, he really has something special. What did you make of it?

Yeah, I totally agree, Clemmie. I thought he was incredibly soulful

and the thing that comes up time and again in BBC Young Musician

is that it so hard to compare this instrument with that instrument,

but throughout his programme,

I felt I could hear who he was as a musician and it didn't matter

what instrument he was playing and I think that will serve him very well.

Well, we'll see. Before we hear our last two performers,

a quick word now about the grand final.

This year, it is taking place at the Barbican in London on May 15th.

Before that, the three finalists will have the chance

to meet Nicola Benedetti,

former BBC Young Musician Winner

and the competition's ambassador.

In the final, they will perform a full concerto

with the BBC Symphony Orchestra,

conducted by the acclaimed British maestro Mark Wigglesworth.

And you will be able to see and hear every note here on BBC Four.

It's always a very special event, so don't miss it.

Back to tonight's percussion final now

and our youngest performer tonight,

15-year-old Matthew Brett from Cheshire.

Matthew goes to Sandbach School in the Midlands,

where he's part of the Love Music Trust Percussion Ensemble.

Since I started with the percussion ensemble,

I got to see that percussion wasn't just standing at the back of a band

or orchestra and just playing along to keep everyone else in time,

it was something that you can make tunes on,

you can be a soloist, you can be an accompanist

and there is a lot of repertoire out there that I wasn't aware of.

I think the fact that the school here

comes under the banner of the Love Music Trust,

which is the local music hub,

has made a massive difference to somebody like Matthew.

The fact that we've got a five-octave marimba,

a four-and-a-third marimba,

having the instruments in school makes a massive difference.

MATTHEW PLAYS A SOLO

They run the local percussion ensemble that I play with.

They offer a great wide range of support and a lot of funding

and help for students like me who love music

and want to progress that further into a career.

PARP! PARP!

Every week, Matthew goes to Manchester

to play with the Halle Youth Orchestra,

who regularly perform concerts alongside the main Halle Orchestra.

I find being associated with Halle, I'm quite proud of it.

I get to tell other people I'm linked to a great orchestra.

And being part of that chain, I get to work with the professionals

from the real orchestra quite regularly.

I think, this year, he's developed enormously from where he was.

He is much more confident, he's relaxed when he's performing.

He's in control of what he does

and I think he's shown that he enjoys what he does.

He will play literally anywhere now, cos when he first started,

it would have been a challenge

to get him to play in a cold situation in front of strangers.

As well as playing in the youth orchestra,

Matthew is passionate about playing as a soloist.

I really enjoy playing solo percussion

because I get to show people what I can do.

It's definitely made me more outgoing because I've been exposed

to so many different scenarios where I have had to adjust my playing.

It's helped me to realise that, as a soloist,

I have to not just play the music, but perform the music.

Matthew, how does it feel to be performing

in the category finals tonight?

Absolutely amazing, it's a great opportunity

just to be able to get this far

and say that I've come into the top five of my instrument

and it's a great musical experience

for me to be able to perform in a great venue

and to get to know how it is to perform on an amazing stage.

Have you followed BBC Young Musician in the past?

I try and follow every competition.

That has inspired me and taken me to where I am now,

being able to watch people at a certain level,

aspire to be how great they are.

To get further in the competition would be absolutely amazing.

My family would definitely be ecstatic for me,

but just to be able to say I've got this far, I think, is amazing.

APPLAUSE

And Matthew begins his programme

with a piece we heard Tom Pritchard play earlier in this category final.

It's One Study One Summary by John Psathas.

It's quite a challenge in its own right,

getting all the instruments together and finding a way

to make it work, having the instruments laid out

so you can play them as well as the marimba.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Next up, it's a world premiere from a composer

who we've already heard this evening, Jan Bradley.

He's here in the audience in Cardiff and he has composed Play Some Time

especially for Matthew to perform in this percussion final.

It's really entertaining to watch.

The drums are laid out in the shape of an alarm clock,

so if you play the drum at the one-o'clock position,

you play it once,

12 o'clock, you play it 12 times in the pattern.

It's got two cowbells at the top and they sound at the end,

so it's sort of building up and building up and building up

until we hear that final alarm.

It's an amazing piece to listen to and to play.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

An enthusiastic reaction to that first-ever public performance

of Play Some Time.

Fab moment, too, for the composer, Jan Bradley.

Well, now, it's time for Matthew's final piece,

Piazonore by Alexej Gerassimez.

It's really funky and it's got quite a Latin feel to it.

You know, you can tap your foot along to it.

It's with piano, so there's a lot of communication

and there are some bits

where it's almost like a duet rather than a solo.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Matthew Brett, ending his bid for this percussion title

with Piazonore by Gerassimez.

The first piece was...

It's a real challenging piece, it's almost like running a marathon,

but running it at 100-metre-sprint speed

and I felt he managed that very efficiently.

I really enjoyed the new drum piece.

I wasn't kind of like smitten with the idea,

but it came through and worked really, really well.

It went absolutely amazing, the audience...

it went down really well with them,

they seemed to love it and I just got a real buzz from performing.

Matthew Brett, there, playing three very contrasting pieces.

I have to say, I loved that drumming piece by Jan Bradley.

It was a world premiere, he really made it his own.

I thought it was an interesting programme,

obviously three completely different pieces,

but that was the one where I thought,

"Yeah, he has really relaxed into this now."

Yeah, that really brought out who he was.

You know, we saw a bit of showmanship,

he was really enjoying it

and what a thrill to see and hear a world premiere!

It's one thing that I really do love about percussion,

you get to hear music that sounds so incredibly alive

and is literally being created in front of you.

I know, lovely to have a living composer in the hall.

To bring this percussion final to a close,

16-year-old Andrew Woolcock from Preston.

Andrew studies at sixth-form college in Preston

and each weekend he travels to Manchester for percussion lessons

at the Junior Royal Northern College Of Music with Ian Forgrieve.

Andrew has tried out a few instruments,

but is a relative newcomer to percussion.

I just quite like the sound of it, I guess,

it just seems like something fun to play.

It was, "Can I play piano?"

And then it's, "And now can I have guitar lessons?

"And now can I have drum lessons?"

And eventually, "Can I have percussion lessons?"

So, it was the last instrument that he actually took on.

-I think he just enjoyed playing all the different things at once.

-Yeah.

I started playing bits of percussion in my high-school wind band

when I was about 11.

Andrew, to be honest, wasn't anything special

and then, gradually, it began to sort of emerge

that actually, no, he was making quite rapid progress

and he started to take it very seriously.

Cate really influenced me and kind of opened the doors in my music.

I pushed him very hard and he just rose to it.

He got up to Grade 8 in the space of about a year and a half,

on both drum kit and also on tuned.

Because we're not really musicians,

-we didn't really know he was that good, did we?

-No.

And, really, it has sort of crept up on us,

this, a little bit, to be honest.

It just kind of evolved, really, I don't really know how.

It's been a pretty steep learning curve.

Once a week, Andrew returns to his old secondary school,

no longer as a pupil, but now as a percussion teacher and conductor.

One, two, three...

ORCHESTRA PLAYS

One... Bah! Good!

'I do like conducting, it's something that's kind of

'different from percussion, that's another angle of music.'

Andrew is very good as a conductor.

It was quite evident that he had presence

in front of a group of kids, they took him seriously.

Nice one.

Back at home, it's practice time,

and when you play loud percussion instruments,

you have to think carefully about your schedule.

TAPPING OF DRUM KIT REVERBERATES

Well, at the moment, I'm doing about three or four hours a day.

What I'll do is I'll play kind of the snare drum,

which is the noisiest instrument of the lot,

pretty early on in the evening, so about five, six o'clock

and then, as it gets later, I'll play kind of

the tuned percussion instruments, which is a bit easier on the ear

and then I can play my electric kit

because it doesn't really make any noise, at any time.

I might leave that till quite late at night

because I can just kind of relax with it at that time.

ELECTRONIC DRUM RIFF

I love solo percussion playing.

I mean, it's the form of playing percussion that I enjoy most doing

because I feel I can express myself through it.

I just love it.

Andrew, how does it feel to be here

at the category finals of BBC Young musician?

I still can't quite believe it, to be honest!

It's just because I watched it two years ago

and, at that point, I had only

been playing percussion for about six months or so

and I thought, "Wow, those players are really, really good,"

and that kind of inspired me, in a sense.

That... That's kind of... It's what I've aimed for in a way,

like seeing people my age being that good just kind of pushed me.

How would it feel if you actually get through to the next round?

I don't really know, I'd be pretty overcome with it, I think,

but I'd just roll with it and keep on going, I reckon.

APPLAUSE

My first piece, Asventuras by Alexej Gerassimez, is a snare-drum solo,

but it also functions as a bit of a multi-percussion solo

because you are not just playing the head of the snare drum

with two snare drumsticks,

you use your hand or a brush or a timpani stick

to create lots of different sounds out of just a snare drum.

APPLAUSE

Andrew bringing out all the colours of the snare drum in that piece.

Next, he heads over to the marimba for a piece,

by the Japanese composer Takatsugu Muramatsu, called Land.

It's just a beautiful piece.

What you should listen out for

is the really low notes on the marimba

because they just sound gorgeous when you hit them right

and especially the harmonies in that piece, as well,

lovely tonal clashes, which create gorgeous colours to listen to.

APPLAUSE

Like his fellow competitor Matthew Brett,

Andrew has chosen to finish his programme

with Piazonore by Alexej Gerassimez.

I love Piazonore because it's a vibes and piano duo,

so it's kind of a different aspect to take on it.

It's quite jazzy, which is something you don't normally see in, like,

a classical music concert repertoire.

WHOOPS AND APPLAUSE

A thrilling conclusion to Andrew's programme,

as he also rounds off another superb percussion final.

Fabulous performance by Andrew.

The snare-drum piece was killer, so many sounds out of one tiny drum.

It's a beautiful thing to see as a percussionist,

to kind of really get into that one single instrument.

For the marimba piece, I loved hearing the quieter sound

of the instrument and the fact that he was using the room acoustic

and really listening to what he was doing.

It just goes straight out of your brain, you can't remember much,

but I thought it was OK, I am fairly happy with that, yeah!

Andrew is such a charismatic performer,

incredible self-control and assurance on stage

and I loved how he put that programme together,

very dramatic opening and then we really got to see

all of his musicality, all of his lyricism

and then a really thrilling finale. I loved it. What did you make of it?

What can I say? I felt that he played his personality.

After talking to him in the interview earlier,

it was exactly what I saw then.

He is so open, almost vulnerable,

and yet, so comfortable and so at home on the stage

and, you know, it was very simple - snare drum, marimba, vibes -

but it just kind of said everything, didn't it?

It worked, I think it did.

So, we have heard all five of tonight's finalists.

They have certainly kept us entertained.

No doubt they have given the jury lots to think about.

Let's have a quick recap of their performances.

Tom was first up.

He came out, he really, really went for it.

It was nice to see him working with another musician

in the piece with the trumpet.

And then, of course, his piece in the middle there -

a real contrast, so a good choice of piece.

And interesting to see something a little more jazzy.

Joe's programme was so intimate, and he just managed to make

the percussion really individual and personal.

His pianissimo trills on the marimba were absolutely exquisite.

I felt the piece was quite a mature piece,

and I think it was quite a long piece.

So, it's very difficult to sustain some of the lines.

He contrasted that with an incredible, choreographed piece

that showed his real understanding of the spectrum of dynamics.

Hristiyan played some fantastic marimba this evening.

Two pieces, quite similar,

but with the addition of some friends for the final number.

It was great to see him acting with the guys

and really having a rapport.

A real sense of enjoyment and life and some really, sort of,

Spanish spirit and flair in that performance.

It was really lovely.

Matthew gave us another brilliant performance this evening.

And a brand-new work, which was great to hear on the programme.

And some really sensitive drum playing.

The vibraphone and piano piece, and his very delicate playing,

was really, really sensitive.

He seemed very nervous,

but he seemed to really come to life in that final piece.

So, it's good to see him having a good time.

I love the way Andrew pulled all the sounds from the drum.

He was very natural on the performance element of it.

I felt that he really engaged in what is a piece of music for,

technically, one drum.

The contrasting piece then was the marimba piece,

which was great to hear.

A really warm tone from the instrument.

And then for his final piece,

it was good to see him working with another musician.

The vibraphone part really locked in together

with the piano part throughout.

And nice to see a real sense of occasion.

Everyone brought their A game,

and totally believed in their choice of programme,

totally believed in their performance.

And I think that came out to all of us in the audience

throughout the entire evening.

CROWD APPLAUDS

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all so much for waiting.

It's a very nerve-racking thing, that whole judging process, isn't it?

Now, please welcome back our chair of the jury, Dobrinka Tabakova,

as well as Simone Rebello, and, to announce the winner of this

percussion category final, it's Joby Burgess.

APPLAUSE

Thank you to all of this evening's young musicians

for your wonderful performances.

It's been an incredibly difficult and very, very close decision.

But we have come to a unanimous decision.

The winner of the BBC Young Musician 2016 percussion final is...

Andrew Woolcock.

APPLAUSE

It was a really tight decision this evening.

But Andrew's musicality was really the thing that shone through.

And just really pulled us in and really communicated the music to us.

You know what, I'm so thrilled for you. How do you feel?

I can't really describe it, to be honest. It's just...

-It's just incredible!

-When you heard your name,

-what went through your head?

-I was just like, are you sure?

"Is that my name?"

-So good, so deserved.

-Mental. Thank you very much.

I think you captivated everyone from the first notes on the snare drum.

I thought it went... It was all right.

I played my pieces quite well, I thought. But I just enjoyed it.

-Well done, you're fabulous.

-Thank you very much.

Huge congratulations to Andrew Woolcock.

He'll be back in three weeks' time to compete

in the BBC Young Musician semifinal,

together with the other category winners.

They'll all be competing for just three places in the grand final.

It's been another terrific evening, here in Cardiff.

And a reminder that if you'd like see the performances in full,

you can do so on our website...

You'll also find much more about the competition there, too.

We'll be back next Friday with the brass final.

-I'm really looking forward to that one.

-Can't think why(!)

-Here's as sneak preview. BOTH:

-Goodnight.

Brass players are a really gregarious lot.

The cameras are there, the microphones are there,

we can't really have too many mistakes.

It's something they're not used to.

-Do you feel nervous?

-Yes.

-It takes you and out of your comfort zone,

there's no escaping it, you're there, you've got to go.

You can smell it on someone, if they're a great performer or not.

The way you walk on stage, your demeanour on stage.

They're young, and they don't know how difficult it is!