Semi-Final BBC Young Musician

It's always a thrill to witness the emergence of new talent

and, over the past four weeks,

we've heard some breathtaking performances

by some brilliant teenagers.

Tonight, we reach the penultimate stage in this year's competition.

Five incredibly strong musical personalities

compete for the three coveted places in the grand final.

It's going to be a night to remember.

Welcome to the semifinal of BBC Young Musician 2016.

Tonight's semifinalists have all got through several rounds already.

Hundreds entered this competition and now just five remain.

They've each triumphed in their own category

and now they play again, but this time against each other.

The very fact that they've won their category final

means they're winners

and they're outstanding players of their instrument already.

I'd love them to try and vamp it up one more level

and just bring an even more spectacular performance.

Tonight, all of them will be repeating their repertoire

from the category finals.

The first player to secure a place in the semifinal line-up

was 15-year-old Jackie Campbell.

His sensitive interpretations of Debussy, Scriabin and Rachmaninov

won him the keyboard final.

Jackie has very special qualities.

He let the music speak

and he communicated to the audience in a very sincere way.

-Jackie Campbell.

-APPLAUSE

I guess it was a bit surprising, but I'm here to do it again.

I hope I can maybe even go beyond

what I managed to do when I played last time.

With a wonderfully exuberant performance on the saxophone,

17-year-old Jess Gillam was victorious in the woodwind final.

Jess was sensational.

She can say what she wants to say

and she delivers it with such energy and brilliance.

There was something that happened on stage

where I felt completely at home.

I wasn't happy with everything I'd played and there were

so many things I knew I could have improved, but I loved it.

16-year-old Andrew Woolcock gave a mesmerising performance

to win the percussion category final.

Andrew's musicality was the thing that shone through.

He seemed to own the stage and just really brought us in,

really communicated the music to us.

When I was performing, I just thought

this is the best you've performed it so far

so I thought I had an OK chance, but I wasn't completely sure.

Andrew Woolcock.

APPLAUSE

It's just amazing. I didn't think that I get this far,

so it's just been an incredible experience. It's just great.

Impressing the jury

with his assured and dazzling command of the French horn,

18-year-old Ben Goldscheider won the brass category.

I think Ben was just such a rounded musician.

He made mature choices for the programme, really ambitious choices,

but he carried them through and we were blown away by his performance.

To be in the semifinal is amazing.

Everyone enters this competition to get to these stages and to progress,

and it's amazing to be able to show what I can do on a big stage.

And completing the line-up for the semifinal,

it's 16-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason,

who gave an enthralling performance of Cassado, Rachmaninov

and Shostakovich to clinch the strings title.

Sheku was outstanding from the beginning.

We felt that he was a real star in the making.

His potential is enormous.

It was kind of great and surreal.

I didn't really realise that they had called my name -

I was just kind of praying.

But there is always room to improve,

so I won't change much because I'm used to this stage,

where I can kind of relax more and express myself that little bit more.

It really is such an exciting line-up for this semifinal

and I think it's fair to say, Ali, that you and I have both been

blown away by the overall standard this year.

Absolutely, it's been so compelling

and every single one of these performers is a potential winner.

I don't know about you, Clemmie,

but I'm finding it impossible not to get emotionally involved.

I know. Me, too. I just want them all to win.

One question that always comes up at this stage is how on earth

you compare instruments as diverse as percussion...

..French horn...

..saxophone...

..piano...

..and cello.

It's certainly not easy, but tonight the judges will be looking for

the three standout musicians.

I think, at this point,

it comes down to giving the performance of their lives.

It's about charisma

and making an emotional connection with the audience.

Thankfully, we're not the ones who'll be making the decision -

that job rests with tonight's semifinal jury.

And they are Meurig Bowen,

director of the Cheltenham Music Festival.

I'll be looking for somebody who has a kind of fearlessness

and a courage and ability on stage to take risks,

but also to be relaxed as a performer

and to make us feel relaxed as audience members as well.

Alpesh Chauhan, cellist and assistant conductor

of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

I think it's very important that they really show us different parts

of their personality and character

because, while we're seeing their performance

and how they play their instrument,

we're also having a small insight into their personality

and what they can bring to music.

Huw Humphreys, head of music at London's Barbican Centre.

Technical brilliance isn't enough -

you're looking for a level of musicianship.

And, from my perspective, you're looking for someone

that you'd be very happy putting on stage at the Barbican Centre

in London or on professional stages across the country.

And our chair of the jury throughout the category finals,

composer Dobrinka Tabakova.

I'll be looking for a genuine performance.

I don't want to see perfection.

Perfection is such an overrated word anyway.

I want to see them be human.

So, that's our jury for this BBC Young Musician semifinal.

It's quite a responsibility. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes.

Tonight will be a night of heightened emotions.

Elation for the three who go through

and, of course, disappointment for the two who don't.

But whatever happens, Ali,

I think it's a fantastic opportunity for all of them.

Yeah, of course, it's a brilliant showcase.

I've been talking to these five talented performers

and they've all said how much they've learnt just from taking part.

Every generation that's been through this competition,

and I include myself in this, we've all found it to be

such a crucial turning point in our careers, regardless of the results.

Well, it is time to get started.

The first person to perform in this BBC Young Musician semifinal,

and the winner of this year's percussion category,

is 16-year-old Andrew Woolcock.

Andrew is from Preston in Lancashire and studies at weekends

at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music.

He tried out a number of instruments

before coming to percussion relatively late.

Reaching grade eight on both drum kit and tuned percussion

in the space of 18 months, Andrew's progress has been remarkable.

I do like playing in ensembles, but solo percussion -

I just love it because I feel I can express myself through it.

He impressed the judges in the category final

with a dynamic and charismatic performance

that really showed off his passion for music making.

APPLAUSE

The winner of the percussion final is Andrew Woolcock.

Can you describe that moment, when they called your name as the winner?

It was just pure amazement. I was like, "Whoa!"

I was just flabbergasted, yeah.

So now, of course, you've got to do it all over again.

How do you prepare for being in the semifinal?

Obviously you've got to do a bit of practice, just touch up

on the few details that you missed in the category final.

But it's also about getting your head in the game as well,

not getting too nervous or pent-up or worried about it,

and just kind of going for it.

What would it mean to you to get into the final?

I think I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

But thinking about it, it would just be incredible.

It would be a life-changing experience for me - it would just be amazing.

APPLAUSE

My first piece, Asventuras, by Alexej Gerassimez,

is a snare drum solo. You're not just playing

the head of the snare drum with two snare drum sticks,

you use your hand or a brush or a timpani stick

to create lots of different timbres,

so it kind of functions as a different kind of piece.

APPLAUSE

Andrew Woolcock getting this BBC Young Musician semifinal under way.

From the snare drum, he now turns to marimba

and a piece called Land

by the Japanese composer Takatsugu Muramatsu.

It's just a beautiful piece.

What you should listen out for is the really low notes

cos they just sound gorgeous when you hit them right,

and especially the harmonies in that piece as well.

You get lovely tonal clashes,

which just create gorgeous colours to listen to.

APPLAUSE

Moving on to the vibraphone next,

Andrew plays a piece by contemporary composer Alexej Gerassimez,

inspired by the Argentinian tangos of Astor Piazzolla.

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

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

where the piano isn't just accompanying,

it's kind of a bit of a duet.

And it's quite jazzy, which is that something you don't normally see

in a classical music concert repertoire.

APPLAUSE

This year's percussion category winner Andrew Woolcock

bringing his bid for a place in the grand final to a close there

with Piazonore by Alexej Gerassimez.

Whoo!

Wicked!

Andrew's got extraordinary virtuosity.

He really grabbed the audience immediately

with his snare drum playing.

I felt sometimes he could have taken time at the beginning of the pieces

a little more, just frame the openings a little better,

but he's got incredible musical flair.

I loved his programme yet again.

Performed it even better than the first time round.

Andrew is just like a dancer on stage.

Every movement he does expresses the phrasing that he is doing

and it's just so graceful and so beautiful to watch, I loved it.

I'm just quite happy with my performance - that's all I can say.

I can't remember all of it, but I'm pretty happy, yeah.

Well, as in the category final,

I'm so struck by what brilliant programming this was from Andrew.

Really thrilling way to start tonight's semifinal.

I love watching him play. He's such a likeable personality.

He moves on stage with such agility and grace,

a very elegant percussionist.

Do you think he's ramped up his programme enough for tonight?

I wonder, I wonder, that's a very good question.

His repertoire, as you say, is brilliant,

it's so simple but powerful.

You know, these three instruments and they sounded gorgeous.

He's an extraordinary player, but I got a slight sense

that he didn't want to take any risks because of the pressure.

He just wanted to not go wrong in any way. And, of course,

you've really got to take risks at this level.

And talking to them all week,

we know they're trying to think of this as just another concert

and they're not focusing on the result, on the final,

but it must be so hard, as well you know.

Next up tonight we're going to hear 18-year-old Ben Goldscheider,

who gave such an assured performance to win this year's brass final.

Ben is from a family of musicians

and developed a love for the French horn at a young age.

On Saturdays, he attends the Junior Royal College of Music,

just like the previous three winners of BBC Young Musician.

It really inspired me in terms of what they're now doing

with their careers. Young Musician is such an amazing platform

by which I could potentially launch the career that I really desire.

Having triumphed in his category final,

Ben is now hoping to play his way to the grand final.

What do you do in preparation for a concert like this?

I've tried as best as I can just to treat it as a normal concert.

If you start getting into a mind-set,

this is BBC Young Musician, I'm on TV, I think

people can overthink things and get too worked up.

So I went to school on Friday, I went for a drink last night.

I've tried to be chilled about it.

I've done my practice and I know I'm prepared.

Is there anything you learnt in the category final

that you can take forward into the semi?

I think the biggest thing about coming back

and playing in the same hall is the fact that it is the same hall,

you know, I know what to expect

and I think maybe I can just take it down one notch

in terms of nervousness and feel relaxed and play.

Do you feel like this is a good opportunity for you

to be on a different platform, get that message out there,

maybe explore with some new music?

I think definitely, yeah. I'm playing the Esa-Pekka Salonen piece,

which is about as out there as it gets.

Very cool. We loved that piece, it really blew my mind.

I had no idea the horn was capable of such acrobatics.

That's the best thing about it. Every time I play a piece like that,

people come up to me, "I didn't know the horn could do that."

There's so much more to the instrument and I think more

that people haven't discovered, so let's see what happens.

APPLAUSE

So, here is Ben Goldscheider

and he's going to begin with that very same showpiece

for the French horn, Etudes,

by the contemporary Finnish composer and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen.

There are so many parts in the music

where people just don't know where the sounds are coming from

and that really draws the listener in, I think.

APPLAUSE

Ben demonstrating once again that he's more than a match

for that very demanding Etude by Salonen.

Next, something a little more lyrical -

a romance by the 19th-century composer Saint-Saens.

On paper, very, very simple. But at the same time,

it really shows a lyrical side to horn playing.

And to be able to balance this kind of really simple line,

at the same time as playing this crazy stuff in the Salonen,

I think that's a really good contrast.

APPLAUSE

To close his programme, Ben has chosen a piece

by the English composer York Bowen,

who was himself a talented French horn player.

I think, in the York Bowen, the biggest thing about it

is the relationship between the horn player and the pianist.

That's kind of reflected in the writing.

There's a lot of times where the horn plays

interlocking melodic lines

and at other times it's bouncing off each other,

and there's a richness of harmony and sound.

APPLAUSE

Ben Goldscheider finishing in mightily assured style

in that Sonata by York Bowen,

but has he done enough

to secure one of those three places in the grand final?

Ben shows remarkable maturity and he's a real risk taker.

He goes for it and, 99 times out of 100, he really delivers.

I thought Ben had a beautiful sound.

It was always singing, like liquid gold at times.

And to do the Salonen from memory, I thought was brave,

but, boy, did it come off well. It was fantastic.

Phenomenal technique, which came across particularly well

in that fascinating Salonen piece.

For me, the problem with the programme was the Saint-Saens -

it just didn't really take off for me.

But the outer two pieces showed his playing off phenomenally well.

To be perfectly honest, it was a bit of a blur.

My lips aren't in the best condition I'd like them to be,

but I'm happy with how it went and just got to see what happens.

So, Ben played his socks off tonight, didn't he?

I think he really notched it up a level

and, right from the first note he played,

he had us in the palm of his hands.

He really shared that Esa-Pekka Salonen piece with us in a way

that just had us all gripped in our seats. I wonder if he almost...

He was almost like three different people when he played tonight.

He played the first piece, which was fantastic.

In the second piece,

I wonder if he slightly almost lost his focus a little,

but in the third he really found it again.

It was a really complete performance,

but he should be very proud.

I think he'll be really happy.

We know that he's an incredibly mature teenager.

So, whatever happens tonight, he's going to go very far,

I'm absolutely certain of it.

Now, before we hear the next of our semifinalists,

a quick word about next Friday, here on BBC Four.

Two years ago, BBC Young Musician introduced

a brand-new competition for jazz and it's back again this year.

You'll be able to watch the final next Friday.

The Young Musician standard is extremely high.

Such enthusiasm, passion and high technical skill.

The musicians are getting so great so young, it's wonderful and scary.

Every waking hour,

music's been somewhere within something that I've done.

To play music with your friends, I can't think of anything better.

The best opportunity of my life, really.

I'm so excited.

Definitely not to be missed.

Still to come tonight, 17-year-old saxophonist Jess Gillam

and 15-year-old pianist Jackie Campbell.

Next, we're going to hear the winner of this year's strings category,

16-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason is from Nottingham

and belongs to a remarkably musical family.

His brother and five sisters all play instruments.

It's quite a special thing to be able to play music

with my siblings because we sort of feed off each other's ideas.

And when you play with someone you know so well, it's just easier.

At weekends, four of them study at the Junior Royal Academy of Music.

Their elder sister Isata,

a BBC Young Musician category finalist back in 2014,

is now a full-time student at the Academy.

Throughout this competition, Sheku's been accompanied by Isata,

with their younger sister Konya turning pages.

And they'll be with him again in this semifinal.

Can you describe what it feels like

to have family literally supporting you on the stage?

Well, it's great because Isata and I know each other so well,

so we just understand what we're doing

without having to verbally express it.

And having all your family pretty much in the hall,

-is that a good thing?

-Yeah, you get that kind of cheer when you come out

and you feel welcome in the hall.

How do you prepare for the semifinal?

Well, I kind of relaxed after the day after the string final

and reflected on what didn't go so well and what did go well.

But in terms of practice, there's not much more that I want to change.

Will you be thinking about the final when you step out on that stage,

or just be concentrating on this as another concert?

Yeah, I'll just be concentrating as another performance

cos you can only do that, and the rest is in the adjudicators' hands.

Are there any particular moments you're really looking forward to?

My favourite moment is the bit in the Rachmaninov

where the piano comes out and it's just left with the cello.

There's that kind of silence in the room and that expectation,

-so I love that.

-What would it mean to you to go through to the final?

To go through to the final would be great cos I will hopefully

be playing my favourite concerto, so, yeah, that to look forward to.

APPLAUSE

I'm playing the third movement

from the Suite for Solo Cello by Cassado.

He's a Spanish composer, a cellist himself,

so the main section is a Spanish dance

and it kind of shows all the virtuosity the cello can have.

Next, Sheku plays the brooding and melancholic

Morceaux de Fantaisie by Rachmaninov.

APPLAUSE

To complete his programme in this BBC Young Musician semifinal,

Sheku is going to perform

an early work by one of his favourite composers.

The Shostakovich is just three minutes of non-stop excitement

and the interplay between the cello and the piano

is really important in this piece.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

A really enthusiastic reaction for Sheku Kanneh-Mason,

winner of this year's strings category final.

Such an impressive musician and still just 16.

I think Sheku is an absolute born performer.

All three pieces from him just drew the audience in.

I thought it was fantastic.

We had spirit and abandon in the Shostakovich,

and he captured that exquisite sadness

that you get in Rachmaninov's music.

He just lit up that stage.

There was so much fire in the Cassado

and the Rachmaninov was probably some of the most tender

sounds that you could make on the cello.

It was magical and I want to hear it again.

'It was a lot more welcoming. I thought there was more people

'out there than the string final, so that really lifted me.'

You know, I just really enjoyed it and, you know, yeah.

Ali, today we've been talking about the need for them

to really stand out as musicians.

For me, Sheku, there it is.

That is what a standout performance is,

particularly in his Rachmaninov.

That question -

he's a 16-year-old boy - how is it possible

that he is able, through his music,

to somehow, sort of, express everything it is to be human?

What it is to love, and to live and to grieve,

and to be moved, and to...

I mean, just an extraordinary thing from one so young.

-What did you think?

-Yes, I can't believe he's 16, as you say.

He is a complete artist,

he's a star

and he is mesmerising on the stage.

He's a beautiful person

and it comes across in everything he plays.

There were times when he was playing with his sister, Isata,

and it sounded like one instrument.

It was just so many magical things happening on the stage at once.

-You and I both had tears in our eyes.

-I know,

we were weeping during the Rach.

We think he's going to play the Shostakovich if he

gets through to the final and what a thing that'll be.

What a thrill to hear him play the Shostakovich Cello Concerto.

Absolutely, it would be wonderful.

We can't speak too soon about that...

-Of course not.

-..but if it happens, it would be a night to remember.

It certainly will.

Well, the next performer hoping to book their place in the

grand final is the winner of this year's woodwind category,

17-year-old saxophonist Jess Gillam.

Jess is from all Ulverston in Cumbria.

She attends the Junior Royal Northern College of Music

at weekends and also has lessons

with the celebrated saxophonist John Harle.

John is mainly about personality.

Everything you play has to be full of character and full of energy.

Well, Jess' performance in the category final was certainly that.

Having also made it to the woodwind final back in 2014,

this time she triumphed with a standout performance

that earned her the trophy.

-Oh, my...!

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Jess, you look like you were having so much fun out there onstage.

-Did you enjoy the category final?

-I absolutely loved it.

When I was stood on stage, I felt completely at home.

And there were things I know I could have improved,

and things I wish I'd played better,

but I loved it and enjoyed it so much.

Now, of course, you get to do it all over again.

How does it feel to be in the semifinal?

To be in the semifinal is amazing.

I can't quite believe I'm here, but I can't wait to perform again.

And it's quite a different feeling because I think it's

more about the music - even more, again - rather than the technique

because you're against completely different instruments.

It is about the music you play

rather than the technique you present.

One of the cruellest things about the semifinal is that

only three of you will be going through to the grand final.

-Will you be thinking about that when you play?

-No.

When I play, I'm thinking about that one note I'm playing

at that one time.

There's no room in my head even to be nervous.

When I stepped out in the category final, that was it -

I was out. I was performing and playing.

I couldn't let anything else in.

The cameras that were moving round, the audience stood there -

I just had to play and play the best I could.

And what would it mean to you to make the final?

It would be crazy.

A saxophone player has never played a concerto in the final,

so to do that would be...insane.

APPLAUSE

The first piece is Pequena Czarda by Pedro Iturralde.

It's inspired by Hungarian folk music.

It's a really fun piece to play.

UP-TEMPO TUNE RESUMES

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Jess Gillam opening her bid for

a place in next week's grand final.

Now, she's going to play a piece called Fujiko

by the British composer Andy Scott.

It's inspired by a Japanese lady called Fujiko,

this beautiful, quite dark in places, emotional tune.

APPLAUSE

To close her programme, Jess performs the first movement

of a sonata by the American composer Phil Woods.

It's a fusion of elements of classical and traditional music

with jazz music.

Phil Woods sadly died last year,

so it's nice to be able to pay tribute to him and play his music.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Jess Gillam, 17 years old and the winner of this year's

woodwind category, giving it her all

in this BBC Young Musician semifinal.

SHE LAUGHS

She just had so much fun out there.

She really radiated this impish sense of humour,

especially during her first piece,

that the audience just ate up and adored.

Throughout the whole performance, she just oozed musicality

and you couldn't take your eyes off her.

She was so magnetic.

I loved her performance.

What a riveting, super-alert musical being she is.

The technique is so solid that she can do so many wonderful

and different things with the music.

I absolutely loved it, but there were some places where it went.

I was focusing on the performance, the overall mood, rather than the

intricacies, and that meant that,

in some places, it really wasn't perfect.

-INTERVIEWER:

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-I'm going to cry now.

-SHE LAUGHS

So, Jess Gillam?

All I can say is that I'm not going to forget tonight

for a really, really long time.

She is inspiring.

Absolutely, Ali, I couldn't agree more.

I've been presenting this competition for six years,

I've been watching it for about 30 years,

and I just don't think we've ever seen her like.

She is in a league of her own.

She brings such joy to every single performance.

You know that she just HAS to make music

and she's doing it because she loves every note.

And as a result, she puts the audience at their ease.

She just makes us so happy as well.

What a wondrous thing.

Absolutely. I think not only does she have a flawless technique,

which is of course vital at this stage,

and an unbelievable sound,

she just owns the stage.

And she just took us on a journey

that I don't think I've ever experienced before,

and I don't think that I was expecting to.

And I think that is the magic that is something like this competition.

This is the kind of person the competition should be

creating in the next 20/30 years, but she's here already,

-and she's 17, and she's really nice.

-I know.

And she's playing the saxophone.

Now, before we hear from our last semifinalist,

let's take a quick look at why this competition means

so much to all of these young performers.

For nearly 40 years, BBC Young Musician has been

providing a showcase for the brightest and best.

It's such an incredible,

stellar roll of British musicianship over the last decades.

This has been the springboard into an international career.

A number of the names are real world-beaters now.

This is a fantastic chance for them to make a reputation

and to make an impression on the audience.

And the list of winners includes some of the biggest names

and rising stars of classical music.

-Laura van der Heijden.

-CHEERING

Nicholas Daniel.

Frederick Kempf.

-Nicola Benedetti.

-CHEERING

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

an unforgettable performance in the final to become the latest

name to be added to that list.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

It is the best musical experience I've had

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

So which of these five will be joining that incredible

group of BBC Young Musician winners?

Well, the three who are chosen tonight will have to

give their biggest performance yet in the grand final,

when they'll play a full concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra

under the acclaimed conductor Mark Wigglesworth.

You'll be able to see the whole thing, here on BBC Four.

I do hope you can join Clemmie and me next Sunday.

Whoever goes through from tonight,

it promises to be a thrilling concert.

It certainly does. Well, now it's time to hear

our last performer in this BBC Young Musician semifinal -

it's 15-year-old pianist Jackie Campbell.

15-year-old Jackie is studying for his GCSEs

at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester,

but it's the piano that's his main focus.

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

'what it's trying to express,'

because it expresses its feelings

much more accurately than words can.

'I want to be able to give that feeling to people

'so they can read it,'

like a story in music.

Jackie's expressive performance

in the keyboard category secured him a place in this semifinal.

-Jackie Campbell.

-APPLAUSE

But his success came as quite a shock to him.

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

'I think we're all really special.'

Well, I can't speak for myself.

I take that back, actually.

Is it just about playing as well as you did,

or do you think you need that little something extra

for this particular round?

Good music is something, Artur Schnabel said,

"It's music better than it can ever be played". So we're constantly

trying to bring it more to life

and express it in a better way,

and I think that never stops.

Only three of you are going to get through to the final.

Will you be thinking about that,

or will you be treating it just as a normal concert?

I won't be thinking about that as I play

cos I think it will distract me from what I'm there to do

and I just need to perform it properly. The final,

whether or not that happens,

I guess life still goes on and music still goes on, so I'm fine with it.

APPLAUSE

So here is Jackie Campbell,

the last to perform in this BBC Young Musician semifinal.

His first piece is by the 20th-century

Hungarian composer Ligeti.

The richness of the music is something that really interests me.

He explores characters that other composers didn't before,

things like ambiguity, how his music can be both frightening

but silly at the same time.

APPLAUSE

Next, it's another piece from the 20th century,

a prelude by the French composer Claude Debussy.

This piece is really exciting.

He wrote "fireworks" at the bottom of the score.

It's the sound of lights.

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

APPLAUSE

Jackie also played two preludes by Scriabin

and, to end this BBC Young Musician semifinal, he's going to perform

one of Rachmaninov's dramatic Etudes-Tableaux.

This, he described in a letter as an oriental march,

and Rachmaninov's obsession with fate

and it's the darkness that comes across so much of his music

which interests me.

APPLAUSE

Jackie Campbell, the 2016 keyboard category winner,

bringing what's been an exceptional semifinal to a close.

Jackie just has incredible facility on the piano.

He opened his programme with a Ligeti etude

that's a real technical powerhouse and he just ate up

all of the ridiculous technical demands that it makes.

Virtuoso repertoire delivered with considerable technical fluency,

but as a result we only got a sense of Jackie as one kind of pianist.

Jackie is so endearing.

He crafts his musical world so carefully and so intelligently,

and it's just a joy to watch.

There's some things I like and there's some things

I think I want to change, I want to make better,

more expressive, more meaningful,

but... I think I'm happy, but I think I'm not finished.

Well, Jackie, an absolutely exceptional teenage artist.

You can hardly believe what you're hearing.

He made such light work of some really fiendish repertoire

and he's a wonderfully sensitive and intricate musician.

He really draws us in. I wonder, though, how much does he give back?

We've seen some performances tonight that really radiate.

Can he compete with that?

Well, I think he can compete. He's an exquisite musician.

His Ligeti, for instance, the first piece,

I don't think there was anything he needed to pass on.

He just played it and it just was musical, it made sense,

it was wonderful. I wonder, as the programme went on,

if he could have possibly have found a way of giving us even more

sort of fireworks and pizzazz because, as you say,

the others have also been really competing at the highest level

in this way, and he deserves to do so well,

so I have my fingers crossed for him because he's wonderful.

They all deserve, of course, to do so well.

I'm going to be mean and ask you

-to give us your predictions for tonight.

-Well, that's so hard.

I would say, for me, two places are a dead cert.

There are two that I'm finding utterly inspiring.

The third place, in my head, is up for grabs, so anything could happen.

Well, luckily, it's not us who have to make that decision.

It has been another absolutely captivating night, here in Cardiff,

and I really think that all five semifinalists can be so proud

of what they've achieved.

They really have taken their playing to another level this evening.

The jury have now left the hall to make their decision.

Remember, just three of tonight's young musicians

will be going through to the grand final on 15th May

and it's not going to be an easy decision.

Here's a quick reminder of their performances.

Like any really good, engaging solo percussionist, there's something

very physical about him and the way that he gets into his instrument.

There was a finesse as well, the detail of his work with

the snare drum, that was a really captivating start to the programme.

Ben is a natural born storyteller and the first piece, the Salonen,

the way that he phrased each chapter,

it really felt like you were going through a story.

To get that and to communicate it, I think,

was beyond not only his years but it's pure professionalism.

Sheku bounced on stage, gave a performance of real energy.

He was accompanied by his sister.

There was this very warm feeling on stage.

He's a really passionate, vibrant cellist

and he really communicated this through to the audience.

With Jess, music just seemed to ooze out.

It was like going straight into a jazz bar in another country, even.

It was fantastic music-making.

There's many professional musicians

that I think don't have the level of musicianship that she has.

There's a wonderful, charming quality to Jackie and you can see

in his playing that there is just a world beyond what you're seeing.

There is a really special tenderness, I think,

to the way that he makes music.

I think we can say that...

'I couldn't be prouder of all of the musicians tonight.'

Every single one of them,

I was captivated and really into their performance.

APPLAUSE

Ladies and gentlemen,

I don't think I've ever seen such a sensational semifinal.

Every single one of the performers that we've seen tonight is

so incredible and, on another year, they could all be going through.

Now, please welcome back our jury -

Meurig Bowen, Alpesh Chauhan, Huw Humphreys, and, to announce

the names of the three musicians who will be going through

to the grand final of BBC Young Musician 2016, Dobrinka Tabakova.

APPLAUSE

Thank you.

All five musicians tonight were extremely moving

and possessed such musicality.

It was a difficult choice,

but we were absolutely unanimous that three of these musicians

just shone, so the three people going through to the grand final

of BBC Young Musician 2016 are...

Jess Gillam,

Ben Goldscheider

and Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

Please welcome them.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

'For me, it wasn't simply a level of maturity that they show,

'but it was a level of engagement with the audience.

'Their pieces were the vehicles through which

'they really communicated a very, very strong musical personality'

and that was absolutely captivating as a jury.

Now, please join me in welcoming back our other outstanding winners -

they are all winners - Jackie Campbell and Andrew Woolcock!

APPLAUSE

'The three finalists, I think, are just ready to take on the world.'

They have the personality and the character, and the stage is theirs.

THEY LAUGH

You superstar!

Ben, that was so stunning.

-You must be so proud of yourself.

-I'm really pleased, yeah.

It's going to be such an amazing final

-and I can't wait to hear you play Strauss.

-Yeah, it'll be nice.

-I think it's a concerto that doesn't get done so much.

-Yeah.

It's very difficult. I'll be practising it from tomorrow morning.

Sorry!

I'm just really looking forward to it.

What an absolutely amazing night and you just completely nailed it,

and it was so wonderful to have the two of you on stage together.

Sheku, how did you feel it went? Quietly confident?

Really great, yeah. I don't actually remember the performance any more

but, yeah, I'm just really happy.

Jess, you look like you enjoyed every second of that.

I did. I absolutely loved it and I can't believe it!

It didn't seem like you were in a competition.

It seemed like you were just in your favourite ever gig.

Yeah, it has to be about the music, I think,

because it's so subjective as well

and, I don't know, all I could do was perform my best.

You totally did that and then some. Your family must just be...

Their minds must be blown right now. So proud, they must be bursting.

-Well done, you were so amazing.

-Thank you very much.

I've been so inspired by you.

Huge congratulations to Jess, Ben and Sheku.

We'll be seeing all of them again next weekend,

when they each perform a concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra

-and conductor Mark Wigglesworth.

-And I think we can safely say

that we're in for a very special evening indeed.

Join Ali and me, here on BBC Four, next Sunday.

It's the grand final of BBC Young Musician 2016.

-But from all of us here in Cardiff tonight...

-BOTH: Goodnight.