BBC Young Musician Competition Options

[barncottagecat]

Back to the competition - we went to the string final, and it was great fun. The atmosphere in the hall when Cello Girl came onto the stage was palpable. She exuded a special quality before she'd even picked up her instrument - it was quite bizarre actually. We were there supporting one of the other competitors, but all agreed that there had been one outstanding performance - if not technically outstanding, certainly musically. I suppose this goes to show that part of the joy of music is actually seeing it performed in real life as opposed to on a recording, be it TV or mp3.

It's this quality which makes a great soloist. Some of the players were so introspective that one felt they were playing just for themselves; it takes something different to make each member of an audience feel that you are playing just for them, and I think Laura has that something.

All of the candidates are probably going to end up in orchestras (if that is what they choose), because they are fantastic players, but only a few (like Nicola Benedetti and Natalie Clein) will make it as soloists, and they are the ones which BBC YMOTY highlights.

Ahh that's it - Laura! - Couldn't remember her name. Thanks Berkshire mum!

[Czerny]

I'm really not getting much from Clemency Burton-Hill's whispered (and self-consciously hip - well, hip for the BBC) mid-performance comments. Am I missing something? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

[Arundodonuts]

I'm really not getting much from Clemency Burton-Hill's whispered (and self-consciously hip - well, hip for the BBC) mid-performance comments. Am I missing something? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

No.

[DiscoPants]

I thought the cellist that won was miles better than the rest.
In general think the standard has dropped quite significantly since they started fiddling with the format.

[FullofWind]

I did find the cellists interaction with the pianist quite contrived. These students are now being taught, well clearly some aren't, to perform but it doesn't necessarily make them a better musician. I've watched some pianists or violinists look almost overcome with the music but most of it is acting and the audience is duped into feeling the music through the expression on the musicians face. If we closed our eyes or watched the hands, we may have chosen a different candidate.

[DiscoPants]

I did find the cellists interaction with the pianist quite contrived. These students are now being taught, well clearly some aren't, to perform but it doesn't necessarily make them a better musician. I've watched some pianists or violinists look almost overcome with the music but most of it is acting and the audience is duped into feeling the music through the expression on the musicians face. If we closed our eyes or watched the hands, we may have chosen a different candidate.

I thought she was clearly better than the others in spite of, rather than because of, her gurning at the pianist.

[FullofWind]

I did find the cellists interaction with the pianist quite contrived. These students are now being taught, well clearly some aren't, to perform but it doesn't necessarily make them a better musician. I've watched some pianists or violinists look almost overcome with the music but most of it is acting and the audience is duped into feeling the music through the expression on the musicians face. If we closed our eyes or watched the hands, we may have chosen a different candidate.

I thought she was clearly better than the others in spite of, rather than because of, her gurning at the pianist.

I'm not saying she wasn't but I've seen previous competitions where other contestants should have gone through. I preferred the violinist but the cellist and violinist definitely stood out above the rest.

[DiscoPants]

I did find the cellists interaction with the pianist quite contrived. These students are now being taught, well clearly some aren't, to perform but it doesn't necessarily make them a better musician. I've watched some pianists or violinists look almost overcome with the music but most of it is acting and the audience is duped into feeling the music through the expression on the musicians face. If we closed our eyes or watched the hands, we may have chosen a different candidate.

I thought she was clearly better than the others in spite of, rather than because of, her gurning at the pianist.

I'm not saying she wasn't but I've seen previous competitions where other contestants should have gone through. I preferred the violinist but the cellist and violinist definitely stood out above the rest.

Wasn't struck on the violinist. Couldn't see what the fuss was about.

[Seer_Green]

I did find the cellists interaction with the pianist quite contrived. These students are now being taught, well clearly some aren't, to perform but it doesn't necessarily make them a better musician. I've watched some pianists or violinists look almost overcome with the music but most of it is acting and the audience is duped into feeling the music through the expression on the musicians face. If we closed our eyes or watched the hands, we may have chosen a different candidate.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)
The first of the violinists played with her eyes closed all the way through - as an 'audience' member, I find that deeply off-putting. I'm all for feeling and emotion, and I'm sure that closing the eyes occasionally is part of that, but to my mind, not to the exclusion of the audience.

[Viledin4u]

I thought it was between the violinist and the cellist purely because they sounded more musical than the others to me. I am no expert in assessing who plays better, but I did find the cellist's interaction with the pianist a bit 'overacted' and put on for the audience rather than a genuine 'crush' on the pianist (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (sorry looked like teeenage crush to me), and because of this it was a bit harder to listen to her properly due to my being somewhat bemused by the way she was acting. I would like to believe that the judges found this just as amusing/off putting and have seen beyond this. She is extremely good for her age and I do think she deserved to win.

[FullofWind]

I thought it was between the violinist and the cellist purely because they sounded more musical than the others to me. I am no expert in assessing who plays better, but I did find the cellist's interaction with the pianist a bit 'overacted' and put on for the audience rather than a genuine 'crush' on the pianist (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (sorry looked like teeenage crush to me), and because of this it was a bit harder to listen to her properly due to my being somewhat bemused by the way she was acting. I would like to believe that the judges found this just as amusing/off putting and have seen beyond this. She is extremely good for her age and I do think she deserved to win.

I am also quite concerned when age comes into it. The question is not about who is good for their age (I know you didn't say that Viledin4u) but who is the best in the competition regardless of age. Maybe as she matures she will learn to perform in a more natural way but until then she shouldn't win the competition because for her age she is the best.

[barncottagecat]

I agree it was a bit over the top - For me it came across as a sort of naivety - a hyper-reliance upon the accompanist perhaps for support, or as viledin says, a teenage crush! Or perhaps she's done lots of chamber music training where it is so important to communicate with whoever else you're playing with. As a cellist, it's much easier to look round at your accompanist because your don't have a wooden box stuck in your neck! The other cellist didn't give his accompanist so much as a glance, so there's obviously a preferable mid point somewhere.

I think it's quite hard for violinists to look like they have anything to do with the accompanist at all sometimes.

[Misterioso]

[quote name='FullofWind' date='Apr 30 2012, 09:28 AM' post='1145121']
I thought she was clearly better than the others in spite of, rather than because of, her gurning at the pianist.
[/quote]

I'm not saying she wasn't but I've seen previous competitions where other contestants should have gone through.
[/quote]
That will always be the case as there must, in all such competitions and even with an experienced panel, be a degree of subjectivity.

[FullofWind]

I agree it was a bit over the top - For me it came across as a sort of naivety - a hyper-reliance upon the accompanist perhaps for support, or as viledin says, a teenage crush! Or perhaps she's done lots of chamber music training where it is so important to communicate with whoever else you're playing with. As a cellist, it's much easier to look round at your accompanist because your don't have a wooden box stuck in your neck! The other cellist didn't give his accompanist so much as a glance, so there's obviously a preferable mid point somewhere.

I think it's quite hard for violinists to look like they have anything to do with the accompanist at all sometimes.

I was at the Southbank last year and I watched a make violinist dance and stomp his feet, laugh and smile at the orchestra, conductor and audience, whilst still playing amazingly. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Arundodonuts]

Or perhaps she's done lots of chamber music training where it is so important to communicate with whoever else you're playing with

It was stated in the preamble about her that she did a lot of chamber music - but that "communication" was surely utterly unnatural? It didn't appear to occur where it would have any meaning to what was going on musically at the time. It put me off to the extent that I don't think I could honestly say whether I thought her playing particularly good or not. The judges clearly know more about these things than I do.

Mind you, at the weekend I saw Natalie Clein and whilst I enjoyed her playing I didn't like watching her (another "gurner"). Perhaps there is a pattern here.