FMS-Blog : The Wildly Whimsical, Mostly Musical WebLog
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Young Musician of the Year 2006
Sometimes I begin to wonder what on earth way pay our television license fee for. I mean, there is just so much rubbish on tv these days that it's hard to understand how our government justifies charging us to receive these broadcasts to our homes. Quite apart from the fact that most people nowadays don't even use the standard aerial on their roof to get this stuff, the majority of the repeated or regurgitated nonsense on our screens is provided by third party companies who are in it more to make a quick buck than to provide any worthwhile service, not least by repeatedly bombarding us with the most annoying advertisements for mobile phone ringtones and the like...
And then I switch on the Beeb's digital television channel, BBC4, and it all seems worthwhile. Don't get me wrong, the BBC broadcast a lot of programmes on both television and radio that don't personally interest me, but it would seem pretty difficult to argue against the idea that when they go for quality entertainment, the Beeb really seem to pull it out of the bag. Their musical offerings particularly highlight this point : as well as the annual Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, the BBC Symphony Orchestra's regular nationwide season, pop and rock concerts such as Radio 1's Big Weekend and a plethora of other musical events, many of which are heavily subsidised by the license fee payer, the BBC organise internationally acclaimed music competitions, including the Young Musician of the Year which is going on at the moment.
I spent an hour last night simply mesmerised by the amazing talent on show at the semi-final level. Yesterday's programme centred around the pianoforte / keyboard and percussion competitions and it's no exaggeration to say that all 10 performers (5 in each section) were stunning to watch. That people of 15-17 years old could carry huge classical pieces off so convincingly is remarkable in itself but I was especially impressed listening to each one perform a piece written within the past 10 years - really interesting contemporary works that, devoid of regular melody or rhythmic pattern, are difficult for the most experienced musician to work with.
More notable too was how much fun each of these young people seemed to be having throughout the preparation for their solo performances - contrary to the popular notion of a child being forced into music lessons against his or her will, these kids were clearly enthusiastic about the whole thing and having a great time, not least as a member of a group of likeminded musicians. Great to see - I sincerely hope the BBC continues to fund such ventures far into the future.
And then I switch on the Beeb's digital television channel, BBC4, and it all seems worthwhile. Don't get me wrong, the BBC broadcast a lot of programmes on both television and radio that don't personally interest me, but it would seem pretty difficult to argue against the idea that when they go for quality entertainment, the Beeb really seem to pull it out of the bag. Their musical offerings particularly highlight this point : as well as the annual Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, the BBC Symphony Orchestra's regular nationwide season, pop and rock concerts such as Radio 1's Big Weekend and a plethora of other musical events, many of which are heavily subsidised by the license fee payer, the BBC organise internationally acclaimed music competitions, including the Young Musician of the Year which is going on at the moment.
I spent an hour last night simply mesmerised by the amazing talent on show at the semi-final level. Yesterday's programme centred around the pianoforte / keyboard and percussion competitions and it's no exaggeration to say that all 10 performers (5 in each section) were stunning to watch. That people of 15-17 years old could carry huge classical pieces off so convincingly is remarkable in itself but I was especially impressed listening to each one perform a piece written within the past 10 years - really interesting contemporary works that, devoid of regular melody or rhythmic pattern, are difficult for the most experienced musician to work with.
More notable too was how much fun each of these young people seemed to be having throughout the preparation for their solo performances - contrary to the popular notion of a child being forced into music lessons against his or her will, these kids were clearly enthusiastic about the whole thing and having a great time, not least as a member of a group of likeminded musicians. Great to see - I sincerely hope the BBC continues to fund such ventures far into the future.
