Who's watching BBC Young Musician final? What is the BBC playing at ? This is takes dumbing down to a whole new level!

[Twinklemegan]

First they fill the hour-long category finals with chit chat and only let us see about 2 minutes of each finalist playing. Now they can't even broadcast the concerto final in full. I'm pretty disgusted with the Beeb - what an insult to this generation of young musicians!

I saw the keyboard final and I was discusted too. There was 45 min worth of the competition and in an hour long program they showed about 4 minutes in total and that was constantly interupted with judges comments. Surely most people who want to watch this like classical music and want to judge the competitors themselves on their merits - there was really no chance of it. Felt like writing in to complain but I haven't seen enough really - is it on now then?

Yes it's on now. They are currently each playing one of their category final pieces. Then they're each going to play an "extract" from the concerto they played in yesterday's untelevised concerto concert. Obviously we're all too ignorant to be able to sit through a whole concerto and judge the merits of the performance ourselves!

On BBC2 sorry.

I have sky plussed it - if there is any point. They said at the end of last nights that we could watch the whole thing live on the internet. I remember watching it live on terrestrial ?BBC1 when I was growing up.

www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/news/2008/05/09/54815.shtml

looks like they have had lots of complaints along these lines - here is their response

So their excuse is they're trying to attract a new audience - I thought as much! I await the time when they reduce football coverage to the goals only in order to attract people like me who find it deathly dull!

I was disappointed at the lack of actual music. I recorded the final last night and ended up wondering why I bothered.

oh don't even get me started
it is so annoying isn't it?
so little classical music on the tv as it is

oh how crap

So glad to have found this thread and just want to add my irritation too. DH and I remember when this was a serious competition- watched this with ds (very serious piano student) and were flabbergasted at the dumbing down.

DS was really annoyed he didn't get to see the whole of the concertos! All this 'new audience' nonsense really irritates me - Ds's (state comp) school and his Saturday music school are both full of really musical children and teens who are used to participating in and watching serious musical events.

Do the BBC really think turning it into a classical version of 'Tonight Matthew I'm going to be...' will drag those with other interests away from Hollyoaks and EastEnders?

I used to watch this avidly when I was a kid, and took part later on (though didn't get onto tv, I got to the round before that). But I don't watch it now, it's just TOO irritating.

There is a serious culture in our society that children are stupid, and the only way to reach children is through 30 second soundbites. The idea that a child might be intelligent has bypassed people completely. It drives me mad! Children are amazing and can do anything, if they are motivated in the right way, and given inspirational teaching.

Could not agree more. I thought their coverage was absolutely dire and they should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves

Have now read the response - all this 'get to know the characters' - I was under the impression it was a MUSIC competition, not a personality show. It's only a matter of time before the viewers are invited to phone in their votes - 50% of the votes from the judges and 50% from the voting public, based on a)what country they come from (England/Ireland/Wales/Scotland), b) who is the youngest and cutest and c) who has the best sob story.....

Oh, Tortoise, that is the writing on the wall, isn't it...

I didn't even watch the final and I am therefore not sure whether my hunch is correct, but I was a bit concerned that a 12 year old won it this year. He looked like a smashing lad, and how nice to see a trombonist in the frame, but after reading that complaints response you wonder whether the aaah/telegenicity factor was significant

Makes me mad. And it DOES have a knock-on effect on children. Both mine play the piano but it's increasingly difficult to get either of them to play any classical pieces at all because it's not cool. We moved my son when he was 10 to a school where there is a lot of classical music performed, but I fear that it was too late. He will play jazz piano, which I actually love, but won't even look at a classical piece now that he's passed Grade 3.

My daughter, nine, is going the same way post Grade 3 (is that when it happens--this aversion?). 'I just want to play Disney,' she said this morning.

I remember when the BBC used to show all the different category heats as well as the final in full...I'm not a classical musician, just a dabbler/enthusiastic listener, and I used to love watching the heats and hearing so many wonderful performances. What a shame BBC2 can't seem to find any time in their busy schedule of Torchwood repeats for more in-depth coverage.

Yes, we watched the strings final and the grand final. I totally agree, it was ruined by not allowing us to hear what the contestants were actually playing. All this bite-sized chunks business was most irritating. Not just me, the children thought so too.

And agree with Coffeecrazedmama - my children are quite used to sitting through two-hour classical concerts (even the five year old can manage - although she does wrigggle a bit). This dumbing down stuff isn't helping at all, we are raising a generation of children who aren't expected to have a concentration span longer than two minutes.
Pah!

I don't normally watch it, but did this year because DS is in his 2nd year of learning trombone & I thought it might inspire him. Fortunately, I'd Skyplussed the brass category & final, so I was able to forward through the inane chatter. We were delighted that Peter Moore won. We thought he was fantastic & thoroughly deserved to win; a real boost for a not-very-popular instrument. DS has been practising daily ever since.

Like everyone else though, we'd have preferred to hear more music & less interviews/profiles. A quick 2 minute blurb on each contestant would have been plenty. Even the interview questions were a bit dumb: asking what it's like to play in that hall/with that orchestra could only produce an obvious answer.

I wondered what peoples thoughts on the final are.

Accepting this is a competition with a 'winner' etc I cannot see how the pianist did not win. His piece was standard repertoire BUT he played it with such feeling (his total technical mastery becoming irrelevant even) - I just cannot get it.

The recorder player played next best and the cellist who I had expected to win on the night chose a dreadful piece (sorry I have to be honest!) - rightly unknown virtually! - and - altho she did it extremely well - did not rise to the occasion at all to the same extent as the pianist or the recorder player both of whom seemed to drag the orchestra with them (particularly the recorder player who seemed to grow in stature immensely as she went along having walked in looking incredibly nervous.)

While its awful to talk about young performers in this way - the competition form seems to be accepted in the arts (as if its sport) - and in this instance had a 'clear' winner. A genius to me. Paul Lewis looked astonished (as did the two guys being interviewed who looked like they were in heaven. And visibly UNDERWHELMED after the cellist (yet plumping for her when they had clearly been primed what to say??) Just don't get it!

The orchestra certainly played the Walton better - but no - the wrong person won even if in the strings section round she had played so incredibly movingly putting aside all fire works etc

As if I need to I must add all three are marvellous musicians and the whole thing is very moving - aside from the pressure and gruelling and punishing nature of the competition format.

Although you've revived a zombie thread.... I thought the pianist was amazing, watched the whole performance. I misse the recorder and turned the cellist off as it was boring.

Wow, you had me really confused there! I thought I must have watched a different programme - note to others - this thread is from 2008!!

sorry!!

I don't do a lot of forums! - can we consider this revived - is that allowed??