Piano/serious music related programmes on TV

[Gill the Piano]

Can't, we haven't got binlid telly...
Did anyone see the Scrapheap Orchestra programme over Christmas? Fantastic!!

[dave brum]

Just caught a round on Pointless connected with pictures of 'famous' pop piano players. I got Rick Wakeman, Alicia Keys, Liberace and Benny Andersson. The other one was some geyser called Tom Odell whom I've never heard of. Could have had Tori Amos, Billy Joel, betcha no one would have got Liane Carroll if they'd had included her.

Now to find out who this Odell chapp is...

[dave brum]

Piano final of Young Musician 14 on BBC4 on Friday 9th May at 1930.

[Gill the Piano]

Hooo, depressing; hate clever kids!

[dave brum]

Hooo, depressing; hate clever kids!

Bet you were really clever as a kid! And did your piano practice every night!!!

[Gill the Piano]

Yes, but not voluntarily. It was made v. clear that nobody else played so if I didn't the piano would be chopped up (the brutal 60s...). My teachers all agreed I was clever...but v. lazy!

[dave brum]

I was told I was 'capable but don't always give of my best'. Possibly because I was bullied as a child and a) it wasn't talked about in the 70s and b) complacent teachers just dismissed it as 'schoolboy banter' (the worst excuse in the world).

I still want to go to the Leeds next year....hopefully. Have to get my keyboard out and do some Mozart street entertainment. Reading Federico Colli (Leeds winner 2012) in Pianist magazine makes me want to go even more.

[dave brum]

I do not enjoy television these days (probably because a. my wife cannot live without it b. the general quality of programmes we're spoonfed and c. there really is too much of it in the West) but Young Musician was thoroughly enjoyable. I liked all five of them but Hayley Parkes stood out for me. I bet she had a fantastic piano teacher as in order to impart so much information at age 18, she had to have enjoyed each and every piano lesson she had which would have spurred her on musically, rather than rebel and look upon piano playing as a reluctance. As did Julian Trevelyan, what a really lovely young man he is. He would have turned into a stockbroker or a Tory MP had music and physical exercise not got to him first!

If I'd ever had had kids, I would have wanted them to turn out like every one of those five.

[Gill the Piano]

I missed it; I'm so cross with myself for forgetting it!

[dave brum]

I missed it; I'm so cross with myself for forgetting it!

I take it you have no access to iPlayer, or any type of catchup. I'm going to record it so I could always send a David of it down to you. Also, I'm sure another of the contestants (Isata Kanneh Mason) came up to me whilst I was fooling around with the pianos in Musicroom in Nottingham many moons ago, and gave me a round of applause (she was playing a complex piece on another piano).

[Gill the Piano]

No david player and my pooter sound remains inaudible unless I lay my head on the keyboard. I shall wait for the finals!

[dave brum]

Martin Bartlett from Hornchurch (which the BBC erroneously refer to as being in Essex when in actual fact it's been in London since before I was born!) is the keyboard category finalist this year. I remember him from being a finalist in 2012.

As a footnote, I would have expected Clemmy Burton-Hill to present, as she is the daughter of the competitions' founder Humphrey Burton. Co-presenter with Alison Balsom, guitarist Milos reminds me of Jamie Theakston, don't ask me Y.

[dave brum]

Hooo, depressing; hate clever kids!

How refreshing it would be to see a YM competitor who is working class, does not speak in RP, lives in a council house with a single parent or both parents on the dole, penniless and not knowing where the next scrap of food is coming from......but with tremendous encouragement for their child. Music making is so damn elitist, middle class and snobby and BBC Young Musician really must play its part in breaking down those class barriers.....it is supposed to be music for ALL people!

One does not have to be rich or come from a rich background to be clever. Might write to the BBC about this, they always reply. But one cannot deny the fact that in Young Musician, there is talent, musicality and love of music.

[dave brum]

Hooo, depressing; hate clever kids!

How refreshing it would be to see a YM competitor who is working class, does not speak in RP, lives in a council house with a single parent or both parents on the dole, penniless and not knowing where the next scrap of food is coming from......but with tremendous encouragement for their child. Music making is so damn elitist, middle class and snobby and BBC Young Musician really must play its part in breaking down those class barriers.....it is supposed to be music for ALL people!

One does not have to be rich or come from a rich background to be clever. Might write to the BBC about this, they always reply. But one cannot deny the fact that in Young Musician, there is talent, musicality and love of music.

[Gill the Piano]

The sad thing is that in my day (said the 1000 year old woman) music lessons were subsidised and the county allocated so many free music lessons to each school to be allocated as the music staff saw fit. So if they knew someone was wanting to learn an instrument but money was an issue, the lessons were available.
Hooray for the government...remember Labour saying they would make music a priority and then promoting singing - because they wouldn't have to fork out for instruments...

[Gill the Piano]

How refreshing it would be to see a YM competitor who is working class, does not speak in RP.

Conversely, do you remember a very plummy sounding Nigel Kennedy aged about 10 being interviewed on the telly?

[dave brum]

When I started junior school (1977) we were all sat on the floor in the hall on our first day (well, the new first year were) and teacher said 'stand up if you would like to learn to play a musical instrument) and those that did stand up (but not shy old me) were led away to the school music room by Mr Farr. The school had loads of brass string and woodwind instruments in the store cupboard that they would happily loan out. But there were no scholarships for the guitar, or indeed the piano even though I think I mentioned on here before one girl in my class who was having piano lessons.

New Orleans jazz piano pioneers did most certainly not come with silver spoons in their mouths, ABRSM graded exam certificates or both. They were supported by and/or started their musical experiences in Christian churches. Reminds me of my teachers' church who backed a young organist to study at our Conservatoire.

Paul Lewis comes from a working class background, but I wonder if he's had elocution lessons as he has no trace of a Liverpool accent. My teacher Mabel does have a noticeable but not in yer face Brummie accent though!

[Gill the Piano]

I was disappointed the pianist won it; he seemed to be self absorbed and not considering the audience at all. My fave, the recorder player, was engaged with both music and audience. No doubt that the pianist was technically excellent, but not a performer, I felt.