Wednesday, 20 January 2010

1367 Young musicians and Horror in Burma

Yesterday was an international day of salutation for talented youth when also the reality of the limitations of international government was very evident for everyone to experience. We all crave individual liberty to be ourselves and to exercise the maximum control over our lives and we all resent when government takes decisions which affects us adversely or takes decision we do not like or would have taken differently if given the power.

Yesterday the world realised not just the full horror of the force of nature in Burma as speculation mounted of 100000 and more dead and a million affected, without the basics of shelter, food, sanitation to prevent many more dying in the aftermath. The world genuinely wanted to help, in the sense of ordinary people, often with little themselves, understanding the nightmare and wanting to alleviate the suffering in someway. The behaviour of the Burmese government was held to be irresponsible because it has refused the intervention of other governments knowing that the motive of many of these government is to bring to an end their power alongside genuine humanitarian concern, knowing that any help in the present circumstances would go to the government, its army and supporters wielding the power. The position of everyone is understandable and time is needed to achieve reconciliation but time those most affected do not have. Time and time again Jesus Christ is present on earth and is crucified. So I shut out this reality and celebrated the exceptional talents of a few individuals, although there was a tinge of regret that I may not live to see them fulfil their potential, although the greater fear is that I could live to seem fail.

30 years ago a young trombonist, Michael Hext won the first British Young Musician of the Year, a competition which is only open to those who are born in the UK and who are under twenty years of age on the day of the final, this year on Sunday May 11th, at the millennium Hall Cardiff. I predict this year's winner will be another trombonist, aged twelve years, Peter Moore, who comes from a brass playing family and is already a soloist with a brass band where his mother also plays,. Accompanying him to trips to Chicago, the Isle of Man and Paris. When his mother, no doubt on the advice of the music school he attends told him he was ready to enter the competition, it was for the experience of such a competition and the exposure of reaching the televised semi finals, and perhaps going on to the final, but it was because he was considered ready to win.

Once before a twelve year old was the outright winner but so far I have found information that she was due to have a concert in London in 2005, but nothing after that. Although Peter was born into a household already playing brass instruments with his father a trombonist he should musicality before he could talk an his father revealed that once when he ended a tune prematurely he was stunned that his son sang the final note in perfect pitch. His mother also mentioned that that when in pre school she had to explain that only some children learnt and could play an instrument. Peter started to play the trombone when he was six and within a couple of years he have become a better player than his father and knew that playing the trombone and being a soloist musicians was what he wanted to be and his parents were then faced with the decision to send him to one of the great musical schools in world Cheetham's in Manchester and who this year has provided half the sixteen semi finalists so far. He was nine years old. Unlike many of the others who need to spend all the day, every day in practice rising early to do so for an hour before breakfast, Peter seems a very balance young man who will spend several hours playing football with his mates or playing console and computer games. I only have an untutored musical ear and my technical knowledge is sparse but his performance of Sandstrom's Sang til Lotta was breathtaking in its tone and beauty and brought tears to the eye of one of the judges, who then expressed concern about what would be the impact on his life if he won outright. Two other older pupils from the school, both also exceptional had to stand by in awe with a third.

Some of those who have won the competition have stood the test of time with perhaps the most successful and well known Emma Johnson, the Clarinettist who won in 1984 and then in a young artist competition in New York and now performs to sell out concerts in throughout the world, Europe, The USA, the Far east, Asia and Australia. He repertoire includes forty concertos. She has her own chamber Ensemble and has successfully conducted orchestras. Nor is it necessary to always win the competition. Paul Watkins won the string section but the final in 1988 and is now regarded as one of Britain's leading cellists who also turned to conducting winning both the critics and audience prizes at the Leed's conductor's competition. However the is one performer from those thirty years also moved me beyond words, another cellist Natalie Clien who won the competition in 1994 with a performance of the Elgar which, dare I suggest, was greater than Jacqueline Du Pre. She then went to win to become the first British winner of the Eurovision completion for young musicians. She won the classical Brit award for young musicians in 2005 and amazingly but sadly is appearing in Newcastle this Saturday when I am otherwise engaged. Such is life.

Across the Atlantic it was also semi final night for American Idol when the four remaining contestants had 500 songs from the American Rock Hall of Fame to chose from, 17 year old David Archuleta stole the show with performances of Stand by me and Love me Tender. In the beginning I argued that David would win unless he faltered and so it was with a couple of less that good weeks it looked as if he was handing the title to rocker David Cook who is already a polished performer that people will pay money to go and see on stage. Although Simon had never rated her and her voice screeches out on the higher registers the most impressive transformation is that of Seyesha Mercado whose stage presence and sexy personality will earn her a career on Broadway, Her performance of A change is gonna come was outstanding although surprisingly one judge, not Simon for once, made it clear he did not want her to win. I think she has the potential to surprise everyone.

Otherwise it was gentle kind of day in which I removed the spring bulbs from their containers to dry and got things ready for the summer planting which I will commence next Wednesday. I will for a walk today to take a look on what is on offer as for the fifth day in succession it is warm and sunny. Magic. The first occasion of warm and sunny for six months. It was bright for a few days earlier when I made my first visit by ferry across the Tyne but the wind was fresh. Last year of course there was good weather, did I not go to Scotland around this time? And then the rain came and with floods, ending with the Diana Concert. I must remember to cancel my subscription to Satanta sports for the Summer. It could be that Kevin Keegan's second coming is short lived for after his comments about not having the player resources to challenge for the top four he held the pre match conference a day earlier as he was summoned to London to discuss the situation. Apparently he has to sell players before he can buy as the new owner discovered a major debt on the books something which had not been established at the time he and his advisers decided to buy the club. Alan Shearer you were wise to stay away. Is Michael Owen on his way?

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