Israeli among three BBC Young Musician finalists

Israeli among three BBC Young Musician finalists

News

norman lebrecht

October 13, 2024

They’ve just been named:


Violinist Shlomi Shahaf (17), born in Israel and raised in Ukraine, currently studying at the Purcell School
Pianist Ryan Wang (17) from Vancouver, Canada, currently on a music scholarship at Eton College
Pianist Jacky Zhang (16) from Surrey, a piano and composition student at the Royal College of Music

Comments

  • Hmmm says:

    Shame he can’t play in tune and doesn’t even adjust while playing. Great sound but a strange decision from the judges.

    • Hello says:

      Hmmm

      And many flaws in his playing from live audition to semi finals. Wonder if he is playing those notes or sliding the notes

    • Guest says:

      See 50 earlier Slippedisc posts (October 6) regarding this.
      Suzy Klein, take note, the change of format has failed !

    • Violin professor says:

      I agree..loads of wrong notes..unrhythmic, plays to the Gallery.. with a forced sound pressing into violin..not helped by the weak accompanist often a beat behind ..

    • Mike Barrett says:

      I am a string player and find your comments nonsensical…

  • Joe Rogan says:

    What about Hugo on cello?? You’ve gotta be kidding me.

  • RevWev says:

    Very enjoyable evening, although I personally felt the cellist Hugo more worthy of a place in the Final than Shlmomi (as beautiful as his olde worlde sound is…).

  • Fred Funk says:

    ….And NO viola players.

    NO soup for you……..

  • Doppelgänger says:

    -Mom, I want Yunchan Lim for Christmas !
    -We already have Yunchan Lim at home.

    Yunchan Lim at home : (left guy in the picture)

  • Michael says:

    I really don’t get the new format. I think this is a dull line up, and I’ve heard a rumour that both pianists played the same Concerto in the final anyway!! Very tedious. Bring back the instrument groups, and properly qualified judges.

    • Gregor says:

      And no sudden, unprofessional, late changes to the rules to accommodate certain competitors.
      The 12 quarter finalists all received e mails out of the blue saying they could change their stipulated choice of concerto if they wanted to.( Rules clearly state 30 mins maximum duration for the concerto final.)
      Just a coincidence hopefully that two of the three concerto finalists are now playing concertos longer than 30 minutes.

    • Geraldine Watson says:

      I totally agree. Percussion and brass left out. I don’t think the same.judges should be used throughout the whole process.

  • Dargomyzhsky says:

    Well, he didn’t win and nor should he have done. The repertoire chosen by all three finalists suggests that music is a dead language. It is not.

  • Tim Walton says:

    Norman.

    You have the wrong photo. The one you are showing is NOT Shlomi Shahaf.

    Shlomi is the one in the white shirt!!

  • Disgruntled says:

    Wang and Shahaf shouldn’t even have been allowed to enter to begin with.

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