Just in: Russian wins Eurovision Young Musician 2018
mainThe pianist Ivan Bessonov, 16, was the runaway winner, playing the finale of the Tchaikovsky concerto.
In the absence of a BBC broadcast, the contest was watched live by just 700 people on Youtube.
It would also have been possible for people in the far SE of England (London et al) to watch it live on BBC 2 Scotland via the iPlayer alongside people here in Scotland who could watch on more traditional TV.
As it happens, I chose at that time to listen to the fabulous Prom by the Budapest Festival Orchestra on BBC Radio 3. There was a lot going on for which we can be grateful to the BBC, and much of it can be caught later via the iPlayer.
After hundreds of hearings, mainly in piano competitions, there is no way I will listen to any performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1st piano concerto ever again. It’s worse than having to eat baked beans three times a day for a month.
All the final and semifinal performances are available on YouTube or via https://youngmusicians.tv (but only if you live in the Eurovision area, I believe, or can use a VPN). I was impressed by the presentation of the event in the Usher Hall (in contrast to a few years ago when it was in the Vienna Rathausplatz with a lot of traffic noise). The Russian winner was an excellent choice (based also on his semifinal). I was also most impressed with the young Norwegian cellist Birgitta Elisa Oftestad who did a riveting performance of the first movement of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto no.1 (with a brilliant piano accompanist).