www.cassgb.org20 Clarinet & Saxophone, Summer 2018

BBC YOUNG MUSICIAN 2018

Variations on a Rococo Theme Op 33, followed by Burton’s rendition of Paul Creston’s Concerto for alto saxophone Op 26. Zhang performed last with Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 2 Op 16.

The judges’ panel was chaired by the composer Kerry Andrew, who sat across all five category finals and the semi-final. Alongside her was the conductor Alpesh Chauhan, cellist Natalie Clein, saxophonist John Harle and pianist Sunwook Kim. The semi-final was broadcast on Friday 11 May and saw all five category winners repeat their winning recitals for the purpose of selecting just three to go through to the grand final. Percussionist Matthew Brett and trombonist Isobel Daws were the two who failed to make it through, but all five gave strong performances.

Since BBC Young Musician was first held in 1978, it has become a benchmark for outstanding young classical music talent, and it now includes sister competitions for composers and jazz musicians. Recent years have seen a shift towards a more media-friendly way of presenting the competition, and while some viewers might lament the fact that the broadcasts are now buried on BBC Four with performances rarely shown in full, it is also the case that the BBC makes full performances available online and has also invested in additional features such this year’s new dedicated podcast, hosted by Gillam.

Readers who watched the final will know that Zhang took the title after an exhilarating performance at the piano. But the other two performances were hardly less impressive, and the event was essentially a celebration – over and above any competitive element – of young musical excellence from three remarkable performers.

The event was essentially a celebration – over and above any competitive element – of young musical excellence from three remarkable performers

BBC YOUNG MUSICIAN 2018

Clarinet & Saxophone, Wnter 2017 21 www.cassgb.org

Rob Burton

Making it through to the grand final was a huge achievement for Rob Burton, who lives in Cambridgeshire, where his parents are farmers. He attended Hinchingbrooke School in Huntingdon where he took A levels in music, music technology and fine art. Starting music lessons at the age of five, he has achieved Grade 8 distinction on clarinet, piano, recorder and saxophone. In 2012, he started studying classical saxophone at Junior Guildhall, where he was a Sax.co.uk scholarship holder, under the tutelage of Paul Stevens and later Derek Hannigan for clarinet. He is now in his first year studying classical saxophone at the Royal Academy of Music under Simon Haram and Huw Wiggin.

Burton has won titles at Wellingborough Young Musician of the Year, Oundle Young Musician of the Year, was a national finalist in the 2016 Rotary Young Musician of the Year and highly commended in the Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Great Britain’s saxophone composition prize. He enjoys playing in his saxophone quartet, Kumori Quartet, and has played with Junior Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, the Academy Symphony Orchestra and was principal saxophone with the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain. Also a keen artist, he spends much of his free time drawing portrait and animal commissions.

‘It’s really pushed me,’ he told Clarinet & Saxophone, speaking before the grand final. ‘For each round I didn’t want to choose pieces that I’ve been playing for years or pieces that I knew really well. I wanted to do something that would be slightly out of my comfort zone or something that would be a bit harder than I thought I could manage, just so that I’d have to practise more and get over that hurdle.’ About becoming a household name, he said, ‘It isn’t anything that I really thought about or anything that I’d really dreamed of. I never even imagined it, so it’s exciting!’

In the woodwind category final Burton played first, so was able to hear the other performers. ‘I didn’t know any of them before doing the competition, but after meeting them everyone was so nice. I actually managed to watch the other woodwind players and I just felt so inspired afterwards. Everyone’s playing was so creative and imaginative and just stunning, so after seeing that I wanted go home and practise.’ In the semi-final he played last, so was warming up during the other performances.

Burton’s choice for the final was the concerto by Paul Creston. Having enjoyed working on Creston’s sonata, one of his favourite pieces, the concerto seemed a natural choice. Recordings of the piece are for wind orchestra rather than symphony orchestra so the colours will be different to those he has heard. He recommends those by Otis Murphy and Claude Delangle. In using recordings, Burton likes to get ideas but then prefers to distance himself and work out how to add his own approach.

Burton took up the saxophone at the age of nine. ‘When I started the saxophone it was because I wanted to do jazz and it was almost by accident that I started doing classical.’ When he started lessons at Junior Guildhall, the choice was between jazz saxophone and saxophone. ‘I thought, what is “just saxophone”? Is that classical or a bit of everything? I thought maybe it would be good to go for a bit of everything, then I can always change to jazz later if I wanted to. It turned out that it was classical saxophone and I instantly fell in love with it.’

While Rob’s main musical development has come thanks to Junior Guildhall, his school, Hinchingbrooke, a large secondary school in Huntingdon, is particularly supportive and several staff have attended the various finals and semi-finals. ‘They did lots of things like putting on performances if I needed some experience.’ Despite having a small number of musicians, the school is familiar with the competition as pupil and trumpet player Zoe Perkins reached the brass final in 2016, which Burton attended.

Since BBC Young Musician was first held in 1978, it has become a benchmark for outstanding young classical music talent

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BBC YOUNG MUSICIAN 2018

www.cassgb.org22 Clarinet & Saxophone, Sum 2018

Clarinet & Saxophone spoke to Tom Myles, a 16-year-old clarinettist from Northern Ireland who also made it through to this year’s woodwind category final. Myles is principal clarinet in the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) of Great Britain.

C&S: How did you choose your programme for the woodwind final?

TM: I chose it to show the variety of genres and styles the clarinet is able to achieve, and to show off how versatile an instrument it is. I began with the fourth movement from Muczynski’s Time Pieces, showcasing the clarinet’s ability to play repertoire in a more contemporary and modern style. Following that was Giamperi’s Il Carnivale di Venezia, presenting the clarinet as a virtuoso instrument, but also highlighting its strengths in lyrical playing through the substantial slow section at the beginning of this work. I completed my programme with the third movement from Horovitz’s Sonatina. Jazzy, fun and full of life, this work brought my programme to an energetic close.

C&S: How has BBC Young Musician helped you develop as a player?

TM: The competition has really helped me in developing my skill and maturity as a performer. From the critiques of many highly respected judges to the many opportunities to perform, I feel I have become more relaxed and at ease on the stage.

C&S: How was competing against other woodwind players?

TM: The interesting thing about BBC Young Musician was that it never really felt like a competition, especially as we all played different instruments. It very much felt like a showcase of each finalist’s talents, and I think that allowed everyone to play to the best of their ability.

C&S: How has the recent NYO course been?

TM: The recent NYO course was a fantastic, and revolutionary, experience. I took part in NYO Unleashed, a concert designed to appeal to teenagers and young people and to raise the profile of classical music. Taking part in something so influential was an incredible opportunity.

C&S: Who are your role models and inspirations?

TM: As a young British clarinettist, I obviously have great respect for and am inspired by Michael Collins. His vast discography of the standard clarinet repertoire is seriously impressive, and his recordings are always my first choice when I encounter a new piece. However, I also admire the younger generation of clarinettists striving to push the boundaries of the instrument’s capabilities, for example Martin Fröst. It’s undeniable that he has stretched what was thought possible on a clarinet.

C&S: What are your future plans?

TM: I am currently studying for my GCSEs and alongside that my A level music. My short-term future plan is to study music at either a performance college or university. My ambition would be to work as a clarinettist, ideally as a soloist as I love the exhilaration of playing for an audience and seeing their responses and reactions to my music. I feel the connection you create with them is unrivalled in few, if any, other professions.

Despite studying several woodwind instruments to a high level, he has a particular connection with the saxophone. ‘I think it is all the different colours the sax can produce. It’s not just another orchestral woodwind instrument. It does feel like a combination of so many different things, it can sound like a flute or a cello or anything.’

Now at the Royal Academy of Music, Burton is studying with Simon Haram, whom he considers a role model along with Timothy McAllister, Arno Borgkamp and lots of American players – ‘that’s the kind of saxophone playing I love.’ With just one other classical saxophonist in the department there are plenty of playing opportunities.

What about the future? ‘Up until a couple of weeks ago I was kind of aiming to be a pit musician or something, to get my clarinet and flute playing better so that I’m more versatile and open to more jobs. But everything has completely changed and I don’t even know what to expect now. I have lots of different opportunities coming up that could lead to various things and the exposure should help me.’ n

Burton plays a Yamaha 62 alto with a Selmer C* mouthpiece and Vandoren V12 3.5 reeds. His soprano is a Yanagisawa 901 with a Selmer S9180 mouthpiece and V12 3.5 reeds. His tenor is either his own Yamaha 275 or the Royal Academy of Music’s Selmer Series 2 with a Vandoren TL3 mouthpiece and V12 3.5 reeds.

BBC YOUNG MUSICIAN 2018

Clarinet & Saxophone, Summer 2018 23 www.cassgb.org

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