Eurovision Young Musicians Final 2018

Usher Hall

Given the mind-blowing quality that exists among the musical youth of today, and the fact there was a Eurowide pool for this Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 Final, it was genuinely surprising to hear a series of mainly concerto movement performances in this live televised event that, in all honesty, fell short of truly remarkable.

That was despite the oozing confidence, technical assurance, and breezy personae of the six finalists (two 18-year-olds and four 16-yearolds) who took to the stage in rapid succession with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Thomas Dausgaard. They are, without doubt, all highly talented individuals destined for distinguished musical careers.

Norwegian cellist Birgitta Elisa Oftestad opened the competition with the final movement of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, initially a beautifully relaxed and poised performance, but slightly faltering in intensity as the performance progressed. The older Slovenian, Nikola Pajanović, brought dazzling touches to the finale of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, just now and again emotionally underpowered. Indí Stivin is a quirky, charismatic double bassist (the kilt was a playful touch) from the Czech Republic, but miscalculated by playing movements from his own work, an inoffensive, imaginatively orchestrated Bohemian suite.

German Mira Foron’s Sibelius Violin Concerto (3rd movement), while passionately extrovert, never quite settled into the groove. Hungarian saxophonist Máté Bencze’s high energy take on Ibert’s Concertino da camera begged just a touch more electricity; while the Russian Ivan Bessonov’s finale from Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1 certainly elicited the most assured, larger-than-life playing of the evening, even though his rapport with Dausgaard was a tad precipitous.

Bessonov was declared a deserving winner by the jury’s chairman, Sir James Macmillan, a choice many will have agreed with.