The 19th edition of the Eurovision Young Musicians kicks off today live from Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Nine performers will step on stage at the First Semi-Final of the competition willing to reach the final on August 23.
Eighteen participants will compete at the Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 which will be made up of two semi-finals and a final concert that will take place at the Usher Hall, venue of the Eurovision Song Contest 1972. Each semi-final will see nine musicians compete for one of the six spots available at the final.
First Semi-Final
The First Semi-Final of Eurovision Young Musicians will be divided into three shows in which three musicians will perform for 18 minutes each. You can find the running order and the pieces for today’s recitals below:
SHOW 1
Malta: Bernice Sammut (Piano):
- Toccata from Trois pièces by Poulenc
- Prelude in C minor, Op. 23 No. 7; Prelude in G sharp minor Op. 32 No. 12 by Rachmaninov
- Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31 by Chopin
United Kingdom: Maxim Calver (Cello)
- Sacher Variation by Lutoslawski
- Adagio from Cello Sonata in F, Op. 99 by Brahms
- Minuetto e Finale from Suite Italienne by Stravinsky
Spain: Sara Valencia (Violin)
- Caprice Basque by Sarasate
- Caprice No. 13 in B flat by Paganini
- 3rd mvt (Finale) of Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor by Bruch
SHOW 2
Slovenia: Nikola Pajanović (Violin)
- Caprice no 7 by Paganini
- Tambourin Chinois by Kreisler
- Sonata for violin solo No 3 by Ysaye
San Marino: Francesco Stefanelli (Cello)
- Violoncello Totale by Penderecki
- Allegro vivace from Cello Sonata No 2 by Brahms
- Moto Perpetuo from Sonata for cello and piano by Britten
Poland: Marta Chiebicka (Flute)
- Hamburger Sonata in G by CPE Bach
- Rigoletto Fantasie by Popp
SHOW 3
Hungary: Máté Bencze (Saxophone)
- Fantasy on an original theme by Demersseman
- Allegro from Sonata in g minor BVWV 1020 by JS Bach
- Pequeña Czarda by Iturralde
Greece: Thanos Tzanetakis (Guitar)
- Fantasia in d minor by Kellner
- Bagatelle No 3 & 5 from Five Bagatelles for Guitar by Walton
- Variaciones Sobre un Tema de Fernando Sor by Llobet
Israel: Tamir Naaman-Pery (Cello)
- Hungarian Rhapsody Op 68 by Popper
- Preludio-Fantasia from Suite for Cello by Cassadó
Results
An expert committee, made up of British bassoonist Ursula Leveaux, Spanish percussionist Noè Rodrigo Gisbert, Korean pianist Sinae Lee, and the chair cellist and conductor David Watkin, will watch both semi-finals and will award points out of 10 based on a specific criterion (Technical Accuracy, Quality of Sound, Interpretation and Performance). All the points will be summed and the musicians will be ranked with the top six making it through to the final concert after a deliberation and unanimous agreement.
The name of the qualifiers will be revealed in a random order tomorrow after the Second Semi-Final.
Final
The final of the Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 will take place on August 23. All six finalists will perform for up to 12 minutes accompanied by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. A different expert panel will decide the winner of the competition, who will be awarded a special trophy, a cash prize of 7.000 euros and a performance opportunity with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Moreover, the runner-up will receive a cash prize of 3.000 euros.
You can watch the First Semi-Final of the Eurovision Young Musicians 2018, hosted by Petroc Trelawny, from 15.00 CET below: