I'd like to fire off a complaint and, of course, I believe all you good people re how bad it was.  Trouble is, I don't want to be one of those awful people who writes complaints along the lines of "I didn't see this programme but.....".  Ironically, therefore, I might have to watch tonight despite having been warned that it will almost certainly be a waste of time.  For ammunition, though, I have the RT preview:

"Bach partitas are on the menu for the string final as both harpist Cecilia Sultana de Maria and guitarist Jadran Duncumb give sparkling performances of adapted violin works.  Meanwhile, Jun Sasaki tackles Debussy's cello concerto and a 14-year-old takes on Respighi"

I quote the preview in full to illustrate the fact that it makes no mention of Face Book or shopping trips or, indeed anything but music; so if the programme follows the same pattern as last night's the preview amounts almost to misrepresentation.  Of course, I'd rather be given nothing to complain about: what are the chances?

Thanks ...trj... but I think I'll give it a miss.  I saw tonight's programme and that was quite enough.  My complaint has been sent and copied to the RT.  I don't think the whole hour had a full minute of uninterrupted music.  If this serves a purpose other than keeping self-indulgent production teams in work I'm sure I don't know what that purpose is.

Not on my say-so, brassbandmaestro.  You might want want to see a documentary about the kind of people who make it through to the sectional final of such a competition.  You might want to know the name of the young violinist's fave rock band or be fascinated by the colourful family background of the guitarist.  You might even be thrilled by just how disparaging one of the judges felt he could be about a child's performance with the cameras capturing every word.  Some people probably are interested in such things but the programme title and the RT preview undoubtedly give the impression that there would be something in it for people who wanted to hear talented youngsters playing interesting music.  If that's what you want then, yes, you can safely wipe your tape.

I finally got round to having a look at the woodwind section programme, courtesy of Trajanus's link. Oh dear, oh dear. I do have to agree with the grumpers. An insult both to the performers and the viewers. What on earth were they thinking of? What makes it even more dispiriting is that whoever it was who decided that we should never be allowed to have more than four or five consecutive bars of uninterrupted music at any one time (the director? the producer? the commissioning editor? the competition organisers? a BBC4 suit?) they must have been somewhere or other, higher or lower, in the BBC's Music and Arts hierarchy. And if they don't have any confidence or belief in broadcasting actual musical performances ... 

I would have to admit that I'm rather in two minds about these competitions anyway but, given that they exist, it's difficult to think of a feebler way of presenting them than this. I suppose the programme would pass muster as yet another production line telly filler about four (in this case) very engaging and intelligent teenagers but as the coverage of the woodwind semi-finals it was ludicrous. What a ridiculous waste.

I have duly sent off my 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' complaint to add to all the others.

I've just written about all this in my blog, having watched last night's percussion final programme with my jaw firmly on the floor. What a shambles. I'm currently trying to get this discussed on a news programme, as it needs covering. Especially since the grand final will ONLY be online, with a highlights package on BBC2 on Sunday. That is a disgrace.

http://onemoretake.blogspot.com/2008/05/young-musician-of-year-wheres-music.html

best,
Tommy

Ian, having watched two of the programmes so far (wind and brass) the only conclusion I come to is the on Tommy hints at on his blog - that the BBC simply doesn't care any more.  It's simply going through the motions, and would prefer to be devoting its time and resources to something else.

Anyone else got a reply yet?  I got this masterpiece of corporate drivel:

<<Thank you for your recent e-mail.

The BBC knows it has a loyal and committed classical music audience, but if this genre is to thrive and grow we also need to encourage and attract a new and wider audience. To help achieve this, we try new production techniques and presentation styles while also have ensuring that our content is accessible across many different platforms.

The week-long BBC Four television series was designed as an introduction to the competition. Whilst we recognise that the music remains at the heart of the competition, alongside the performances and the competitors' obvious passion and commitment to music, we felt it equally important to profile the people involved and explore their backgrounds and interests.

Having given audiences the opportunity to get to know the characters involved, the two-hour Grand Final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008 on BBC Two on the evening of Sunday 11 May (to be re-broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on the evening of Monday 12 May) will then focus completely on the five performances from the finalists who will perform with a full concert orchestra in front of the judging panel at the Wales Millennium Centre.

This year's BBC Young Musician of the Year competition will feature more than eight hours of television programming, over four hours on radio and nearly eight hours of music and performance online. We believe our extensive coverage of and commitment to the competition makes for a real celebration of classical music and young, British talent.

And to mark the competition's 30th anniversary this year, we have special programmes including "Young Musicians Grown Old - BBC Young Musician at 30" where 2006 winner Mark Simpson meets previous winners, and "BBC Young Musician of the Year - 30 Years" in which Gethin Jones examines the history of the biennial contest that began in 1978.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact the BBC.

Regards
 
BBC Complaints>>

I don't think I need to comment on it.