We failed the Menuhin Violin Competition.
But it's okay, we got to meet
- all the semi-finalists. - Yeah.
Talking to them was a very amazing and humbling experience.
But now the finals just came out.
Since we didn't make it to the finals,
let's watch
these amazing musicians and see
just how good they are anyway, 'cause
I still think maybe we could have made it to the finals.
- Yeah, we definitely had a chance. - Maybe we could have made it.
- Yeah! - I just really want to confirm that.
- Exactly. - Brett: That's why we're here.
Alright, so we have here
the five finalists of the junior round.
- Let's watch. - Yes, let's go.
Contestant number one,
Boha Moon.
She kept saying how she would learn the flute but
she doesn't think she'll play as well on the flute as on the violin.
- I'm like, yeah, well. - Brett: Yeah, yeah.
You can't be talented in everything.
Yeah, come on, man.
Can I just say, it's so weird to see the finals
livestream without an orchestra.
- 'Cause usually, they play with an orchestra for the finals. - That's right.
Normally, they have an orchestra. Now, it's just with a pianist.
I mean, look, collaborative pianists are great.
- We love you but... - Eddy: Yeah.
- It's just different, man. - Yeah, especially a concerto.
- Yeah. - You need an orchestra.
Alright, let's go.
She's making an amazing sound
straight off, like, it's so melancholic.
It's just sweet.
- It's like fine wine or something, you know? - Brett: Yeah.
I can't help but think that's a very interesting bowing.
I don't even want to play the piano part,
'cause I'm just gonna embarrass myself too.
I love the colors
- Eddy: Yeah, yeah. - that she's making.
It's not just one-dimensional.
The opening of Mendelssohn is so
well-known
it's so easy to make it just sound like...
- You know what I mean? - Yeah, I do that.
- I mean, me too, right? - Yeah, we...
But the way she does it so interesting.
I mean, I'll listen to it again.
Aw.
How do you even do that, man? Like...
I feel like the only thing crying about my playing is my face.
You have to watch me to see my emotions.
- Yeah. - You can't hear my emotions in my playing.
When it's with her, it's like,
you can hear the expression.
- It's amazing. - Brett: Yeah.
Oh!
Yo, Brett, do it now. Go!
Next one!
Wow.
I mean, Mendelssohn is not the
most technically virtuosic piece.
Yeah.
But she just plays with such class
and elegance and
- musical maturity for someone in the junior division. - Brett: Yes.
They're still in high school!
They're in high school and they
play with the musical maturity of, like,
better than so many adult musicians I know.
What was I doing when I was fourteen?
- Playing RuneScape. - Yeah!
That's what I was doing!
Oh, my life!
- Okay, it's so, um... - It's so nice.
musically tasteful.
I don't know if they can... if the audio picked it up,
but the bow went...
Eddy: Oh!
I mean, you got the note.
- Yeah, that's my bar of success. - Yeah.
Just get the note.
- Oh! - Dude!
It's, like, unpredictable yet she makes it make sense.
- Brett: This is... - Yeah. I'm getting goosebumps listening to
someone at the age where many people are just
making TikToks.
- People are doing this - Do you get...
and she's doing that.
This is the difference, guys.
I can't even do it.
- Alright, we have to move on because otherwise - Wow.
this video is going to be just like
ten hours of us-
Admiring all this talent.
Okay, next one.
Hannah Tam.
Ooh.
- Dude, the sound is so... - The sound does not match what you see.
fat.
- It is the fattest, thickest sound. - Brett: Yeah, like...
All of them here are making sounds so strong that you can't
- visualize who's playing. - Eddy: Yeah.
Nice. Beautiful.
(Mission failed. We'll get 'em next time.)
I can't even do that. The joint here is like...
What impressed me more was the run up to it.
It was so...
- Energy. Yeah, and clear. - exciting, somehow.
Woo!
- Whoo! - Dude.
I want those thirds.
Oh! Oh!
Dude, it's off the fingerboard!
That's like almost off the fingerboard.
- I want to try to play it. - Oh, good luck.
- Damn. - That's so tricky.
That was huge.
How do you sustain that?
- Alright, Brett, it's your turn. - Brett: Okay, okay. You ready? You ready?
Ah, ready?
Oh!
My bow.
Dude.
- Alright, next one. - Alright, moving on.
Eddy: Edward from Australia, mate.
Eddy: Come on, Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, let's go.
- Alright, let's go. - That's my piece!
You dare challenge me, Edward?
Yeah, I guess it was alright.
- Yeah, not bad. - Yeah.
I guess his Sibelius is pretty good.
I'm just not going to touch my violin now, for a while.
Just keeping it right there.
But my Sibelius had more viewers, you know.
- That makes a difference. - Yeah, yeah.
It doesn't matter that his sound is just totally amazing,
I had forty thousand live viewers.
- Therefore, your sound is better. - Yeah.
- By popularity, you know? By default. It's a voting thing, right? - Yeah, yeah.
Hmm...
Oh!
- Wow! - Dude, this guy has a thick sound!
Wow.
Oh!
Dude, those accents.
They're so clean,
so aggressive,
but it doesn't feel, like, ugly.
It's so nice. Everything's so nice about it.
Can you do that?
Fine.
For today, Sibelius is your piece.
I will admit it, Edward.
I'm gonna practice it, you just wait.
- Keila, let's go. - She's the one whose dad was an oboist, right?
- I think so. - Yeah.
Dude, you can see
how much she practices by the red mark on the collarbone.
- It's like the main hero in a freaking anime. - Yeah, it's like she's got a scar.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know? - Dude, that's a scar.
Yeah, that's some main character sh**.
Main character.
Yeah, it's happening.
Mmm.
Can I just say, her sound is so connected.
It's so smooth.
She's got that...
- Like sticky, like... elastic? - Elastic?
(Both) Yeah.
- I don't know what it is, but it's just like... - It's like everything's...
It's like caramel. You know, when you stretch the caramel?
It's like ramen.
Yeah, it's like ramen. It just doesn't stop.
Keeps going.
Oh, that was nice.
- Oh, she has such nice gliss and vibrato. - Yeah. Yeah.
Her glissando up to key melodic notes
- and vibrato is really good. - It's so nice.
Oh!
That was so in tune.
You need a bit more time.
- It's alright. - Yeah.
It's alright.
Oh.
That's actually really good.
It's so clean.
- It's like dancing. - It projects but it's light.
Yeah and, you know, it's like you're dancing on water.
And you're not drowning. It's just...
Dude, it's like you're Naruto, man.
You got chakra on your feet.
Kento, last one.
- Whoo! - Ooh, let's go.
Also rooting for you 'cause you're
- repping the TwoSet Apparel. - That's right.
Yeah.
- Very interesting approach, I like it. - Brett: Yeah.
You, normally...
When I played it, it was like,
go buff, you know?
- Eddy: Yeah. - But he's, like,
- majestic. - Yeah.
But even though it's softer
he keeps a lot more energy in his vibrato.
Yes!
So it doesn't sound weak, it just sounds ominous.
- Yeah, ominous is a good word, and whoa. - Eddy: Yeah.
Oh!
I love his vibrato.
That one was just...
I can't even do it.
I feel like I have to give my all. It's just like...
- Brett: And he's like... - Yeah.
Yeah.
- The best bit is, like, they're also musically inspiring. - Brett: Yes.
- They're not just little technical machines. They're like - Yes.
actual musicians, but at fourteen.
Yeah, they're actual musicians and the,
- like, the technical proficiency is there. - Yeah.
I'm still struggling with technique, haha.
Whoa!
- Whoa, majestic Kento. - Dude.
Whoa!
Take it, my ultimate Smash move!
Can someone make, like, an anime
just about, like, the Menuhin finalists?
- Yeah, or the- - That would be the most epic anime.
- They all have their own personalities when they play, - They do. They do.
- and that's what makes it so interesting. - Yes.
Man, at this point, it's not even a competition.
- Eddy: Yeah. - You're just enjoying it.
- Eddy: Yeah. - They're all so good.
Speaking about how music isn't always about who's the winner.
Alas, this is a competition,
and it's time to find out who came first.
Ooh, whoa!
Place your bets, everyone.
- Place your bets. - Nah, I'm just kidding.
(Both) Alright.
They just announced the winner
for the finals of the Menuhin junior division.
We wanted to react to the announcement initially,
but they actually announced it by calling
each contestant individually.
So, it was a bit long and it was,
to be honest, a little bit awkward
and painful to watch and react to it.
Only because, as musicians, we know how it feels
after putting it all in, to then
hear and be announced that, oh, you came this place.
Having said that we think that
everyone obviously played amazingly.
But,
alas, it's a competition
and so it turns out the winner is...
Congratulations, Keila. Wooo!
I told you she's the main character, man. She got the...
the freaking...
- Brett: The scars. Yeah. - anime scar.
So, Keila, if you're watching this,
congratulations on winning the Menuhin.
But,
that is only the first step on your path to becoming Ling Ling.
So, in the next step, we challenge you
to see if you can complete the