Toad Lane Concerts: Duncan Glenday piano

Toad Lane Concert: Duncan Glenday (piano)

The audience at St Mary in the Baum were delighted to welcome back pianist Duncan Glenday on Wednesday 23 February with a typically elegant and moving recital with more than a touch of Gershwin syncopation.

This was the same piano he had played as a promising young teenager at music at lunchtime back at the old Art Gallery before it moved to St Mary in the Baum in 2001. He subsequently developed the enormous potential he displayed by graduating first class from the prestigious joint course of the RNCM and Manchester University. As well as diplomas in professional performance, his competition successes included First Prizes in the John Ireland Competition (in both Piano Solo and Song Accompaniment) and the Proctor-Gregg Recital Prize.

Duncan returned to play now as part of a busy schedule as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician and teacher. He has performed over 300 concerts throughout the UK.

Duncan is a tutor of piano at the University of Manchester and the Founder and Artistic Director of the Uppermill Summer Music Festival now approaching its 6th season.

The recital, wholly played from memory, opened with Beethoven’s Piano Sonata no 12 in A flat, opus 26 in masterful style. The four movements each had their own distinctive narrative: captivating variations, a lively scherzo, funeral march for a hero and a fiery allegro finale.

The End of the Song by Schumann was bright and optimistic and Chopin’s Polonaise in C minor was powerful and dramatic. The Maiden and the Nightingale of Granados was unashamedly Romantic with a dreamy and passionate melody and distinctive bird trills involving some nimble finger work.

Finally, we had Three Song Transcriptions by Gershwin that showed how classical playing can successfully embrace the syncopation of ‘I got rhythm’ for a riotous finale.

The award-winning Toad Lane Concerts are every Wednesday at 12.30pm at St Mary in the Baum, Toad Lane, Rochdale, OL16 1DZ. Entrance fee is £6. No refreshments available now, but the venue is Covid-19 compliant. Contact 01706 648872 for further information.

To see the March 2022 programme, click here.

Dr Joe Dawson