Toad Lane Concert: Lewis Kingsley Peart piano

Lewis Kingsley Peart

Occasionally a performer comes along who makes difficult look easy.

Lewis Kingsley Peart studied at Chethams School of Music and London's Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Now based in London and Manchester, he enjoys a busy life as a working musician and enthusiastic educator. His tastes embrace the traditional classical canon, through to jazz and the avant-garde. Lewis confesses to a strong background in theatre, and this was clear in his choices and approach.

This gifted pianist made effective use of the vintage Challen Grand piano of 1933 at St Mary in the Baum, which was previously housed in the former Rochdale Art Galleries.

Played entirely from memory and with clear, succinct and witty introductions, his programme on Wednesday 24 August explored the rich repertoire of pianist-composers and arrangers.

Bach/Gounod/Hough, Méditation (Ave Maria) and Chopin’s Nocturne in E Minor were beautifully played with elegant poise. Then Lewis burst into lively transcriptions of movements from famous piano concertos arranged for solo by Percy Grainger. The opening movements of Tchaikovsky and Grieg, combining dramatic power and virtuosic brilliance, and the emotional third movement of Rachmaninoff No. 2 made a stunning impression. Any single one of these would have been electrifying, but the accumulation of the three was breath-taking.

Three charming pieces by Billy Mayerl, the British prince of syncopation in the twentieth century, Song of the Fir Tree, Railroad Rhythm and his signature tune, Marigold, allowed the audience to regain a degree of composure.

Finally, Grünfeld’s Soirée de Vienne Op. 56 provided a delightful pianistic ending incorporating well-known phrases by Johann Strauss with flashes of keyboard pyrotechnics.

Lewis gave us a hugely entertaining and highly skilful piano recital served up with panache and is certainly someone to watch out for.

The Queen’s Award-winning Toad Lane Concerts are every Wednesday at 12.30pm at the Grade 1 listed 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 details of forthcoming Toad Lane Concerts, click here.

Dr Joe Dawson