Toad Lane Concerts: Jonathan Ellis concert pianist

Jonathan Ellis

Jonathan Ellis has appeared regularly as a soloist, chamber music player and accompanist to singers and instrumentalists over the years at Toad Lane Concerts. So, it was great to see him in his own recital as a first-rate concert pianist, on Wednesday 17 July where he made the most of the vintage 1935 Challen Grand Piano in St Mary in the Baum church.

After starting to learn the piano at the age of three, Jonathan studied at Wells Cathedral School, and moved on to the prestigious joint music course of the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University, where he graduated first-class from both institutions and gained an impressive range of higher diplomas and prizes.

He works regularly with his Ryebank Trio as well as for City of Manchester Opera, Bury Choral Society, Opera Seria, Heritage Opera, the Pennine Spring Music Festival and the Buxton Festival Fringe, where he has three awards and five nominations since 2010. He also works for the musical charities “Music in Hospitals” and “Live Music Now.”

He has phenomenal technique, stamina and powerful delivery all of which he brought to interpreting the Fantasy in C minor K. 475 and Sonata in C minor K. 457 of Mozart. They had a refreshingly extempore feel to them as Jonathan brought the lively inventive scores off the page.

Ballade-Image was a compelling twentieth century piece by composer-pianist C. Headington (1930-96) who tutored Jonathan in this piece when he was a boy at Wells. Ballade suggests influences of Chopin and Image that of Debussy. In turn, with Jonathan’s neat programming this led to a magnificent Polonaise-Fantasie in Ab major by Chopin, (a piano concerto in search of an orchestra), and an encore piece, Gardens in the rain by Debussy.

So much musical fantasy with Jonathan’s playing meant a fantastic experience.

The Queen’s 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. Contact 01706 648872 for further information.

To see details of forthcoming Toad Lane Concerts, click here.

Dr Joe Dawson