Rochdale Youth Orchestra with David Daniels (Piano)

This was a wonderful local youth music concert - all the better for both the orchestra and the soloist being home grown.

The Junior Youth Orchestra conducted by Sue Verity played a number of items from popular tunes to first steps into the classics with Jupiter from Holst's Planets Suite and the theme from Tchaikowsky's 1812 Overture. It was sad to see four senior members leaving but the strength of numbers in the Junior section promises much for the future.

The Senior Youth Orchestra warmed up with 'The Calif of Bagdad Overture' before the main event of the evening - a piano concerto. The guest soloist was Castleton's own concert pianist David Daniels - born in Rochdale in 1982 he went in to the sixth form at Chethams School of Music in Manchester in 1999. Having completed that he is taking a year out before continuing his studies.

His solo performance tonight was a triumph. Saint Seans' second piano concerto in G minor is not the easiest for soloist or orchestra. It was not for nothing that the composer classed pianists as a breed apart in his celebrated Carnival of the Animals and he certainly makes the soloist jump through hoops in this concerto. There were occasional slips, some of which were conveyed to the audience, but David recovered well which is the most important thing, and overall this was a commendable performance. The senior orchestra under conductor Richard Lord made a valiant attempt to accompany and they should persevere with more concertos perhaps with other instruments, as this really is an audience pleaser!

After presenting two members with a special trophy, Richard Lord joined them in a little jazz trio before the finale, a Suite by the RYO's President Sir Malcolm Arnold.

As a founding member and former Chairman myself I take a continued interest in the RYO. Since the local authority pulled the plug on the funding in 1990 they have continued because of hard-working voluntary committees, sponsorship and parental support. It was great to see them keeping a valuable Rochdale youth tradition going, in this case with the support of the Rotary Club.

Gracie Fields Theatre
29 June 2002