Reporter: Dr Joe Dawson
Date online: 12/06/2008

Each season of the music society includes a piano recital and we have had some outstanding performances over the years. This one should be added to the list and was all the better because it was a rising star of the new generation of world pianists.

Leon McCawley lived up to the Daily Telegraph's description as "a pianist of rare quality." Educated at Chethams School of Music in Manchester and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, he began his road to success as the winner of the piano section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year and the LPO-Pioneer Young Soloist of the Year in 1990. First prize in the Beethoven Competition in Vienna and second in the Leeds International Competition followed in 1993. Now he is established with CD releases and worldwide concert appearances.

His cool, calm and collected introduction immediately put the audience at ease and these aspects of his personality were borne out in his playing.

From the contrasts in mood of the Haydn Sonata through to the high intellect of Beethoven he handled the keyboard with extraordinary skill and maturity.

Schumann's set of miniatures, Papillons Op 2, was full of spontaneity and invention as were the variations on one of his themes by Brahms.

In Chopin's Scherzo in C sharp minor the fireworks were glittering but unpretentious and showed how far piano writing had come in those 70 short years from Haydn.

Despite two Gershwin encores the audience was still begging for more. Leon McCawley is a name to look out for and a force to be reckoned with.

I have to say some off-stage noises were distracting in the auditorium - it must have been even more so for the soloist and is further testament to his immense concentration.

There were some enlightening and user-friendly programme notes for Haydn and Beethoven by George Hadjinikos the celebrated pianist and teacher with long connections with the society.

This was an Arthur Kershaw Memorial Concert in appreciation of this local benefactor's generous bequest that has helped the society greatly in their aim to bring first-class music to the borough.

Leon McCawley - Piano
Rochdale Music Society
Gracie Fields Theatre
23 November 2002