The Endcliffe Orchestra performed a Spring Concert on Saturday 18th June 2011 at St. Luke’s Church, Lodge Moor. The concert featured the Schumann Piano Concerto with soloist Danny Wallington.
Danny, a former pupil of Hope Valley College, is currently completing his ‘A’ levels at Chethams School of Music in Manchester and will begin studying at the Trinity School of Music in London from September. Having played the piano since the age of seven, Danny first considered a career as a professional pianist when he played in a masterclass at the age of 14 with Martin Roscoe, a familiar face at Sheffield’s Music in the Round concert series. “Martin said to me ‘you are going to do music, aren’t you?’”, explained Danny, “and it was then that I first thought about a career as a pianist. “I’ve worked very hard at it ever since.”
Martin Lightowler, conductor and musical director of the Endcliffe Orchestra said “We are thrilled to be performing the Schumann piano concerto with Danny. He is a fantastic young talent, so unassuming, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more of him in the future.”
“I’m looking forward to performing with the Endcliffe Orchestra on Saturday”, added Danny. “The last time I performed on stage with an orchestra in Sheffield I fell asleep! It was at a long run in a Crucible Theatre production and I was so exhausted by the final night that I rested my head on the music stand and was out cold in an instant! Hopefully I’ll stay awake throughout Saturday’s concert.”
The Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.54, is a famous Romantic concerto by Robert Schumann, completed in 1845. The work premiered in Leipzig on 1 January 1846 with his wife Clara playing the solo part.
In addition to the Schumann Piano Concerto, the orchestra performed extracts from Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker and three movements from the Firebird Suite by Stravinsky.
