Toad Lane Concerts: Hanna Csermely

Hanna Csermely

20-year-old Hungarian pianist, Hanna Csermely, delighted the audience at St Mary’s last November with a varied programme of piano gems. Her second appearance, by popular demand, showed considerable virtuosic development this week.

Hanna started piano lessons in Southampton, aged seven. She went on to the Hampshire Specialist Music Course at 16, where she achieved a high distinction for her ARSM diploma and performed Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto. Hanna also played with chamber ensembles, orchestral piano for the Southampton Youth Orchestras, accompanied ABRSM exams, local choirs, played in pit orchestras and taught a handful of students. All this before coming to the Royal Northern College of Music, where she is now in her third year.

Modern musicians need to prepare for a ‘portfolio career.’ Hanna has already shown her willingness to engage with others and she will return to Toad Lane on 26 June with her Silja Trio.

As today’s soloist Hanna quickly engaged with her audience with genial and informative introductions.

Beautifully flowing Debussy was followed by a suitably formal Prelude and Fugue in F# minor by JS Bach, displaying impressive memory work.

Then more Debussy with Masques, which despite the playful suggestion of the title was stormy and passionate, before revelling in the rhythmic diversity of fellow Hungarian composer, Bartók’s Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm.

John Ireland’s The Island Spell and Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in D were evocative and moving. Granados’s Allegro de Concierto proved to be an ideal concert finale, full of vitality and spectacular bravura passages. The sustained applause showed the delight the audience felt with an extremely satisfying recital.

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.