CityLife

Lewis has music in his veins

CHETHAM'S TRAINED: Paul Lewis

THE BBC Philharmonic’s ‘Neglected Genius’ theme returns in its next two concerts at the Bridgewater Hall, with Dallapiccola the object in Gianandrea Noseda’s programme on Saturday and Harrison Birtwistle (presumably – rather than Dukas or Ravel) in Ludovic Morlot’s a week later.

But a common factor, and clearly not neglected, is the presence of Mozart in these concerts. Sally Matthews sings concert arias by him tomorrow night, while the orchestra plays the overture to Idomeneo and the ‘Jupiter’ symphony. And Paul Lewis plays the piano concerto no. 27 on January 24.

Lewis, is that rare species, a north west lad who has made it to the very top of the performing tree with virtually nothing going for him except our much-maligned state education system.

His father worked in Liverpool docks and his mother for the council, and he does not count his background as a ‘musical’ one. Mind you, they must have been aware of talent in their offspring, as his sister went to Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute, while he came over here to Chetham’s School of Music at the age of 14.

How did it all begin? “When I was four, an auntie bought me a little toy organ for Christmas,” he says, “and I was able to pick out tunes on it almost immediately. Mum and dad found that a bit strange – dad’s choice of music was John Denver. But It developed from there.

Huyton

“And the library at Huyton, where we lived, had a lot of classical records. I remember I was on a high for days if I could take part in any kind of performance at school.

“And mum and dad took me to the Philharmonic’s concerts because I asked them to. I found out about Chet’s because of TV programmes about it. I had learnt the cello and the piano, and the whole idea just inspired me,” he says.

Fine school

“At Prescot Comprehensive, though it was a fine school, there wasn’t a lot of music, and I got quite a bit of stick from the others for being into classical music.

“Going to Chet’s was just something I knew I wanted to do.”

One of his teachers was the now near-legendary Ryzsard Bakst, who taught a number of the most brilliant piano soloists to have emerged in Manchester over recent years.

“His greatest gift was in showing you how to play Chopin. What I remember was just the way he would sit down and play – that told you more than any amount of explanation.”

Not surprisingly, he is keen that today’s youngsters should not be denied the chances he had. “I think it’s absolutely important that music should be in the education system. It was more in the 1980s than it is now.

“I know orchestras are going out into schools more these days now, and kids can see what fun it is and hopefully be inspired by music.

“You only have to light the flame once.”

MUSIC on a Sunday morning is rare enough in Manchester – but one oasis in the past 10 years has been the series of coffee concerts given by the Goldberg Ensemble at the Whitworth Art Gallery.

This weekend they begin their second decade with a switch to the Royal Northern College of Music, with Mozart and Mendelssohn string quintets. David Adams is artistic director. Start time 11.15am.