On Friday last to Deansgate, Manchester, to represent MGS at the opening/installation of the Chopin Memorial Monument. Two hundred years after the composer's birth, Manchester now boasts a statue of Frederic Chopin, who played in the city in 1848. The links between Manchester (and the broader region of north-west England) and the Polish people are very strong, and the ceremony on Friday was attended by the Polish Ambassador in the UK, the leader of Manchester City Council, and the sculptor, Robert Sobocinski. Of course, a number of MGS staff and pupils have Polish roots.
Under the drape, Chopin plays one of the earliest models of piano, whilst gazing across the keyboard at an unidentified muse. The muse reclines on an eagle's wing, with the other wing forming the opened piano lid, incorporating a battle scene representing the Polish fight for freedom.
On Friday a selection of Chopin's music was played wonderfully in a Town Hall recital by Andrew Wilde.
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