Musical Mosaics’ Feb. 9 piano recital, Beethoven and Romantic Composers, starts with a tribute to that musical giant, Ludwig von Beethoven.
In a tribute to the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, his monumental work, Sonata Op. 53 (Waldstein) will be performed.
We are presented with a composer coming into his full musical powers, possessing great confidence and joy. His later problem with deafness had not taken full hold yet. He is an optimist - in this stunning work.
The second half of the recital is three composers in the Romantic tradition who very much follow in Beethoven’s footsteps: Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Liszt. (The young Franz Liszt at age 11 performed for “the Master” who was very impressed with his talent. Beethoven predicted that Liszt would “go a long way, and make people happy with his music”).
Peter Walker, the pianist performing this concert, hails from Alberta and has been, with his wife, a Comox Valley resident for several years. Walker holds two associate diplomas in piano, for which he received four silver medals. He has an MEd from the University of Calgary with a specialization in music education and a BA from UBC. Peter has received piano instruction from several notable international concert pianists throughout his career. Among many notable national accomplishments, he was for several years the official accompanist for the chorus of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. He enjoys a variety of composers and aims to bring a sense of joy and wonder to the pieces he performs. The concert will take place at St. John the Divine, 579 5th St. Courtenay, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. Refreshments will be served following the concert. A minimum suggested donation for adults is $10, for teens $5 and no admission charge for children under 12.