ANNEX
True North Variations
O Canada Reimagined
Artist: Alexander Weimann, piano
Runtime: Approximately 60 min – no intermission
“Weimann, by all accounts a musician of wide and varied interests and experiences,… plays with the utmost passion, vigour and virtuosity.”
– Early Music
Alexander Weimann delivers a humorous, pocket-sized tour of music history using “O Canada” – the Canadian national anthem – as the theme for his variations in the style of various composers including J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Scriabin and Messiaen.
The hour will start with a talk with Alex hosted by Suzie to discuss the project. It will then be followed by the 35 minute performance and it will end with a Q&A with the audience.
Click here to read the programme notes
This concert is generously sponsored by Anona Thorne & Takao Tanabe.
PROGRAMME
Purcell (Fairest Isle)
J.S. Bach
C.P.E. Bach
Mozart
Beethoven
Mendelssohn
Chopin
Scriabin
Messiaen
Weimann
Purcell (Fairest Isle reprise)
Alexander Weimann | Sponsored by Bruce Munro Wright, O.B.C., piano
The internationally renowned keyboard artist Alexander Weimann has spent his life enveloped by the therapeutic power and beauty of making music. Alex grew up in Munich. At age three he became fascinated by the intense magic of the church organ. He started piano at six, formal organ lessons at 12 and harpsichord at university (along with theatre theory, medieval Latin and jazz piano.) He is in huge demand as a director, soloist and chamber player, traveling the world with leading North American and European ensembles. He is Artistic Director of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in Vancouver and teaches at the University of British Columbia where he directs the Baroque Orchestra Mentorship Programme.
Alex has appeared on more than 100 recordings, including the Juno-award-winning album “Prima Donna” with Karina Gauvin and Arion Baroque orchestra. His latest album series “The Art of Improvisation” (Volume 1: A Prayer for Peace; Volume 2: Ad libitum; and Volume 3: Canavian Variations, released on Redshift, 2024) unites his passions for both baroque music and improvisation on organ, harpsichord, and piano.
