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69th CONCERT SEASON

APRIL 2026 • Pops Series

Saturday, April 25 2026 • 7:30pm | Regent Theatre Oshawa

TONY YANG RETURNS • THE DANCING PIANO: THE GREAT TRANSCRIPTIONS

Having won the hearts of the OP audience following an electrifying performance of Bartok’s Second Piano Concerto last season, young Canadian pianist Tony Yang returns by popular demand! He proposes a stunning program of great transcriptions for virtuoso piano of very famous ballet music. You will not want to miss this dizzying display of artistry at the keyboard with one of Canada’s poet’s of the piano.
“Yang commands a formidable technique, and a determination to set a personal stamp on everything he plays.”
— The Dallas Morning News
“...an absolute revelation...he combines the characteristics of a true virtuoso and an artist.”
— Chopin Chronicle

PROKOFIEV

10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op.75

STRAVINSKY

Firebird (arranged by Guido Agosti)
INTERMISSION

TCHAIKOVSKY

Sleeping Beauty, Op.66 (arranged by Mikhail Pletnev)

TONY YIKE YANG • biography

Hailed by CBC Music as one of Canada’s finest young musicians, pianist Tony Yike Yang first rose to international acclaim at the age of 16 after becoming the youngest-ever laureate in the history of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, winning the 5th prize in 2015. Additionally, Yang has also won prizes at the Van Cliburn, Gina Bachauer, Hilton Head, Cooper, and the Bösendorfer & Yamaha USASU International Piano Competitions.

As a soloist, Yang has performed internationally in venues such as Koerner Hall in Toronto, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Warsaw National Philharmonic, Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Millennium Amphitheatre in Dubai, Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Athenaeum in Bucharest, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Seoul Arts Center, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Osaka Symphony Hall, Sala Chopin in Mexico City, Sala Sudasiri Sohba in Bangkok, Esplanade Singapore, the Opera House in Guangzhou, and many others.

Concerto highlights include appearances with the Cleveland Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, Orchestre Métropolitain, Fort Worth Symphony, Ontario Philharmonic, Toronto Sinfonietta, Edmonton Symphony, Saskatoon Symphony, Changsha Symphony, and the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician, Yang has collaborated with celebrated artists such as Geza-Hosszu Legocky, Lyda Chen-Argerich, Barry Shiffman, Dumitru Pocitari, and Rodin Moldovan.

Yang has also performed for royalty and dignitaries such as Her Royal Highness Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Polish President Andrzej Duda, among others.

His debut album of works by Chopin was released on the Fryderyk Chopin Institute label in 2016.

In 2018, Yang was appointed Youth Cultural Ambassador to the city of Guangzhou, and accepted a one-year position as an artistic tutor for Sun-Yat-Sen University. Two years later, Yang was also offered a three-year appointment as Music Consultant to the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Upon accepting these roles, Yang has been passionately committed to advancing and encouraging classical music education for youth all across China, having given masterclasses and lecture-recitals at the Xinghai, Harbin, and Shanghai Conservatories, among others.

Born in Chongqing and raised in Toronto, Yang is a recent graduate of Harvard University where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He is currently an Artist-in-Residence at the Ingesund Piano Center in Sweden under the guidance of Prof. Julia Mustonen-Dahlkvist, and in the past, was a fellow at the Oberlin-Lake Como International Piano Academy. His present and past musical advisors have included renowned musical figures such as Gabriela Montero, Eliso Virsaladze, Stephen Hough, Martha Argerich, Dang Thai Son, Mari Kodama, and James Anagnoson.

Apart from his performances and ongoing studies, he has also served on the jury of nearly a dozen competitions, including ones such as the Canada International Piano Competition, Nordic International Piano Competition, Piano Island Festival Malaysia, the Hong Kong International Music Festival, and the Steinway Canada Young Artists Piano Competition.

In recent years, Yang has also been a recipient of the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award, the Robert Levin Prize in Musical Performance at Harvard University, and the Ingesund Piano Center Scholarship.

PROGRAM NOTES
by John Green

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Romeo and Juliet Opus 75
The music, first premiered in 1938 for Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet, was later arranged as 10 pieces for piano solo. The pieces feature a diverse set of miniatures, each one measurably different in mood, musical narratives of key moments, and characters from Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. Notable among them is the light opening movement March, showcasing sharp rhythms and oscillating melodies. The suite also includes The Street Awakens, Juliet as a Young Girl, Dance of the Knights, and the Death of Juliet. The 10 pieces are a popular way for audiences to experience Prokofiev’s music with a look into the composer’s musical storytelling.

Of interest is Prokofiev’s musical intent to have the story of Romeo and Juliet end on a happy note; however, obliged to preserve Shakespeare’s original ending, his soft and moving conclusion leads us to believe that the two lovers are united in death for eternity.

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
The Firebird

The story of Stravinsky’s 1910 ballet composition is centered around a magical Firebird encountered by Prince Ivan who frees the bird in exchange for a magic feather. The music combines elements of Russian fairy tales depicting struggles between good and evil, between magic and enchantment. The original score is known for its vibrant orchestration, rhythmic complexity and short musical phrases associated with specific characters. The music includes the infernal dance of the Firebird, followed by a lullaby and a final hymn celebrating good over evil. The Firebird was Stravinsky’s first major success, showcasing a unique musical voice.

Guido Agosti's piano transcription of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite is a virtuosic arrangement that captures the orchestral brilliance of the original ballet music. The transcription includes the Danse Infernale, Berceuse, and Finale. Agosti's version is known for its technical difficulty, requiring the pianist to navigate complex textures and recreate Stravinsky's rich orchestration. The piece demands a wide range of dynamics, articulation, and touch to convey the music's dramatic and evocative qualities.

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Sleeping Beauty

Without exaggeration Sleeping Beauty, the third of Tchaikovsky’s three ballets, is one of the world’s most famous and recognizable musical offerings; exquisite melodies, colorful rhythms, drama and passion populate this wonderful music. Mikhail Pletnev’s stunning arrangement, often performed in concert settings, highlights the lush melodies and textures of the ballet’s orchestration. This is also well-demonstrated in the challenges of adapting the work for solo piano while displaying Pletnev’s adoration and mastery of the original score.

The eleven arrangements are brilliantly virtuosic. The demanding piano writing requires significant technical skill from the performer, praising the music’s fidelity and artistry, lauding accuracy in capturing the orchestral details and dramatic nuances of Tchaikovsky's original score. Critics suggest that Pletnev's interpretation of the slower movements is particularly strong, with an elastic drive that ennobles the longer passages. 

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