Ryan Baxter
Ryan Baxter is a student in the Doctor of Musical Arts program at Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music. He received a Bachelor of Music from Brock University (2019), and a Master of Music from the University of Manitoba (2022). At the University of Manitoba, Ryan held a SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS-M) which supported his research project on Australian composer Carl Vine’s Sonata for Piano Four Hands (2009). This year he holds an Ontario Graduate Scholarship, which supports his continued work on Australian four-hands piano music. Beyond academic life, Ryan is Music Director and Organist at Rowntree Memorial United Church in London, Ontario.
Programme
Sonata for Piano Four Hands (2009) by Carl Vine (b. 1954)
“Prelude”
“Waltz”
“Deuces”
“Meditation”
“Toccata”
Sonata for Piano, 4 Hands (2013) by Stuart Greenbaum (b. 1966)
I. Solar
II. The Expanding Universe
III. Earthrise
Dr. Connor O'Kane
Connor O'Kane recently received a DMA in piano performance from Western University. He made his debut as soloist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 2014 under the baton of Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser. Since then, he has performed in France, the United States, and across Canada. Most recently, he was awarded Second Prize at the 2022 CMC Stepping Stone. An avid collaborative pianist and répétiteur, Connor has worked with conductors Simone Luti, Alain Trudel and Tyrone Paterson, and currently serves as assistant conductor for Western’s opera program.
Concert details:
Carl Vine’s Sonata for Piano Four Hands is in five sections, played without a break. It is pure music, with no specific accompanying narrative or poetic allusion. The “Prelude” opens with a declamatory introduction and proceeds in neo-classical style. The gentle “Waltz” requires great flexibility and sensitivity from both pianists, and has a variety of interweaved rhythms. The central section, “Deuces,” methodically explores the six unique pairings of four hands. Each pair, in turn, shares a leading melody while the remaining hands provide a linked, continuous accompaniment. After a volatile coda, the reflective “Meditation” explores the sonorous resonance possible with twenty fingers at the keyboard. The sonata finishes with a fast-paced “Toccata” in triplet rhythm, driving towards the end.
Stuart Greenbaum’s Sonata for Piano, 4 Hands is in three movements, and is more programmatic, contemplating the Sun and Earth in the context of an expanding universe. Solar reflectshow the Sun supports life on Earth, and that climate change highlights the tenuous nature of this existence. The movement frequently alternates between dry staccato touch, and more sustained, chordal sounds. The Expanding Universe is a calm meditation on the continuous expansion, cooling, and dispersal of matter in the universe since the Big Bang. As the title hints at, the range and phrasing of the music gradually expand through the movement. The last movement, Earthrise, is inspired by one of the most famous photographs of the twentieth century, taken of the Earth from the Moon during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. The photo and music evoke the beauty and fragility of our home planet. The movement has a more pop-oriented harmony and is marked ‘joyous.’
The sonata for piano four hands as a genre is genuinely uncommon, making these two contemporary, Australian examples unique contributions to the piano repertoire. We are pleased to present them for you as part of the University of Waterloo and Conrad Grebel University College Noon Hour Concert Series.
