Renowned pianist Carson Dron takes to the stage with the Redland Sinfonia in Royal Gala, to play Beethoven's Emperor Piano Concerto at 2pm on March 23 at RPAC.
This work is regarded as one of Beethoven’s greatest works, and is ranked in the top five piano concertos ever written.
Beethoven was becoming increasingly deaf at the time he composed it, and it is an even more extraordinary achievement under these circumstances.
Dron is a graduate from the University of Queensland and made his debut in London with the Westminster Chamber Orchestra.
Since then he has performed with the Queensland, Melbourne and West Australian symphony orchestras and Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as having toured in Holland, Belgium and New Zealand.
He has won many awards including a Churchill Fellowship, and is well known throughout Australia from his time touring and recording with the acclaimed Perihelion Ensemble.
Last year Dron teamed up with Redland Sinfonia and conductor Dr Graeme Denniss to perform two movements of the Emperor Concerto at Ormiston College.
This time they join together again for the complete work. This will be the first time Dron has performed the entire concerto, fulfilling a dream that he has had for many years. As a student of the piano himself many years ago, Dr Denniss had the same dream, and in this concert will fulfill this ambition as a conductor.
The rest of the program picks up the regal theme, with the dramatic Overture to Prince Igor by Borodin, the charming Emperor Waltz by Strauss and a more contemporary take on royalty, with the Imperial March from Star Wars.
The orchestra will also perform Dr Denniss’ own arrangement of Siegfried’s Funeral March from Wagner’s opera Twilight of the Gods, some of the grandest music from one of the grandest operas.
The Royal Gala is the first of the Sinfonia concert series with other performances set for June 15 (Teenage Rebellion) and August 31 (The Sound of Musicals). All performances will be staged at 2pm.
Tickets are $30, with seniors and pensioners $24, students $15 and groups of 10 or more $27. The season package for all three concerts is $27 and $22. Book on 3829 8131 or rpac.com.au
