“Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours.” – attributed to Beethoven A Friend Indeed An interview with Canadian pianist Ian Parker By Rosemary Phillips Energetic, dynamic and popular Canadian pianist and recording artist Ian Parker is a really likeable fellow. He is passionate about music, pianos, food, skiing, family, friends and life - and audiences just love him. He was on his way to pick up his dad to take him to lunch when he talked about his upcoming concert Friendship: Ian & Beethoven with the Vancouver Island Symphony on January 31, at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo. Ian Parker the musician: A member of the Parker family dynasty of virtuosic concert pianists, Ian was born and raised in Vancouver. “I lived in a house with two parents teaching piano, where every room, including the kitchen, had a piano; an upright in the kitchen, grand in the living room, grand in the TV room, an upright in my bedroom, but no piano in the bathroom,” says Parker. “I felt lost in the bathroom.” Ian began his lessons at age three with his father, Edward Parker, and graduated with Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School. He has won countless competitions, received numerous national and international accolades and performed with orchestras and as a recitalist across North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. “I’ve had one heck of a year musically. I played concerts in Brazil and throughout the U.S. I’m teaching quite a bit, with a dozen students.” Then he adds proudly, “And some are doing great things!” New directions: “It’s always stressful, being a soloist. There’s a tidal wave of pressure to become a great one. Besides music, my dad gave me another gift, a passion for real estate, and got me started in it as a hobby. Now I don’t rely on my playing to support me, and the music has become more of a fun hobby. I don’t have the incredibly famous manager anymore; I’m my own boss. My playing is so much better - and I’m having fun!” A friend indeed: “I feel so incredibly close to the VI Symphony and the Port Theatre. On my first performance there I remember having to test out their new piano for them and it had to be returned.” Ian’s magnetic charm, easy-going manner and amazing talent have captivated audiences for each of his guest appearances with the VI Symphony. Who could forget his explosive performances of Rachmaninoff, his sold-out, raising-the-roof Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin, the exciting Burlesque by Strauss, or Tchaikovsky’s stunning Piano Concerto No. 1? On this return engagement, Ian will play Mozart’s highly popular and beautiful Piano Concerto No. 20. “This is the concerto at the end of the movie Amadeus. While Mozart is often known to write playful pieces, this is one of the few that dives into dramatic turmoil at the same time as incorporating all his light beauty.” On Mozart and Beethoven: “Being the genius he was, Mozart never wrote his own *cadenzas - he made them up on the spot. Beethoven loved this concerto so much that he wrote a cadenza for it; musicians usually create their own, but for this concerto they play Beethoven’s version - Mozart with a bit of Beethoven - and it’s just awesome!” On pianos: Ian loves pianos and he’s never far away from one. “Since I began looking after my ailing father I have inherited 22 more pianos. With my own five pianos, that makes 27. I’ve got a cute little place in Whistler - with a piano. When I have a couple of weeks off, I go there. Last year I skied more than in my whole lifetime. I was 36 and went for 36 days of skiing.” Then he added with amusement, “And I played the piano.” The concert: Pierre Simard will be conducting the VI Symphony for Ian’s performance. “Truly, I love to play with Pierre. I adore the fluidity in his gestures and find his presence exciting and inspiring.” Also on the program is the world premiere of Mix Tape, written by another VI Symphony friend, former composer-in-residence and Nanaimo native, Jason Nett, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 which is, in the composer’s own words, his ‘most excellent symphony.’ Ian Parker, Mozart, Beethoven, Jason Nett and the VI Symphony – ingredients for a most excellent feast of music and friendship! Tickets (student $20, general $33-$59, eyeGO $5) are available by calling 250-754-8550. Then come and meet the artists at the Pre-Concert talk. #ianparker #jasonnett #keepingmusiclive #vanislesymphony
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 15:22:48 +0000
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