The Art of the Sonata

The Art of the Sonata is the first concert in a two-part spring piano recital mini-series exploring the expressive power of the piano. Award-winning Canadian pianist Lucas Porter leads audiences through two landmark sonatas: Beethoven’s revolutionary “Pathétique” and Prokofiev’s monumental Sonata No. 8 — works that redefine the piano as a vehicle for emotional depth, structural brilliance, and human intensity.

Balancing Classical clarity with 20th-century fire, this carefully curated program reveals how composers across eras transformed the sonata into one of music’s most compelling artistic forms.

Francis Poulenc — Trois Novelettes
Ludwig van Beethoven — Sonata in C Minor, Op. 13 “Pathétique”
Sergei Prokofiev — Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major, Op. 84

Described by the Ottawa Citizen as “a young lion of the keyboard” possessing “staggering virtuosity” and the “old-school pyrotechnics and unabashed romanticism of early 20th-century legends,” Canadian pianist Lucas Porter is recognized for performances that combine thrilling technique with expressive depth.

A national and international prize winner, Porter is the youngest musician ever to win the Glenn Gould School Concerto Competition and a multiple winner of the Canadian Music Competition, including the Grand Prize. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras across Canada and abroad in major concertos by Gershwin, Ravel, and Prokofiev, and has represented Canada on international stages including Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan.

Educated at the Glenn Gould School, Université de Montréal, and Oberlin Conservatory’s Lake Como Fellow Program, Porter recently completed a Doctorate of Music and continues to perform widely as a soloist and chamber musician. He is also a founding member of the Callista Trio.

Known for electrifying virtuosity and passionate artistry, Lucas Porter offers audiences a performance experience that is both powerful and deeply personal.

The Poetry of Chopin — Maxim Bernard in an all-Chopin recital on April 11. See details here.

The Master Piano Recital Series, under the artistic direction of Roland Graham, presents exceptional pianists from Canada and abroad to audiences in the Nation’s Capital, celebrating the expressive power of the piano and supporting access to fine music in the community.

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