Having delighted Music Toronto audiences with “one of the best recitals of 2025” (LudwigVan), Ukrainian pianist Illia Ovcharenko returns to Music Toronto with a program shaped by the spirit of fantasy. From Beethoven’s Quasi una Fantasia and Schumann’s visionary Fantasy in C to the evocative works of Ukrainian composer Viktor Kosenko and Liszt’s electrifying Dante Sonata, Ovcharenko explores music where imagination, poetry, and virtuosity unfold in thrilling freedom.

“An artist of rare sensitivity and dazzling virtuosity.” — International Piano

Featuring Meagan Milatz, piano

In What Makes It Great?, master communicator Rob Kapilow and brilliant Canadian pianist Meagan Milatz explore Beethoven’s electrifying Appassionata Sonata, revealing how the composer transforms simple musical ideas through bold and imaginative variations. Part of our Sunday afternoon MUSE (Music Unveiled, Stories, Explorations) series, this illuminating event readies listeners for Danny Driver’s performance of Beethoven’s monumental Diabelli Variations in March 2027.

“Kapilow is the ideal guide—erudite, engaging, and endlessly illuminating.” — The New York Times

Returning to Music Toronto for a third appearance, British pianist Danny Driver brings his exceptional artistry to a program of waltzes and variations spanning three centuries. George Frideric Handel’s elegant Suite No. 5, Maurice Ravel’s shimmering Valses nobles et sentimentales, and Morton Feldman’s spare Variations lead to the evening’s centerpiece, Ludwig van Beethoven’s monumental Diabelli Variations. Rarely heard in concert, this astonishing cycle of 33 variations transforms a simple waltz into an imaginative and profound work in the piano repertoire, offering a special experience in a Beethoven anniversary year.

“Impossible to overestimate Driver’s impeccable technique and musicianship.” — Gramophone