Preludes

Leeds Gold Medalist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko explores the art of the prelude in Chopin, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff. Preludes The Master Piano Recital Series welcomes Jaeden Izik-Dzurko, Gold Medalist of the 2024 Leeds International Piano Competition and one of the most compelling Canadian pianists of his generation, for a recital devoted to the extraordinary world of the piano prelude. A Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellow, Izik-Dzurko was also the first Canadian instrumentalist to win the Grand Prize at the Concours musical international de Montréal. His rapidly expanding international career has taken him to Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Salle Cortot and the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, with orchestral appearances including the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, National Arts Centre Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and Oxford Philharmonic. His 2026–2027 season includes concerto debuts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, an Asian tour with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and recital appearances in Japan, Italy, Belgium and Germany. Hear Jaeden Izik-Dzurko in performance: Preludes explores how three composers transformed one of music's most concentrated forms into worlds of extraordinary expressive range. Chopin's Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 45 provides the point of departure: a single, expansive meditation in which harmony and colour seem to evolve almost continuously. Scriabin's 24 Preludes, Op. 11 then take the listener through every major and minor key, creating a kaleidoscope of fleeting moods—intimate, ecstatic, turbulent and mysterious. The recital culminates in Rachmaninoff's 10 Preludes, Op. 23, a collection encompassing some of the composer's most intimate lyricism and formidable virtuosity. Izik-Dzurko's performances of these works have particular resonance this season, coinciding with the release of his Warner Classics recording of Rachmaninoff's Op. 23 Preludes. Across Chopin, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, the prelude evolves from poetic miniature into something much larger: a remarkably flexible form capable of encompassing an entire emotional landscape. Together, these works offer a journey through three generations of pianist-composers and the changing expressive possibilities of the piano. Join us for an evening with one of Canada's most acclaimed young artists, heard on Ottawa's most magnificent Steinway concert grand. Program • Frédéric Chopin — Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 45 • Alexander Scriabin — 24 Preludes, Op. 11 • Sergei Rachmaninoff — 10 Preludes, Op. 23 Learn more: MPRS.ca