Ron Greidanus: Piano
Saturday, November 22, 2025, 7:30 pm
Pianist and conductor Ron Greidanus has studied both nationally and internationally, including studies in Canada -Ottawa, London, Victoria, and Thunder Bay, as well Amsterdam in the Netherlands, New York USA, and Santander Spain.
Ron has performed as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with orchestras including the Vancouver Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, Sault Symphony Orchestra, and Brampton Symphony. Solo Recitals include performances in the Rachmaninoff festivals in London England, Orlando Florida, and Vienna Austria.
In addition to solo piano performances, Ron Greidanus has also established himself as a conductor specializing in Baroque performance practices. Upon his return to Canada after studies in the Netherlands, he founded his own chamber choir and orchestra -The Georgetown Bach Chorale. Ron has also been a featured guest conductor with the Brampton Symphony Orchestra and chorus, performing Faure’s Requiem and J.S. Bach’s Magnificat.
Schumann - Genoveva Overture
Mozart - Piano Concerto #21
Schumann - Symphony #1
Program Notes
During Schumann’s life there was an unprecedented outpouring of music from history’s most revered composers. And they all knew each other. Schumann and Brahms, Liszt, and Mendelssohn were all close friends. They championed each other's works and created this intense musical laboratory for them all to flourish. The friendships and likely a little bit of competition was instrumental in the beautiful and plentiful creations that we have today.
Schumann also reintroduced the Great C major symphony of Schubert which was lacking in social media promotion and sat in all its glory on a shelf in a library in Vienna somewhere. What a time to be alive in that amazing musical city!
Schumann: Overture to the Opera Genoveva
Written before the opera - and it is the only part of it that endures. The opera was not a success, due mostly to the dark and brooding character. Schumann himself was not a fan of light Italian or French opera. His operas were different. There were no recitatives and were through-composed like Wagner. Like all great operas it was full of infidelity, treachery, revenge and finally truth leading to joy. Only a few performances were given.
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21
This most beautiful of Mozart’s piano concerti was written in 1785 when he was 29 years old. It was written in a long line of compositions. He had just finished his D minor piano concerto and then on to the next. It makes one wonder if he was aware of the magic and genius of this one or was it just another composition he brought to life. The recognisable 2nd movement is pure genius. Orchestrated simply with a lilting 6/8 waltz feel against a 2/4 feel in the piano. The outer movements are pure joy with playful dialogue between the forces. Absolute magic.
Schumann: Symphony No. 1 (Spring)
The work was sketched out in mere 4 days. Schumann’s mental health required that when he was in a good space he wrote frenetically to get down on paper what was needed before he sunk back into depression.
Schumann was a fully romantic composer. He gave some programmatic (word painting) ideas and scenes to his symphony but then removed them prior to the first performance so as to not influence the audience to find connections that may or may not be there. “Fruhlings-beginn” (Spring’s Awaking), “Abend” (Evening), “Frohe Gespielen,” (Merry Playmates), and “Voller Frühling” (Height of Spring).
The symphony is in four movements. The Scherzo is somewhat unique as it has two trios. It’s a little oddly composed and rhythmically varied. The title of the piece “The Spring Symphony” doesn't really fit with our recent weather but it may help to give you hope that the seasons eventually will change.
