Songs from two of The Beatles’ most iconic albums are being performed this week by Victoria pianist and composer Christopher Donison, but with a twist.
Billed as a “unique duet of piano and chandelier,” Donison’s concerts at the Victoria International Marina on the Songhees waterfront lands include material from Abbey Road this Thursday (Jan. 31), and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on Friday (Feb. 1).
The twist is the sonically sensitive, interactive chandelier called Aurora, created by Victoria’s Limbic Media. “When the lights go out,” says Donison, “the audience can see what the music does to Aurora.”
But it’s the music that will draw people to these shows.
Donison, the founder and artistic director of Music by the Sea at Bamfield and a former music director for the Shaw Festival in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ont., sees The Beatles as the Mozarts of their era. He’ll present the two albums in their entirety on solo piano, “as if they were a Beethoven sonata; but better.”
Each night of music begins at 6:30 p.m. with a pre-concert reception featuring appetizers and a cash bar. The 90-minute performances get underway at 8 p.m. Tickets are limited and cost $40 for adults and $20 for students, available at ticketrocket.co or by phone at 855-842-7575 or 250-888-7772.
editor@mondaymag.com
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