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Patrick Stocker Piano British/Irish Age: 26 Sergei Rachmaninov Sergei Prokofiev Johann Sebastian Bach |
Patrick Stocker is a 25-year-old Pianist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He developed a love for piano from a young age in a casual rather than classical sense. After enrolling at Queen’s intending on developing performance skills in a wide range of styles, he gravitated towards late romantic and early modern style pieces and discovered a greater appreciation for classical music.
Drawing inspiration from his teacher, Galina Crothers, Patrick has become fascinated with the composers of Russia, in particular, Sergei Prokofiev and Alexander Scriabin. Galina encourages a deeper understanding of music and attention to detail when it comes to the nuances of piano pieces, how music relates to life and what lessons we can learn from its study. Patrick has quite an intense personality, enjoys music of a similar quality and aims, above all else, to leave a unique stamp on each of his pieces. He is always eager to perform, share and talk about his passion for music. |
| Programme Notes
I love European art and culture, Eastern Europe especially. My programme is taken mostly from my end of year performance for University and the choices made for that performance were concerned with the imagery and themes of each piece. This is part of the reason I begin with the Rachmaninov piece which is sometimes referred to as “The Sea and The Seagulls”. As the name of this set of pieces implies, this ‘study picture’ is full of imagery, illustrating torment of the soul. Tying into Rachmaninov’s terrible fear of death, this piece can be interpreted as the seagull representing the soul, buffeted by the storm, unable to find rest and ending in an almost heart-breaking final section. This is the type of meaning I thoroughly enjoy extracting from music. With the Bach chorale we can observe imagery from events detailed in the gospels, a procession-like feature which can be attributed to Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem. Prokofiev’s third sonata – political and national instability, freedom from one’s circumstances and youthful enthusiasm which manifests in a dynamic piece ranging from haunting and lyrical to blasting and pyrotechnic. The search for meaning is what really inspires me to perfect a piece. |
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