Daniel Vnukowski

As a beginner pianist, I wish someone had told me that tempo is something you grow into. 🎹

It’s easy to hear a beautiful performance and want to arrive at that speed immediately, before your hands have found their way or your ears have understood where each phrase is going.

But there is so much to discover slowly. Where the melody needs to breathe. How one movement prepares the next. Where tension gathers, and where it can soften.

As those details become familiar, the music begins to move more freely. Your hands find ease, the phrases find direction, and a tempo that once felt out of reach starts to feel natural.

Give yourself time to understand the music. Sometimes, slowing down is how you discover what carries it forward.

A little Sunday gallivanting at the Canadian Opera Company’s La traviata. What an afternoon of music and theatre.

The dazzling coloratura was thrilling, but it was the quieter moments that really drew me into Violetta’s world: the pauses, the hesitation, the vulnerability beneath her public confidence. The lighting added beautifully to the atmosphere, giving us a sense of her tormented heart.

Verdi knows exactly when to let a melody soar, when to hold us in suspense, and when to leave room for a fragile moment. His music draws us ever deeper into this devastating tragedy, gripping us right through to the final curtain call.

And always a joy to hear Russell Braun as Giorgio Germont, especially in “Di Provenza il mar, il suol”.

A stunning production. Stepping back into the bustle of Toronto afterwards felt almost too abrupt!

#LaTraviata #CanadianOperaCompany #Verdi #Opera #Toronto

Somehow, we’re already talking about the final concerts of 2026, which feels a little wild to say! 🎹

I still have a few performances ahead, and I’d love to close out the year doing what I love most: sharing music with all of you.

Take a look at my upcoming dates, and join me if you can. It would be wonderful to see some familiar faces, and meet a few new ones, before the year is through! 🤍