The Program

From the famous Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven to the monumental Sonata in B minor by Liszt, Emilio’s program features piano works by some of the greatest composers from the classical and romantic era who explored the deepest visions and human feelings. 

The Moonlight Sonata is a musical testament to the revolution Beethoven started in breaking the classical form and seeking new, profound ways of expression. Such a search is pursued by Chopin in his visionary Nocturnes Op.9 No.1 and Op.27 No.1. 

Human drama, sentiment and inspiration reach their peaks through the notes by Rachmaninoff and Liszt. Emilio will perform two of the most popular Preludes by the Russian composer: the Op.3 No.2, nicknamed “The Bells of Moscow", about which Rachmaninoff once told an interviewer: “...one day the prelude simply came and I put it down. It came with such force that I could not shake it off even though I tried to do so. It had to be - so there it was.”, and the march-like Op.23 No.5, whose subtle echoes of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.2 are evident in the Un Poco Meno Mosso section.

Finally, in the second part of Emilio’s program, poetry and music find their sublimation with Liszt’s Sonetto del Petrarca No.104, from Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année: Italie, No. 5; and one of the masterpieces, if not the masterpiece, of the Piano literature of all times: the cyclical, in one continuous thirty-minute long movement, Sonata in B minor, where the form, thematic transformation, lyricism, harmonic development, and hidden meanings, set new horizons in the history of music.

Pianist Emilio De Mercato

Italian concert pianist, composer and conductor, Emilio De Mercato holds Master’s Degrees in Piano and in Composition from the Conservatory of Music “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan, Italy, and the Konzertdiplom in Piano Performance from the Hochschule für Musik in Bern, Switzerland. He has performed across Europe, Asia and North America. Since his move to Canada in 2012, he has been a featured pianist and conductor on many stages, performing in numerous tours and festivals. Since 2015, he is the founder and Music Director of the Alberta Symphony Orchestra which has presented events such as Symphony of Hope, Celebrate The Season at the Alberta Legislature Building, A Stradivarius for the People, Tribute to Renoir, Music in the Air, Ode to Humanity 2022/23 Series, Verdi-ssimo, and Tribute to Glenn Gould for Canada’s 150th anniversary at the Winspear Centre for Music in partnership with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, featuring Emilio both as pianist and conductor. In 2017, he debuted in a piano recital at the renowned 63rd Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, Italy. He is a member of the Piano Faculty at Mount Royal University Conservatory in Calgary and teaches at his own EDM Piano Studio in Edmonton. In 2025, Emilio performed a piano tour with stops in Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, Ottawa, and Vancouver, leading up to his sensational piano recital debut at Carnegie Hall in New York. Learn more about Emilio.

Important to Know

• This event runs rain or shine and is held indoors in the Diwan Pavilion. Please make sure you are dressed for the weather and prepared for a modest walk from the Garden entrance to the Diwan Pavilion.
• There are no refunds. However, if Environment Canada issues a severe weather warning, the Garden may cancel or postpone the event, in which case refunds will be issued.
• Concert seating is on a first-come, first-served basis; we encourage you to come a little early to get your spot. 
• Recital runs from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., including an intermission. You can enjoy the Garden until 9 p.m.
• Cupcakes and lemonade will be available for purchase at the Diwan.
• Food and beverages are also available a la carte at Cafe al Fresco, including a selection of freshly-made sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, ice cream and baked goods, along with coffee, cold beverages, wine and beer.