September 30, 2024 marks the 90th birthday of Canadian-born pianist Ronald Turini. The esteemed musician has the distinction of being one of handful of official pupils of the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz.

Born in Montreal on September 30, 1934, Turini first studied with his mother and then at the McGill Conservatory with Frank Hanson; at the age of 9 he moved over to the Montreal Conservatory of Music, where his teachers were Yvonne Hubert (whose other Canadian pupils of note include André Laplante, Janina Fialkowska, Marc-André Hamelin, and Louis Lortie), Germaine Malépart, and the legendary French pedagogue and pianist Isidor Phillip. Turini played his concerto debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Wilfrid Pelletier at the age of ten (while WWII was still happening) and graduated from the Conservatory in 1950 at the age of 16.

Three years later, Turini entered the Mannes School of Music in New York, studying with the legendary Isabelle Vengerova (who had taught at Curtis under Josef Hofmann’s direction) and her assistant Olga Stroumillo, who then introduced the young pianist to Vladimir Horowitz. The Russian pianist was in his second retirement at the time and taught very few pupils, but was very impressed by Turini and remained a teacher & mentor from 1956 to 1965.

Turini’s 2nd prize placements in some major competitions during his time with Horowitz helped get his name before the public and anchored his reputation: in 1958 he came in second at the prestigious Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, and the same year tied for second with Maurizio Pollini at the Geneva International Music Competition. Two years later he again placed second, this time at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Belgium; apparently, jury member Emil Gilels sent a telegram to Horowitz that read, “Congratulations, ‘Professor’ – your Turini is wonderful.” You can listen here to Turini’s wonderful solo and concerto performances during the competition’s final round.

Turini’s debut recital at Carnegie Hall on January 23, 1961 was attended by a number of distinguished musicians and pianists, including Artur Rubinstein, Leonard Bernstein, and Rudolf Firkušný (who had also been on the jury in Brussels). Rubinstein was apparently the first to congratulate Turini, and Horowitz and his wife hosted a reception at their apartment after the recital. The f0llowing day, New York Times music critic Harold C. Schonberg stated in his review that Turini ‘was resplendent. For in addition to technical expertness, there was a quality of aristocracy to the performance.’ Indeed, the recording of the recital – only ever released to the public in the last decade or so – demonstrates truly superb pianism by Turini: soaring phrasing, natural timing, beautifully voiced chords, and refined nuancing.

Schumann: Novelette in F Major Op.21 No.1 & Piano Sonata No.2

Chopin: Études Op.10 No.10, Op.25 No.7, Op.25 No.1, Op.10 No.1; Ballade No.1

Hindemith: Piano Sonata No.2 in G Major

Scriabin: Étude in C-Sharp Minor Op.42 No.5

Liszt: Sonetto del Petrarca No.104 &  Hungarian Rhapsody No.12

Encores: Scarlatti: Sonata K 322 in A Major; Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op.67 No.4 ‘Spinning Song’; Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op.12 No.1 ‘Des Abends’; Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin: VI. Toccata

Turini’s debut album on RCA was was recorded not long after his Carnegie Hall recital 1961 (specifically on five days: February 15 and 16 & April 10, 12, and 14, 1961) but for some reason it was only released in 1965. This is the only major label solo recording that the pianist made (he produced one other disc for RCA: the Hindemith Viola Sonatas with violist Walter Trampler, set down in 1967), with other solo and chamber music outings appearing on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation records.

This album on RCA captures the pianist’s inspired artistry in wonderful sound, with superb readings of all of the works performed – all of which he had played at his Carnegie Hall recital not long before the sessions.

Schumann: Sonata No.2 in G Minor, Op.22

Liszt: Sonetto 104 del Petrarca & Hungarian Rhapsody No.12

Hindemith: Sonata No.2

Scriabin: Etude in C-Sharp Minor Op.42 No.5

Turini toured the USSR during the dark days of the Cold War in the early to mid-1960s, receiving rave reviews from critics and rapturous reception from audiences: when he played Rachmaninoff’s Third Concerto with the Leningrad Philharmonic in the 1962-63 season, the audience apparently continually demanded more encores until the soloist was unable to continue. Here is a fantastic recording of Turini in Leningrad on March 4, 1965. His playing here is absolutely stunning, with impeccable pacing, gorgeous tonal colours, and seamless phrasing, capturing the character of each work to perfection. Unfortunately the Ginastera Sonata he played at this concert is not on this upload, but every moment of this recital is worth hearing! (The complete recital, as well as a number of other live performances – including several from this page – are now available either as CDs or digital downloads at St Laurent Studios: click here for the complete selection.)

Bach-Busoni: Nun komm der Heiden Heiland BWV 659 & Nun freut euch, liebe Christen BWV 734

Schubert: Piano Sonata in A D.664

Chopin: Ballade No.1 in G Minor Op.23

Ravel: Miroirs 1. Noctuelles; 2. Oiseaux tristes; 3. Une barque sur l’océan

Turini continued his mentorship with Horowitz until 1965 and performed internationally to rave reviews, yet not quite in the spotlight that many – including his famous teacher – believed his refined artistry warranted. Horowitz is said to have noted that Turini lacked the drive to make a big career, and so while he would tour and perform – and teach – for decades, he was not as recognized by the broader public as he was by the cognoscenti who appreciated his combination of power, intelligence, and refinement. Turini himself seemed content being less in the limelight – prior to his studies in New York, he considered a career in automobile engineering (like Michelangeli and other pianists, he retained his interest in luxury high-performance cars.) He moved to London, Ontario in the 1970s, teaching at Western University until his retirement in 2008.

Here is a March 9, 1967 recital of Turini with a varied programme of works by Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Hétu, Scriabin, and Ravel. He was 32 when he gave this recital in Halifax (the Canadian one) and we hear an amazing combination of passion and intelligence, without any ostentatious gestures. His playing here is characterized by masterful crafting of phrasing, clarity of texture, phenomenal pedalling, and beauty of tone.

Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 17 in B♭ major, K. 570

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2

Liszt: Au bord d’une source

Hétu: Variation

Ravel: Miroirs 1. Noctuelles; 2. Oiseaux tristes; 3. Une barque sur l’océan

Scriabin: Poem, op. 32 no. 1 & Sonata no. 5

As an eminent Canadian pianist, Turini performed, broadcast, and recorded for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).A 1965 CBC record features Turini playing with a range of works in his repertoire at the time with beautiful tone and attention to both structure and mood, with clear voicing, mindfully crafted phrasing, and wonderful pedalling.

Beethoven: Sonata in F Minor Op.57, “Appassionata”

Scriabin: Etude p.42 No.5

Liszt – Sonetto del Petrarca 104 &  Un Sospiro

Ravel – Le Tombeau de Couperin: VI. Toccata

Here is an excerpt from a recital Turini played for the 1967 Expo in Montreal, transferred from a rather noisy pressing of a CBC record. He plays four works by Rachmaninoff: the Etude Tableau in E-Flat Minor Op.39 No.5, the Prelude in G-Sharp Minor Op.32 No.12, the Prelude in G Major Op.32 No.5, and the Prelude in A Minor, Op.32 No.8 with full-bodied tone, fluid phrasing, elegant timing, and exceptional refinement.

Also taken from the same noisy CBC LP is a superb account of a Liszt work not otherwise featured in his recordings thus far, the Sonetto del Petrarca No.123. As always, Turini plays with an impeccable balance of control, passion, and refinement.

Twenty years later, we hear Turini in magnificent form at a 1987 recital at McGill University in Montreal.

Beethoven: Sonata No.23 in F Minor Op. 57, Appassionata

Chopin: Four Ballades & Ecossaises

Turini often played chamber music and set down more collaborative performances on disc than he did of the solo repertoire.  Here is a 1977 performance from a CBC record of the Brahms Quartet No.2 in A Major for Piano and Strings Op.26, in which Turini is joined by Steven Staryk on violin, Gerald Stanick on viola, and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi on cello.

There are regrettably no concertos in Turini’s commercial discography, which makes the existence of live performances of such works exceedingly interesting. While both Turini and Malcolm Frager (who placed 1st in the 1960 Queen Elisabeth Competition in which Turini tied for 2nd) both had contracts with RCA, the label recorded no concertos with them (with the exception of Prokofiev’s 2nd Concerto with Frager), the bulk of such works being assigned to the headlining American pianist Van Cliburn after his sensational Tchaikovsky Competition win in Moscow in 1958. There are circulating live performances of Turini playing Liszt’s 1st (at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, linked above) and Rachmaninoff’s Third Concerto (below), and one hopes that recordings will be found and made available of performances of the Schumann & Grieg Concertos, Brahms Second Concerto, and Rachmaninoff 2nd Concerto and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

The final musical selection this tribute is a fabled 1968 concert performance of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto given by  Turini with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Otto Werner-Muller. This elusive performance – once pressed on a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation transcription disc that was not for sale to the public – took me over a decade to obtain and finds the pianist in very fine form, playing with extraordinary clarity of texture and attentive voicing. Rapid passagework is despatched with apparent ease, with masterful highlighting of key motifs and voices that are often overlooked by pianists who emphasize the virtuosic aspects of these passages (his left hand voicing is incredible). Turini’s timing is impeccable as well, with phrases beautifully stretched to just the right degree to draw out emotion without any exaggeration, his timing and dynamic gradations seamlessly synchronized. This is one of the most astounding performances of the work that I’ve heard.

Closing this tribute, a three-part interview of Turini by Jeffrey Wagner in London, Ontario in 1984 – it is presented in three parts below.

Wishing Maestro Turini many happy returns on his 90th birthday!

Explore the St Laurent Studios releases of some of these and other Turini concert recordings, available on CD or as digital downloads, at this link.