J'ai entendu Pierpaolo Turetta et prends plasir à témoigner de la profonde impression que cet excellent organiste m'a laissée. Un contrôle parfait de tous les aspects techniques du jeu de l'orgue soutient une profonde musicalité et une imagination musicale remarquable.
Guy Bovet
Pierpaolo Turetta, premier prix avec distinction et prix specal Otto Barblan au Conservatoire supérieur de Genève.
M.Turetta a un beau tempérament musical, une technique accomplie, et une parfaite connaissance des styles.
Je le considère comme l'un de mes meilleurs élèves et je lui souhäite une belle carrière, à l'image de son précieux dons artistiques.
Lionel Rogg
[...] Le Concours Suisse de l'Orgue, se tennait à Bienn. Il était doté de Prix Attractif ce qui explique en partire son succès: plus de 30 inscrit(e)s. Si l'âge s'établissait, la provenance allait depuis l'Asie, l'Europe et l'Amérique. Turetta a de la chance. Lionel Rogg il saint faire de lui un mâitre. Si la virtuisité et la techique ne présentent alcune faille, la musicalité ne demeure pas en reste. Il sa construire une oeuvre et possède un soufflé qui tient l'auditoire en haleine [...].
Journal du Jura
Organ Repertoire Offered by Pier Paolo Turetta
Complete works by Johann Sebastian Bach - eleven concerts
Location: The concerts took place in the Cathedral of Messina, home to a large and famous Tamburini organ (the second largest in Italy).
Timing: The series consisted of eleven concerts, held every Friday, beginning around February 2009.
Context: This was a significant cultural event in Messina and was accompanied by the publication of a guide titled Tutto Bach in undici concerti. Guida all'opera omnia per organo (All of Bach in eleven concerts. Guide to the complete organ works).
Complete works by Olivier Messiaen - seven concerts
Host Organization: The concerts and related events (masterclasses and lectures) were organized by Kulturno druŝtvo Schellenburg, ARS3 Slovenian National Radio.
Location: The main venue for the series of seven concerts was the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in the Šiška district of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
Timing: The performances took place across multiple dates, notably starting in November 2013 and continuing into 2014.
Impact and Documentation: The entire cycle of Messiaen's organ works performed by Turetta was recorded by the Slovenian national public broadcasting organization, RTV Slovenija (Radio Television of Slovenia), for broadcast on their Radio Classique Nationale program Ars.
César Franck - two concerts
The 2022 performance series in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Venezia and Greifswald where Turetta performed César Franck's complete organ works, was part of a major cultural celebration on 2022.
Bicentenary Celebration: The concerts were a key part of the Homage to César Franck on the 200th anniversary of his birth, which took place in 2022.
Venues: The primary venue was the historic Basilica Santi Filippo e Giacomo Apostoli in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Basilica dei Frari in Venezia and St Nikolai's Cathedral in Greifswald.
Cultural Context: The event was organized with the support of local cultural associations like "Fondazione in Musica 2022" and "CortinAteatro 2022"; Palazzetto Bru Zane, Venezia; Department of Sacred Music and Musicology, University of Greifswald.
Franz Liszt's most important works in London and Canterbury
St Peter's, Eaton sq; St Paul's Cathedral; Canterbury Cathedral
Robert Matthew-Walker, Musical Opinion
The Organ recital by Pierpaolo Turetta at St Peter's in Eaton Square on 2 August was undoubtedly one of the more remarkable given in London for many months. It comprised three of Liszt's larges Organ works: the Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen Variations, the Fantasy and Fugue on the Chorale Ad nos, ad salutarem undam and the Prelude and Fugue on B.A.C.H.
An Organ Recital devoted entirely to Liszt is a great rarity and my initial thanks to Pierpaolo Turetta, who is the Organist of the Basilica of St Mark's in Venice, were reinforced by the quality and insight of his interpretations and the technical mastery of his playing. By my standards, this was very, very good organ playing, and one hopes this highly gifted artist will be playing in Britain soon; a recording by him of these three works could well prove to be one of the discs of the year, should an enterprising label take up the suggestion.
Mirco de Stefani, organ works
"La pagina dell'organo"
"The performer Pierpaolo Turetta proves to be fully at ease playing the four-manual organ of the Saint Pierre Cathedral in Geneva, which reveals itself to be perfect for this repertoire. Endowed with excellent technique and expertise in the field of contemporary and experimental music, Turetta establishes himself here as one of the finest exponents of organ interpretation. He demonstrates a particular ability to bring out the most hidden and profound nuances—a fundamental skill for any great interpreter of new European music. These two CDs undoubtedly represent one of the best contemporary music recordings produced in recent decades, and we consider them an absolutely essential addition to the collection of every organ and music enthusiast."
"3 studi per organo"
Toccata
Arioso
Fuga
Pieces from "Pèlerinage de Charlemagne"
Frank Martin, Sonata
Version for flute and organ. Daniele Ruggieri, flute; Pierpaolo Turetta, organ
Lou Harrison
A homage to Lou Harrison, CD 4th
Tammiram Percussion Ensemble
Guido Facchin, Condactor
Pierpaolo Turetta, Organ
Andrea Gabrieli
Suono,
[...] Turetta padroneggia l'Organo Callido di San Marco a Venezia [...]
Andrea Gabrieli: Missa Dominicalis
St Mark's Basilica
Pierpaolo Turetta, Organist
Pierpaolo Turetta - Biography
Pierpaolo Turetta is an Italian organist. After completing his studies at the Trento Conservatory under Giancarlo Parodi, he further enriched his education through studies in Composition with Fabio Vacchi and Piano with Andrea Di Renzi. He continued his education with Lionel Rogg at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique in Geneva, where in 1993 he was awarded the Premier Prix de Virtuosité avec Distinction and the Special Prize Otto Barblan for his interpretation of Schoenberg’s Variations on a Recitative for Organ, Op. 40.
Among many other international awards, he won the first prize at the Concours International Suisse de l’Orgue, awarded unanimously for his interpretation of Reger’s Symphonische Fantasie und Fugue, Op. 57.
Among his significant performances, Pierpaolo Turetta has given a series of recitals featuring the complete organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach (Messina, Cathedral, 2009), the complete organ works of César Franck (Venice – Basilica dei Frari, 2011; Cortina d’Ampezzo – Basilica San Filippo e Giacomo; Greifswald – Dom St. Nikolai, 2022), and the complete organ works by Olivier Messiaen (Ljubljana, Saint Francis, 2013-2014). The complete Messiaen cycle was recorded and broadcast by Slovenian Radio TV RTV-Slovenija on the ARS program.
He has recorded Harrison’s Concerto for Organ and Percussion Orchestra.
Turetta has performed and conducted organ and orchestra concerts by Georg Friedric Haendel and Joseph Haydn (Orchestra Barocca di Venezia). As a soloist, he performed Francis Poulenc’s Concerto for Organ, Timpani, and Strings in G minor (Lecce and Otranto, Cathedrals) under Bruno Rigacci. Recently, he performed Marco Enrico Bossi Concerto for Organ and Orchestra (Padova, Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Veneto, 2013).
Pierpaolo has been recognized internationally, earning the 2nd prize at the Karl Richter International Competition in Berlin, the 2nd prize at the Noale National Competition, the 1st prize at the Biel International Competition, and the 1st prize at the National Competition in Rome organized by the Italian Ministry of Culture.
His repertoire includes works from Bach to Ligeti. He has given organ recitals in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Great Britain, Slovenia, Croatia, South America, Hungary, and Italy. At the University of Greifswald, he gave a masterclass on Franz Liszt’s organ works, performing the three major organ works, and also held a masterclass on Olivier Messiaen in Slovenia (2014).
He was first organist of the Basilica of San Marco and professor of improvisation at the Academy of Ljubljana.
He is currently a professor of organ at the Padua Conservatory of Music.