Michelangeli’s “Only Other Pianist”: Sergio Fiorentino

“Recently I listened to a pianist on the radio who impressed me very much: Sergio Fiorentino, do you know him?” – Vladimir Horowitz

He is the only other pianist, said the legendary Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli of Sergio Fiorentino (1927-1998). How is it that one of the greatest musical geniuses of the 20th century is still so unknown? Sergio Fiorentino was an exceptional pianist who turned his back on the concert arenas at the peak of his powers to concentrate on teaching and returned twenty years later with mastertly technique and musicality undiminished to an acclaim that most artists only dream of. Fiorentino was badly hurt in an air crash in 1954 which put an end to illustrious engagements throughout Europe and America. At that time he was being described as one of the the most promising pianists of his generation.

He received a scholarship to San Pietro Majella Conservatory in 1938 and although his teachers were among the most distinguished of their time, he stressed that his influences came from watching Alfred Cortot, Walter Gieseking and Edwin Fischer and from listening to recordings, principally those of Rachmaninov playing his own music. From 1947 the young virtuoso was noticed in Europe and was awarded top prizes in the international competitions in Naples, Genoa and Geneva. The most prestigious agents sought him out and by 1953 he had made his American debut in the Carnegie Hall. All seemed set for the predicted glittering career, but the following year while on tour in South America the aircraft carrying him crashed. He was unable to play for some years and when he was able to return to the instrument he had to relearn some of his technique. By the late 1950s he decided to set about re-establishing himself and embarked on a series of recordings in Britain, principally for Saga, Fidelity, Summit labels and their regularly reincarnated successors which often offered intriguing budget-priced repertoire. Most recordings were never reviewed as a result.

Quite why he decided in 1974 to give up playing concerts and return to a professional role at the Conservatory where he had studied is not entirely clear, but points to the self-effacing and non-combative temperament of the artist Fiorentino who was no career-hunter, lacked a big ego and was always focused on serving the music instead of himself. He disliked the publicity machine and cocktail circuit that often went with concerts and the music business. His decision to remove himself entirely from international career ambitions until the end of his life was entirely his own and one he did not appear to regret.

Ernst Lumpe, a German record collector and a long-time admirer of the pianist through the 30 or so London recordings, had begun a friendship that led to an invitation to play publicly again in Germany. These engagements were in small local halls with a tiny audience and perhaps that is why Florentino responded to the idea. When the knowledgeable Bryan Crimp, founder of APR Recordings and one of the best judges of the great pianists of this century, made a live tape of one of those performances and issued it to general acclamation, it marked the renaissance of Fiorentino and his return to the recording studio after a 30-year absence. His return to the stage, after his retirement from the Conservatory in 1993, must be one of the rare examples of an enthusiast persuading a professional artist to think again. During his five last years, Sergio Fiorentino was dubbed a pianist of the Golden Age and was lauded wherever he went. The deep musical insights which he used to turn the most familiar repertoire into a revelation and his understanding of composers from Bach to Scriabin will ensure that his name and stature remain at the forefront wherever great piano playing is appreciated.

Frédéric Chopin, Sonata No. 3 in b-minor. Op. 58

9 October 1994 Berlin, Siemensvilla (recorded in one single take without edits)

Allegro maestoso
Scherzo – Molto vivace
Largo
Finale – Presto ma non tanto

Franz Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major
Hamburg, Musikhalle 1958, Hamburg Pro Musica (NDR Symphony Orchestra), Conductor: Erich Riede
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Further listening:

The Early Recordings
Recordings on APR

Read more at Ernst Lumpe’s Sergio Fiorentino memorial website

“The playing was technically as secure as one could wish, but the overriding impression was that of imposing sonority, tonal control, and poise, coupled with a genuinely romantic, unexaggerated interpretive style that seemed to hark back to several generations ago.” – Igor Kipnis

“Humanity and tenderness: these two words could sum up his interpretation. Aren’t these also the most appropriate words to express the composer’s genius? It is another way to tell that the artist goes right to the heart of the music.” – Diapason

“This Liszt recital was recorded just a year before Fiorentino’s sudden death in 1998 and it stands as a glowing testament to his artistry. The technical command is awe-inspiring, a far cry from an over-fleet early facility. Here is no frisky alternative to seriousness, but a moving
commitment to Liszt’s innermost spirit and vision. Even in an over-crowded marketplace, Fiorentino’s Liszt Sonata ranks among the grandest and most sensitive on record.” – The Gramophone

“Benefiting from a fabulously voiced instrument, [this is] an overwhelming experience, outstandingly recorded in a golden acoustic. Remarkable… My recommendations, chronologically, are Backhaus, Gieseking, de Lara, Arrau (1959), Sofronitzky (1959), Richter (1960), Argerich (1966), Richter (1979), Bolet, Hough, Perl, Fiorentino (1996). Pushed to choose just one, it’d have to be Fiorentino.” – International Piano

“Yet, when one encounters playing of a kind such as that of Fiorentino it is the only epithet that seems genuinly appropriate …. In conclusion, I can only echo the reaction to Fiorentino’s artistry in Diapason: Indispensable!” – International Piano Quarterly