“Andres Segovia, the great classical guitarist, has an up-and-coming rival in a 10-year-old Santa Monica boy, Glenn Tinturin.
“A newspaperman is supposed to have words for any situation, but the adjectives needed to describe what the brown-eyed lad can do with that instrument are beyond this writer’s vocabulary.”
“Thank you, thank you [Noëlle], for such an inspiring afternoon of music. Your technical skills are overwhelming, yet what impressed me most was the way you made the piano soar to heights and swoop to moments of soft tenderness. I truly enjoyed every piece you selected. Needless to say, I left the church that day filled with the joy and appreciation of fine music. You are truly an inspiration!”
“The Friday evening guitar recital of Glenn Tinturin, heard in the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, proved amply that the young artist (soon to be 17) is well on his way to becoming a master of his instrument.
“Everything he played was touched by genuinely sensitive musical comprehension. And, commendably, his fleet-fingered facility was not once forced to serve strident and/or gimmicky vulgarities.
“Prevailing were Chopinesque rubato put to poetic uses, a warm singing tone, and an almost intuitive subordination of accompanying chords and figuration to melodic profiles.”
“The audience of nearly 5,000 seemed to enjoy everything, especially the Rodigo excerpt – so very sad and exquisitely poignant – and the genius of [Glenn] Tinturin so haunting that an encore was essential. It could only have been Albeniz’ “Leyenda,” which the young man played in masterly fashion.”
“A performer of skill and much musical sensitivity. Played with excellent technical mastery. The guitar was poetically played. The bitter-sweet musical material was most communicatively expressed and almost transporting.
“Tinturin evoked surprising depths of tone from the guitar. He traversed a magnificent musical landscape in utterly absorbing and telling fashion.”
“Highlight of Tuesday’s performance was Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” for guitar and orchestra, featuring the young Glenn Tinturin. Tinturin demonstrated a formidable technique and a sure feel for the mood of the music. The extended solo cadenza at the end of the second movement was brilliantly played and nicely demonstrated the soloist’s clear articulation of individual notes, powerful chordal work and dazzling passagework.”
“Guitarist Shines in Recital”
“When a true master artist performs, the audience is lifted beyond a mere appreciation of art. They are transported to higher realms of imagination. This is precisely where Glenn Tinturin took his receptive audience Saturday night. His recital was nothing short of a musical incantation of transcendence.
“Having studied classical guitar since the age of seven, Tinturin has achieved, through years of perfecting his art, inspired brilliance of interpretation.
“His recital was a celebration of various composers of classical Spanish music. His solo performance deeply impressed his audience with a greater appreciation for lyrical, romantic, passionate, guitar music, his favorite type.
“Each piece was delivered with such a fine touch, the experience gave me various visions of musical illumination. With Manual Ponce’s composition, “Valse” I had the impression of riding through a field of irises in a luxurious carriage of hope.
“Tinturin’s rendition of Francisco Tarrega’s “Capricho Arabe” is the kind of music one would want to fall in love with.
“One of the special pieces in the evening’s repertoire was written by Tinturin’s father, Peter, a noted composer of Broadway fame. “Fantasy” was the first of many compositions which Peter wrote for Glenn. It is music to cry with and music with which to climb to a higher vantage of awareness, where one might be tempted to worship.
” ‘Serenata Espanola,’ by Juaquin Malats, made me want to stand up and dance in honor of a Sevillian sunset.
“Listening to Tinturin’s version of “Torre Bermeja” by Isaac Albeniz, was like soul-traveling on a cloud of Moorish rhapsody, tantalized by the muses of romantic bliss.
“Homages to other composers included works by Enrique Granados, F. Moreno Torroba, Maurice Ravel, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and G. Roig. After rendering these composers’ works with the craft of absolute perfection, Tinturin then treated his appreciative audience to a splendid and well-received encore. Topping off the evening’s musical delicacies, the guitar virtuoso delved into a passionate offering of “Romance d’Amore” composed anonymously. It dawned on me why this piece might not have a name behind it. I was tempted to believe it was written by an angel.
“Tinturin’s recital gave me the impression that classical guitar is the muses’ way of expressing soulish passion. I closed my eyes during much of the concert and allowed myself to soar into previously unknown chambers of the heart. A true master, Tinturin conveyed the original inspiration of each work, and much more. This recital reminded me that the arts can enrich the soul.”
“Beautiful Music”
“Last Friday evening I attended Mountain Musicals, a concert series which has provided great music for the last several years. They always engage the best musicians for these concerts.
“This concert was a departure from their usual fare. Instead of booking a “world class” musician anywhere from New York to Southern California, the featured artist was none other than our own Glenn Tinturin, playing a program of classical guitar selections. I have personally heard Glenn play before, but only as one of a duo. I certainly was not prepared for the blockbuster evening which I experienced on Friday. Glenn played a program of the great classics for the guitar. Works by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Tarrega, Sor, and Albeniz were only a few of the 16 selections. I have heard the likes of Segovia and can tell you that Glenn played in the same league. The technique he displayed in playing these extremely difficult pieces was masked by the beauty of his execution. A novice would not have been able to know that Glenn was playing difficult pieces because of his mastery of his instrument. Thus, extremely difficult passages did not sound like exercises in the technique but beautifully expressive dialogs. His fortes to his pianissimos took you to highs and lows and kept you completely absorbed during the concert.
“I hope that Glenn plays more often here on the mountain. He is a great talent of “world class” stature who needs to be heard.”
“Very impressive [Noëlle]! Kudos on your fascinating rhythms, left hand technique and Latin spirit!”
(video: Levante)
“Bravisimo, preciosa!! Te envío desde México, un cálido saludo lleno de profunda admiración como derramas tu arte lleno de pasión. Muchas felicidades y sigue adelante.”
“Bravisimo [Noëlle], beautiful!! I send you from Mexico, a warm greeting full of deep admiration as you pour out your art full of passion. Congratulations and continue on!”
(video: Taquito Militar)
“One of my favorite pieces by Bach. Nicely arranged for piano and beautifully performed, [Noëlle].”
(video: Bach Siciliano)
“Pianist, Noëlle Compinsky Tinturin gave the final performance of the 2nd annual Arrowhead Arts Association’s ConcertMaster Series last Sunday at the Lake Arrowhead Resort.
“Tinturin received a standing ovation for her engaging and technically demanding variety of pieces by composers from around the world. The highlight of the concert, however, was when Tinturin displayed outstanding technical ability during her rendition of Chopin’s “Fantasie Impromptu.”
“Noëlle Tinturin’s recital was a love affair between herself and the magnificent Mason & Hamlin concert grand piano that she interited from her family.
“Her fingers gently caressed the keys, and then worked themselves into a passionate fury. She held her audience spellbound as she demonstrated the romantic tenderness of Clair de Lune. What a joy to hear Rachmaninoff’s Elegie and Prelude in G# minor, where once again she told a beautiful story full of colors.
“If ever I heard a musical climax, it was during the Grand Polonaise Opus 53 of Chopin, touching and filled with ecstasy. The room exploded with applause, a standing ovation and shouts for more. Her encore was a fast and fun ragtime piece, showing us once again her great versatility.”