Ronald Farren-Price
Ronald Farren-Price is an Australian concert pianist of rare artistry, sensitivity and virtuosity. Clarity of expression and firmness of touch are the hallmarks of his style, which brings bold nobility to each performance.
Concert reviews, such as one from Copenhagen, attest to the rare artistry, sensitivity and virtuosity that mark the Australian pianist Ronald Farren-Price. His international career began with recognition by Claudio Arrau, under whose guidance a distinctive style matured. Clarity of expression and firmness of touch were paramount, and a bold nobility was brought to each performance.
Besides performing throughout Australia, he made annual concert tours overseas for two decades, appearing in recital and as concerto soloist in major halls in more than forty countries. Noted appearances include Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Carnegie Recital Hall in New York, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, the Musikhalle in Hamburg, the Brahmsaal in Vienna, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Melbourne Concert Hall.
As a soloist he appeared with conductors including Antal Dorati, Ferdinand Leitner, Sir Eugene Goossens, Hubert Soudant, Sir Charles Groves, Willem van Otterloo and Hiroyuki Iwaki. He had the honour of being the first Australian pianist invited to play in the former USSR, performing to capacity houses in St. Petersburg and completing eleven tours there. The last and most extensive began on the eastern coast and ended in Moscow’s Bolshoi Hall just before the Soviet Union broke apart.
He was also a pioneer in taking Australian performance to China, giving recitals and masterclasses in Beijing and other cities on two tours, and was appointed Honorary Professor of the Tianjin Conservatory of Music.
He retired as Head of Keyboard at the School of Music, University of Melbourne, and is named a Steinway artist by Steinway and Sons. Beyond the concert platform he has been Principal Fellow of the Faculty of Music at the University of Melbourne, a former Dean, and a former Director of the Australian National Academy of Music. He was awarded the Order of Australia in 1991 for services to music, received the University’s Dublin Prize in 2002, an honorary FMusA from the AMEB in 2005, and an honorary DMus from the University of Melbourne.
Press quotes
the startling clarity of the music is simply the result of Farren-Price being immersed in that, and not in the technicalities of how to play it.
His tempi remind me of Schnabel, but his playing illuminates the structures of the variations didactically and musically in ways that Schnabel never quite managed.
the listener can never doubt the integrity and thoughtfulness of the artistic approach … we can sense a performer who truly believes in the humanity and nobility of Beethoven’s vision.
his mastery … is evident in every note played.
The gossamer touch of pianist Ronald Farren-Price breathes new life into the classics … a majestic session … captivating
Ronald Farren-Price … plays with fine virtuosity and expressive warmth a recital program of pianistic delights
Ronald Farren-Price’s reading is of a world-class standard. The Preludes obviously are close to the heart of Farren-Price and his love for them can be gauged in this recording. Just listen to the way he caresses the Steinway’s keys in “The Girl with the Flaxen Hair”. There is mystery in “Delphic Dancers”, caricature in “Minstrels”, raging, hallucinatory vision in “What the west wind has seen”. On every count, Farren-Price meets the demands of what ranks among the peaks of piano music.
… masterfully performed by Farren-Price. This is a rare opportunity to hear an incredible Australian pianist at work
… a sensitive artist and a virtuoso of top rank … he demonstrated a perfect balance between the sound and the expression of the music … definitely a pianist of great distinction.
Ronald Farren-Price is featured on the following titles
Ronald Farren-Price Complete Collection
This set gathers all eleven of Ronald Farren-Price’s Move solo discs in one collection, with each volume also available separately and carrying its own digital booklet.
Johannes Brahms: Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5
Prepare to be swept away by the soulful and powerful performance of Johannes Brahms' Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5, as played by the incomparable Ronald Farren-Price. Farren-Price's mastery of the piano is evident in his interpretation of this masterpiece, showcasing the intricacies of Brahms' composition.
Franz Schubert: Sonata No. 20 in A Major, D. 959
Australian pianist Ronald Farren-Price brings intimacy and power to Schubert’s late Sonata No. 20 in A major, D. 959, balancing virtuosity with a deep feeling for the work’s melodic beauty and shifting moods.
Beethoven Pathetique
On the second volume of his Beethoven piano sonatas, Ronald Farren-Price tackles the famous Pathétique Sonata, the G major Sonata (Op. 14 No. 2), two Rondos and the beautiful late-period A-flat sonata, Op. 110.
Beethoven Moonlight
You may have been fortunate enough to hear pianist Ronald Farren-Price performing Beethoven in past years. Over seven years in the making, he has completed his long-awaited recording of selected, much-loved Beethoven piano works. This first album in the two-volume set opens the survey.
With Tenderness, With Fire
Ronald Farren-Price encores his hugely popular Reflections with this solo recital, ranging from the sublime beauty of a Beethoven Adagio to the thundering splendour of Prokofiev’s Toccata.
Ronald Farren-Price Plays Chopin
With a virtuosity that has become the hallmark of his performing career, Farren-Price pays tribute to the creative genius of Frédéric Chopin in this carefully selected programme.
Reflections
Internationally acclaimed pianist Ronald Farren-Price offers superb performances of some of the greatest music written for the piano, in a wide-ranging recital of favourite short works.
Debussy Preludes Book One
These first twelve preludes show Debussy’s achievement at the piano, expanding its range and orchestral colour. Ronald Farren-Price brings exceptional sensitivity to the set.
A Beethoven Recital
Recorded in 1976, Ronald Farren-Price’s Beethoven recital mixes rarely heard piano pieces with works long loved by students, from the Ten Variations on Salieri’s La stessa, la stessissima to Für Elise.
Haydn 250th Birthday Celebration
Pianist Ronald Farren-Price marks Haydn’s 250th birthday with three major keyboard works: the Sonatas in E minor and C minor, and the Variations in F minor.
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (piano four hands)
Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring was first composed in 1913 for piano four hands, eight years before the orchestral score was published. Ronald Farren-Price and Rosslyn Farren-Price give an intense, highly rhythmic performance of the Rite, set against Ravel's melodic Mother Goose Suite, also originally written for piano four hands.