Ramón Pelinski

Career

Following piano and composition studies at the Conservatory of Córdoba, in Argentina, and philosophy studies at this city's university, Pelinski went to Paris 1959-60 where he was admitted to the class of Jacques Chailley (musicology) at the Sorbonne, and to that of Olivier Messiaen (analysis) at the Conservatory. He then studied philosophy 1960-1 at the University of Cracow with Roman Ingarden and musicology at the University of Munich. During the Olympic Games in Munich (1972), he was appointed head of the music section of the exhibition 'World Cultures and Modern Art' (1969-72).

Settling in Canada, he first taught musicology at the University of Ottawa (1973-7), and then at the University of Montreal (beginning in 1977). He has specialized mainly in Inuit music (see also Music of Indigenous Peoples of Canada), in Argentina's tango and in traditional Spanish music, topics on which he has published numerous articles in Germany, Argentina, Spain, and Canada. His research on Inuit music led to the recording (1984) of the LP Chants des Inuit du Caribou, produced by CBC's Northern Service, and to the CD album (1991) Musiques et chants inuit (UMMUS UMM-202).

Pelinski founded Canada's first group dedicated to Argentinian tango, Tango X 4 (1978-88), comprising himself at the piano, Adolfo Bornstein (violin), Rómulo Larrea (bandonéon) and René Gosselin (double-bass). The ensemble performed in Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto, at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, and in Paris, in addition to recording Tanguissimo (1987, ERM 318-1932). In 1984, he founded Tango X 3, whose repertoire was traditional Argentinian tango, and, in 1989, Métatango, devoted to contemporary tango in the style of Astor Piazzolla. Besides Pelinski (piano and arrangements), the latter group has included Raúl Jaurena (bandonéon), Luis Grinhauz (violin), Zbigniew Borowicz (double-bass), and Richard Lalonde (saxophone), and guest guitarist Alvaro Pierri. For these ensembles, Pelinski composed such pieces as “Tango de Malheur”, “Une image” and “L'Expatrié”. He was also responsible for the restoration of St Christopher's Ermitage in the province of Castellón, Spain, dating from the 14th century, where he organized festivals of traditional music since 1990.