Dinu Lipatti (March 19, 1917, Bucharest – December 2, 1950, Geneva) was a R… Read Full Bio ↴Dinu Lipatti (March 19, 1917, Bucharest – December 2, 1950, Geneva) was a Romanian classical pianist and composer whose career was tragically cut short by his death from Hodgkin's disease at age 33. Despite his short career and a relatively small recorded legacy, Lipatti is considered as one of the finest pianists of the 20th century.
Lipatti was born in Bucharest into a musical family: his father was a violinist, his mother a pianist, and his godfather was the violinist and composer George Enescu. He studied at the Gheorghe Lazăr High School, and finished second at the 1934 Vienna International Piano Competition, which led to Alfred Cortot, who thought he should have won, resigning from the jury in protest. Lipatti subsequently studied in Paris under Cortot, Nadia Boulanger (with whom he recorded some of Johannes Brahms Waltzes Op. 39), Paul Dukas (composition) and Charles Münch (conducting).
Lipatti's career was interrupted by World War II. Although he continued to give concerts throughout Europe, including Nazi-occupied territories, he eventually fled his native Romania in 1943 and settled with his wife in Geneva, Switzerland, where he accepted the position as piano professor at the conservatory. It was at this time that the first signs of his illness emerged. At first, doctors were baffled, but in 1947 he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. As a result, his concertizing receded considerably after the war.
Lipatti gave his final recital, which was recorded, on 16 September 1950 in Besançon. Despite severe illness, he gave unmatched performances of Bach’s B flat major Partita, Mozart’s A minor Sonata, Schubert's G flat major and E flat major Impromptus, and thirteen of Chopin's 14 Waltzes. He excluded No. 2, which he was too exhausted to play; he offered instead Myra Hess’s transcription of Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. He died less than 3 months later.
Lipatti is buried at the cemetery of Chêne-Bourg next to his wife Madeleine, a noted piano teacher.
Lipatti was born in Bucharest into a musical family: his father was a violinist, his mother a pianist, and his godfather was the violinist and composer George Enescu. He studied at the Gheorghe Lazăr High School, and finished second at the 1934 Vienna International Piano Competition, which led to Alfred Cortot, who thought he should have won, resigning from the jury in protest. Lipatti subsequently studied in Paris under Cortot, Nadia Boulanger (with whom he recorded some of Johannes Brahms Waltzes Op. 39), Paul Dukas (composition) and Charles Münch (conducting).
Lipatti's career was interrupted by World War II. Although he continued to give concerts throughout Europe, including Nazi-occupied territories, he eventually fled his native Romania in 1943 and settled with his wife in Geneva, Switzerland, where he accepted the position as piano professor at the conservatory. It was at this time that the first signs of his illness emerged. At first, doctors were baffled, but in 1947 he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. As a result, his concertizing receded considerably after the war.
Lipatti gave his final recital, which was recorded, on 16 September 1950 in Besançon. Despite severe illness, he gave unmatched performances of Bach’s B flat major Partita, Mozart’s A minor Sonata, Schubert's G flat major and E flat major Impromptus, and thirteen of Chopin's 14 Waltzes. He excluded No. 2, which he was too exhausted to play; he offered instead Myra Hess’s transcription of Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. He died less than 3 months later.
Lipatti is buried at the cemetery of Chêne-Bourg next to his wife Madeleine, a noted piano teacher.
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02Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C Major, BV B 29/1: Toccata (After Bach's BWV 564) [Live]0:41Dinu Lipatti
33Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: Jesus bleibet meine Freude (Arr. M. Hess for Piano)2:31Dinu Lipatti
40Piano Concertino in the Classical Style, Op. 3: I. Allegro maestoso (Recorded Live 1943)Dinu Lipatti
42Piano Concertino in the Classical Style, Op. 3: III. Allegretto (Recorded Live 1943)3:39Dinu Lipatti
43Piano Concertino in the Classical Style, Op. 3: IV. Allegro molto (Recorded Live 1943)Dinu Lipatti
54Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 25 "Dans le caractère populaire roumain": I. Moderato malinconico6:51George Enescu
55Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 25 "Dans le caractère populaire roumain": II. Andante sostenuto e misterioso6:48George Enescu
56Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 25 "Dans le caractère populaire roumain": III. Allegro con brio ma non troppo mosso7:27George Enescu
65Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BV B 28 (After Bach's BWV 1052): I. Allegro [Live]8:20Dinu Lipatti
66Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BV B 28 (After Bach's BWV 1052): II. Adagio [Live]7:55Dinu Lipatti
67Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BV B 28 (After Bach's BWV 1052): III. Allegro [Live]7:50Dinu Lipatti
74Piano Concertino in the Classical Style, Op. 3: I. Allegro maestoso (Recorded Live 1948)4:27Dinu Lipatti
75Piano Concertino in the Classical Style, Op. 3: II. Adagio molto (Recorded Live 1948)4:34Dinu Lipatti
76Piano Concertino in the Classical Style, Op. 3: III. Allegretto (Recorded Live 1948)3:27Dinu Lipatti
77Piano Concertino in the Classical Style, Op. 3: IV. Allegro molto (Recorded Live 1948)5:10Dinu Lipatti
99Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467 "Elvira Madigan": I. Allegro maestoso (Cadenza D. Lipatti) [Live]15:16Dinu Lipatti
101Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467 "Elvira Madigan": III. Allegro vivace assai (Cadenza D. Lipatti) [Live]6:31Dinu Lipatti
142Piano Sonata No. 8 in A Minor, K. 310: II. Andante cantabile con espressione (Live)5:59Dinu Lipatti
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Dinu Lipatti (100th Anniversary Edition)
Dinu Lipatti Lyrics
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