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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No. 7 in C-sharp minor Op. 64 No. 2
Dinu Lipatti Lyrics
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Olwen Badziak
Dinu Lipatti plays Chopin like no-one else. This is wonderful!
Meredith Foster
Lipatti brings a grace charm and poise to this famous miniature such as I've never heard from any other pianist.
Toni Christina Bjerremose
Dinu Lipatti plays like an angel! Lovely! He is simply the best!
MusikPiratCH
In general I agree! But on the Chopin Waltzes even the great Dinu Lipatti has two rivals that are slightly better, IMHO: Artur Rubinstein and Krystian Zimerman! :D
tmacart
This is my favorite Chopin piece. This Lipatti version is to me, the best...he was a perfectionist.
Wazoo Lovecraft
literally best thing ever. Chopin requires a human being as well as a piano, and Lipatti offers exactly that.
shrdlux
Lipatti aces the contrast between legato and staccato phrasing, both rendered perfectly, to create two complementary renditions of the main theme. He indeed does it better than anyone.
steppinout67
So I listened to a bunch other versions and this is definitely the best.
hirokii00
his performances of chopin's waltzes are simply unmatched.
Leslie Chen
Agree! Mr. Lipatti plays like an angel!