Great Recordings Of The Century - Dinu Lipatti

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It's easy to hear why these timeless recordings have virtually never been out of the catalog since Dinu Lipatti's untimely death in 1950 at age 33. Each movement of the Bach B-flat Partita is painstakingly detailed without sounding the least bit studied, unfolding with logic, eloquence, and a cogent sense of dance. The two Bach-Busoni chorale preludes are sculpted in long, singing lines. Then there's the effortless textural juggling Lipatti achieves to moving, spiritual effect in the Bach-Kempff Siciliano and renowned Bach-Hess "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." By all accounts, Lipatti labored many hours perfecting the trills and various ornaments in the two Scarlatti sonatas, and it shows. The pianist's intense, impassioned Mozart A Minor Sonata reveals endless felicities of phrasing and touch with each relistening. Lastly, the two Schubert Impromptus, recorded at Lipatti's last recital, shimmer with concentrated, poetic refinement and serene joy that belie the fact that the pianist was mortally ill. Let's hope these cornerstone performances will be available for another 50 years at least. --Jed Distler

Tracks:

Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Prelude
Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Allemande
Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Courante
Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Sarabande
Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Menuets I&II
Partita No.1 In B-flat, BWV 825: Gigue
Chorale Prelude, BWV 599: Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland - Bach
Chorale Prelude, BWV 639: Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ - Bach
Cantata, BWV 147: Choral: 'Jesu bleibet meine Freude' - Bach
Sonata No.2 In E-Flat For Flute & Harpsichord, BWV 1031: II. Sicilliano - Bach
Sonata in E (Kk.380) - Scarlatti
Sonata in D Minor (Kk.9) 'Pastorale' - Scarlatti
Sonata No.8 in A Minor (K.310): I. Allegro Maestoso
Sonata No.8 in A Minor (K.310): II. Andante cantabile con espressione
Sonata No.8 in A Minor (K.310): III. Presto
Impromptu in G Flat (D.899) No.3 - Schubert
Impromptu in E Flat (D.899) No.2 - Schubert

Amazon.com

It's easy to hear why these timeless recordings have virtually never been out of the catalog since Dinu Lipatti's untimely death in 1950 at age 33. Each movement of the Bach B-flat Partita is painstakingly detailed without sounding the least bit studied, unfolding with logic, eloquence, and a cogent sense of dance. The two Bach-Busoni chorale preludes are sculpted in long, singing lines. Then there's the effortless textural juggling Lipatti achieves to moving, spiritual effect in the Bach-Kempff Siciliano and renowned Bach-Hess "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." By all accounts, Lipatti labored many hours perfecting the trills and various ornaments in the two Scarlatti sonatas, and it shows. The pianist's intense, impassioned Mozart A Minor Sonata reveals endless felicities of phrasing and touch with each relistening. Lastly, the two Schubert Impromptus, recorded at Lipatti's last recital, shimmer with concentrated, poetic refinement and serene joy that belie the fact that the pianist was mortally ill. Let's hope these cornerstone performances will be available for another 50 years at least. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Dinu Lipatti.......2007-03-27

Superb artistry. In Lipatti's playing, you will hear much in familiar music that you had not heard before.

Supremely sensitive musicianship.......2006-12-02

Dinu Lipatti's interpretation of these Bach partitas carries such poetry and fluid grace - never showy or rushed - that these stand among some of the finest recordings out there. He really brings out the ebb and flow of the music so that it seems to breathe with the life he gives them. The other Bach pieces, including the Cantata, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, are equally captivating as is his interpretation of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 8.

Included also on the CD are two Scarlatti pieces, played with real aristocratic poise and dignity and two of Schubert's Impromptus (899) from a live performance. The third Impromptu is absolutely magical.

Dinu Lipatti was a rare and special talent whose small recording output was cut tragically short in 1950 when he was only in his early 30s. These recordings are from the 40s and as such are of a certain sound quality (you can hear the needle go round the record with the Scarlatti) - but the sheer elegance of his playing breaks through any kind of mono barrier. As an aside, his interpretation of Chopin's Walzes comes extremely highly recommended and is widely considered as among the very best available.

This is piano playing at its very finest.

Not disappointed!.......2006-07-22

I bought this CD of Dinu Lipatti playing Chopin's Waltzes largely based on the customer reviews on Amazon. Wow! I am not disappointed. Lupatti's technical skill is awesome but there is a delightful and enchanting quality about this recording that goes far beyond the technical perfection. I've heard many renditions of Chopin's Waltzes, but this far surpasses them all. Absolute delight!

A pianistic genius silenced too soon........2006-02-12

Dinu Lipatti was one of several tragic musical geniuses from the post-World War II period who died far too young. (Others included the pianist William Kapell, the contralto Kathleen Ferrier and the violinist Ginette Neveu.) Lipatti died at about the same age as Mozart and Schubert, and his recordings of those composers on this disc demonstrate that his loss was almost as great a catastrophe for the art of music as theirs. Lipatti's pianism "flowed like oil," to borrow one of Mozart's favorite phrases; it was always elegant but never mannered, always reasonable but never dull, intensely spiritual but never in a grandstanding way. I remember reading an interview with Seiji Ozawa in which he said that Lipatti's recording of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" was the only disc he would recommend to anyone who wanted to get acquainted with classical music; it was so beautiful and so warmly human, Ozawa said, that anyone who heard it would be hooked forever. Ozawa was absolutely right, and that recording is on this disc. Buy it.

The One to Keep.......2005-05-03

You can only imagine how GREAT would it be if only had Dinu Lipatti lived another thirty-something years!! He could be the greatest Pianist of all time.

Amazingly technical skills aside, his way of reaching the very essence and spirit of Bach, Mozart and Schubert as recorded on this album is yet to be surpassed. His tragic early death left a huge void behind yet to be filled by another ‘God’s chosen instrument’, and world still hasn’t found one. Today, with many new recordings and re-issues of old recordings keep coming out, you can get excellent renditions of those pieces of music from other musicians. But, Dinu Lipatti’s approach of these composers is simply sublime, far beyond your usual experiences of piano-playing… Karajan’s expression of Dinu Lipatti’s playing was, "no longer the sound of the piano, but music in its purest form." Musical world has seen many great musicians, Dinu Lipatti was one of the rare ones. He’s got a touch of sublimity.

If you like the inspirational music magnificently represented by an inspiring soul, this is the one to get and to go along with you. In fact, Lipatti had left only a few commercial recordings and they are all great, (with vary quality of sound recordings, though.)

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