Dinu Lipatti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti
Background information
Birth name	Constantin Lipatti
Born	(1917-03-19)19 March 1917 Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania
Died	2 December 1950(1950-12-02) (aged 33) Geneva, Switzerland
Genres	Classical Music
Occupation(s)	Pianist • Composer
Labels	EMI
Associated acts	Member of the Romanian Academy

Constantin "Dinu" Lipatti (born April 1, 1917 – died December 2, 1950) was a famous Romanian classical pianist and composer. His amazing career was cut short when he passed away at just 33 years old from a serious illness. Even after his death, he was honored by being chosen for the Romanian Academy. He didn't write many musical pieces, but the ones he did showed a strong influence from the composer Bartók.

Dinu Lipatti was a true perfectionist. He would spend many years getting ready for big performances. For example, he prepared for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 for four years. He also spent three years getting ready for Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. He left behind only a few recordings, but they are considered excellent. His recording of Alborada del gracioso by Ravel is especially well-known. Many important musicians of the 20th century, like Menuhin and Cortot, greatly admired him.

Biography

His Early Life

Constantin Lipatti, who everyone called "Dinu" since he was a child, was born in Bucharest, Romania. He came from a very musical family. His father was a violinist, and his mother was a pianist. When Dinu was old enough to play the piano, the famous violinist and composer George Enescu became his godfather. Dinu even played a minuet by Mozart at his own baptism!

He went to the Gheorghe Lazăr High School. At the same time, he studied piano and composition with Mihail Jora. Later, he attended the Bucharest Conservatoire, where he studied with Florica Musicescu. In 1930, when Dinu was 13, he played the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor at a concert. He received a huge cheer from the audience. In 1932, he won awards for his own musical pieces. These included a Piano Sonatina and a symphonic suite called Les Tziganes.

His Career as a Musician

In 1933, Dinu entered the Vienna International Piano Competition. He came in second place, which some people thought was unfair. Alfred Cortot, a famous pianist, even quit the jury because he believed Dinu should have won. After that, Dinu studied in Paris with Cortot and other great teachers. He learned piano, composition, and even conducting.

When he was 18, Dinu gave his first big solo concert in Paris. Just three days before the concert, his friend and teacher, Paul Dukas, passed away. To honor him, Dinu started his concert with a beautiful piece by J. S. Bach. This was the first piece he played publicly as an adult pianist.

Dinu's career was interrupted by World War II. He gave concerts in areas occupied by the Nazis. But as the war got worse, he left Romania in 1943 with his partner, Madeleine Cantacuzene. With help from another musician, Edwin Fischer, they moved to Geneva, Switzerland. There, Dinu became a piano professor at the Geneva Conservatory. Around this time, he started showing signs of his illness. Doctors were confused at first, but in 1947, he was diagnosed with a serious condition called Hodgkin's disease.

Dinu and Madeleine got married in 1948. However, Dinu's health continued to get worse. Because of this, he performed less often after the war. For a while, new treatments helped him feel better. During this time, between 1947 and 1950, he made most of his famous recordings with producer Walter Legge.

Later Years and Passing

Lipatti's final concert in Besançon on September 16, 1950.

Dinu Lipatti gave his very last concert on September 16, 1950. It was at the Besançon Festival in France, and it was also recorded. Even though he was very ill and had a high fever, he played beautifully. He performed pieces by Bach, Mozart, Schubert, and Chopin. When he got to the last Chopin waltz, he was too tired to play it. Instead, he played Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. This was the same piece he had played at the start of his professional career 15 years earlier.

Dinu passed away less than three months later in Geneva. He was only 33 years old. He is buried in the cemetery of Chêne-Bourg next to his wife, Madeleine.

What he Played (Repertoire)

Dinu Lipatti's piano playing was, and still is, admired for its pure and clear sound. He had amazing piano skills that helped him play music perfectly. He is especially known for his performances of music by Chopin, Mozart, and Bach. He also recorded pieces by Ravel, Liszt, Enescu, and the piano concertos by Schumann and Grieg. His recording of Chopin's Waltzes has been very popular with classical music fans for a long time.

It's a common misunderstanding that Dinu Lipatti didn't play music by Beethoven until late in his career. Actually, he had been playing Beethoven's Waldstein Sonata since 1935. He also performed the Emperor Concerto twice in Bucharest. He was even ready to record it for EMI in 1949.

There was a recording of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 that was thought to be by Dinu Lipatti. It was said to be from a live performance in Switzerland in 1948. But in 1981, it was discovered that another pianist, Halina Czerny-Stefańska, was actually the soloist on that recording. Later, a real recording of Dinu Lipatti playing the Chopin Concerto was found.

A music critic named Harold C. Schonberg wrote in 1953 that Dinu Lipatti "would have become one of the greatest artists of this time." He said Dinu was a master of the piano with incredible technique and a strong sense of rhythm.

His Legacy

In 1997, Dinu Lipatti was chosen as a member of the Romanian Academy. This was a special honor given after his death for his amazing contributions to classical music. In 2005, a band called The Mountain Goats released a song called "Dinu Lipatti's Bones" in his honor. In 2017, a fan named Orlando Murrin found the only known film footage of Dinu Lipatti. It showed him at a garden party in 1947 with other musicians. This footage was shown in London that November.

His Own Music (Compositions)

Besides being a great pianist, Dinu Lipatti was also a composer. He wrote music in a neoclassical style, which means it was inspired by older music but had a modern touch. His pieces also showed influences from French and Romanian music. Here are some of his works:

• Les Tziganes, a symphonic suite (1934)
• Concertino in Classical Style, Op. 3 for piano and chamber orchestra (1936)
• Symphonie concertante for two pianos and orchestra (1938)
• Piano Sonatina for the left hand (1941)
• Danses roumaines for two pianos (1943) and for orchestra (1945)
• Concerto for organ and piano
• Aubade for woodwind quartet
• Woodwind quintet (unfinished)
• Improvisation for Piano Trio
• Sonatina for violin and piano
• Piano Sonata in D minor
• Fantasie for piano, Op. 8
• Nocturne for piano
• 4 songs for voice and piano
• 6 Sonatas of Scarlatti (arranged for woodwind quintet)

Important Recordings

Here are some of Dinu Lipatti's notable recordings:

• February 1937: Brahms, Waltzes, Op. 39, with Nadia Boulanger
• January 14, 1943: Lipatti, Concertino in Classical Style, with Hans von Benda and the Berlin Chamber Orchestra
• March 4, 1943: Lipatti, Sonatina for the Left Hand (Romanian Broadcasting)
• October 18, 1943: Enescu, Piano Sonata No. 3 in D, Op. 24, No. 3
• 1943: Enescu, Violin Sonata No 2 in F minor, Op. 6 (George Enescu, violin)
• 1943: Enescu, Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 25 "In Romanian Popular Manner" (Enescu, violin)
• 1943: Enescu: Bouree from Suite No. 2 in D, Op, 10
• February 20, 1947: Scarlatti, Sonata in D minor, K.9 "Pastorale"
• March 1 & 4, 1947: Chopin, Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58
• September 18 & 29, 1947: Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor, with Alceo Galliera and the Philharmonia Orchestra
• September 24, 1947: Liszt, Sonetto del Petrarca no. 104
• September 27, 1947: Scarlatti: Sonata in E, K.380; Chopin: Nocturne No. 8 in D-flat major, Op. 27, No. 2
• October 2, 1947: J. S. Bach, Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052 (arranged by Busoni), with Eduard van Beinum and the Concertgebouw Orchestra
• April 9 & 10, 1948: Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor, with Herbert von Karajan and the Philharmonia Orchestra
• April 17, 1948: Ravel, "Alborada del gracioso" from Miroirs
• April 21, 1948: Chopin, Barcarole in F-sharp major, Op. 60
• c. 1948: Lipatti, Concertino in Classical Style, Op. 3 (live, unidentified conductor and orchestra)
• February 7, 1950: Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, with Otto Ackermann and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich and Chopin, Etudes, Op. 25/5 and Op. 10/5
• February 22, 1950: Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor, with Ernest Ansermet and the Suisse Romande Orchestra
• July 5, 1950: Chopin, Mazurka No. 32 in C-sharp minor, Op. 50, No. 3
• July 6–10, 1950: Bach, Keyboard Partita No. 1 in B-flat, BWV 825; 4 Bach transcriptions by Ferruccio Busoni, Myra Hess, and Wilhelm Kempff; Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310; Chopin, 14 Waltzes (ordered by Lipatti)
• August 23, 1950: Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, K. 467 (Lipatti cadenzas), with Herbert von Karajan and the Orchestre du Festival de Lucerne dans Kunsthaus, Lucerne, Switzerland.
• September 16, 1950: Final Recital at Besançon (music of Bach, Mozart, Schubert, and Chopin)

Images for kids

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  Bust of Dinu Lipatti in Chêne-Bourg

See also

In Spanish: Dinu Lipatti para niños