Great Recordings Of The Century - Dinu Lipatti

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Domenico Scarlatti (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Franz [Vienna] Schubert (Composer), Dinu Lipatti (Performer), Dinu Lipatti (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Dinu Lipatti
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz [Vienna] Schubert
• Audio CD (May 4, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00000IOBF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #202,850 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Miraculous, April 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Great Recordings Of The Century - Dinu Lipatti (Audio CD)

The Bach is as modern as in any of today's recordings, despite the age of this one; Lipatti puts as much thought into his interpretation as Gould, but with a result more pleasing to the ear. The Scarlatti is equal in all respects to Horowitz's phenomenal recording, with beautiful colour and impeccable technique at the service of the interpretation. The Mozart leaves one breathless; Lipatti plays each movement in one breath, without respite, with unequalled intensity. Yet the music sounds lyrical, more so than a piano seems capable of. Finally, the Schubert sings like a Lied; One has to go back to Fischer for such beauty. No serious music listener should be without this record.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless reference, March 20, 2001

By 

"nicofromparis" (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Recordings Of The Century - Dinu Lipatti (Audio CD)

Lipatti's conception of Bach's music is of the very highest level, and his play dangerously approaches perfection. I don't agree with the review below that his Besançon live recording is superior to this one. Although Lipatti's performances were truly spectacular, and definitely belong to the best recordings available, he usually took a faster tempo than in his "studio" recordings. His play was utterly natural and I think even in Bach he is superior to Gould. His Scarlatti sonatas are on a par with Horowitz, although Horowitz recorded many more. Mozart's sonata shows less nuance than Perahia's although I strongly suspect that the microphone was much too close to the piano, because Lipatti was a master of nuance. Lipatti did so little, but he did so well...

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pianistic genius silenced too soon., February 12, 2006

By 

Miles D. Moore (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Great Recordings Of The Century - Dinu Lipatti (Audio CD)

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.