Dinu Lipatti

Romanian pianist Dinu Lipatti played a significant role in the post-war golden age of piano music, despite his comparatively slight recording legacy. With a strict adherence to the score, Lipatti's performances are imbued with grace, charm and clarity. Born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1917, Lipatti's big break came when he tied for second place at the 1933 Vienna International Music Competition. Noted pianist and jury member Alfred Cortot was so incensed by the injustice of the placement—believing that Lipatti should have won—he invited the young musician to continue his studies with him at the Paris Conservatoire. Alongside other pianists of the time (such as Clara Haskil), Lipatti went on to become part of the Cortot school, a group famed for its incredible timbral colour. Having returned to Romania at the outbreak of World War II, Lipatti fled to Switzerland in 1943. Despite the onset of what would become incurable Hodgkin's lymphoma, Lipatti signed with EMI in 1946, recording works by his compatriot Enescu and Chopin’s first concerto before his death at 33 in 1950. Several albums have been released posthumously, including a concert recording made during the pianist's final recital at the Besançon International Music Festival.