Dinu Lipatti – The Master Pianist (7 CD box set, APE)

Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan, Alceo Galliera, Otto Ackermann, Eduard Van Beinum, Ernest Ansermet, et al.
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Domenico Scarlatti, Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, et al.
Audio CD
SPARS Code: ADD
Number of Discs: 7 CD box set
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: EMI Classics
Size: 1.13 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 1
J.S. Bach
01–06 Partita No.1 BWV825
07–09 3 Chorale Preludes
10 Siciliana BWV1031

Mozart
11–13 Piano Sonata No.8 K310

Scarlatti
14–15 2 Sonatas

Chopin
16 Nocturne Op.27 No.2

CD 2
Chopin
01–14 14 Waltzes
15 Mazurka Op.50 No.3
16 Barcarolle Op.60

CD 3
Chopin
01–04 Piano Sonata No.3

Liszt
05 Sonetto 104 del Petrarca

Ravel
06 Alborada del gracioso

Brahms
07 Waltzes for piano 4 hands
with Nadia Boulanger, piano

CD 4
Schumann
01–03 Piano Concerto
with Philharmonia Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan

Mozart
04–06 Piano Concerto No.21 K467*
with Lucern Festival Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan

CD 5
Grieg
01–03 Piano Concerto
with Philharmonia Orchestra
Alceo Galliera

Chopin
04–06 Piano Concerto No.1*
with Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich
Otto Ackermann
07–08 2 Etudes*

CD 6
J.S. Bach
01–03 Piano Concerto No.1
with Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam
Eduard van Beinum

Liszt
04–07 Piano Concerto No.1
with Orchestra de la Suisse Romande
Ernest Ansermet

Bartok
08–10 Piano Concerto No.3
with Orchester des Sudwestdeutschen Rundfunks
Paul Sacher

CD 7 – LAST RECITAL – BESANCON FESTIVAL,1950
J.S. Bach
01–06 Partita No.1 BWV825

Mozart
07–09 Piano Sonata No.8 K310

Schubert
10–11 2 Impromptus

Chopin
12–24 13 Waltzes

Sound quality fine. Dinu sings!

I am mostly writing this review to note the sound quality on these CDs is by most standards excellent. Clearly, the classical music fans are audophiles; as I come from the world of old blues and reggae, and know what truly bad recordings are, when I read the reviews of this CD set I was somewhat nervous. For anyone who thinks listening to Robert Johnson is worth the effort (and I would think that is anyone with taste), these recordings are a delight.

As for the music itself–the other reviews are spot on. Dinu Lipatti does not merely play the piano, he sings through it; in this old music, he has found the key to his soul and expresses it beautifully. THIS is the music which he breathed, the music his life was rounded with, the music that coursed through his veins and mades sense of the universe for him–and you can hear the complete cultural immersion in these wonderful renditions.

I suspect some spark in classical music was lost during the World Wars of the 20th century, some continuity broken–I don’t hear Dinu’s inspired playing in more recent recordings. More recent artists–no matter how excellent–interpret the material but they don’t inhabit it. Dinu Lipatti inhabits it.

IF you love music, simply love music, beyond catagory, this CD set is a must.