Dinu LIPATTI (1917-1950)
CD 1
Concertino en style classique Op. 3* (1936) [17:49]
Sonatine for the left hand (1941) [8:40]
Piano Sonata in D minor (1932) [22:07]
Navarra (Albéniz, arr Lipatti, 1940) [5:45]
Nocturne in F sharp minor Op. 6 [4:57]
Nocturne in A minor [3:38]
CD 2
Fantasie Op. 8 (1940) [30:03]
Pastorale in F, BWV 590 (J.S. Bach transc. Lipatti) [9:21]
Two arias from Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd! BWV 208 (J.S.
Bach, tanscr. Lipatti) [7:12]
Luiza Borac (piano)
*Academy of St Martin in the Fields/Jaime Martin
rec. 23-27 April 2012, Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin and 11 July 2012, St
John’s Smith Square, London (Concertino)
AVIE RECORDS AV2271 [63:21 + 47:06]
It is rare to come across performances and recordings of Dinu Lipatti’s compositions,
and the last time I came across the Sonatine in an excellent recital
for the left hand by Antoine Rebstein (see review).
Lipatti’s reputation as one of the 20th century’s greatest pianists
has unsurprisingly overshadowed his work as a composer. No doubt encouraged
and inspired by his godfather George Enescu, in his time he trained with the
best, studying with Paul Dukas, Alfred Cortot and Nadia Boulanger while at
the École normale de musique in Paris.
With its numerous première recordings, this double disc set from fellow Rumanian
Luiza Borac is an instant reference for Lipatti’s works for piano. Dinu Lipatti
had a Bechstein piano at his home at Fundateanca in Romania and often favoured
Bechstein instruments as a performer. Luiza Borac has recorded these solo
works on a Bechstein as a gesture towards a more faithful reproduction of
his sound as a composer, and the solo recordings certainly have a marvellously
full and musical sound.
The Concertino in Classical Style is a student work, and is an intriguing
synthesis of influences and homages, including a clear allusion to Bach’s
‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring’ in the first movement. The gorgeous Adagio
molto second movement has some of Stravinsky’s neo-classical flavour,
as do the playful Allegretto and final Allegro molto which
follow. It has to be admitted that there is a degree of aimless wandering
about in some of this music, but it certainly is worth exploring, having many
moments of great fun and making some potent expressive points. The piano is
arguably a little too far forward in the recorded balance, but the Academy
of St Martin in the Fields plays with gusto and the work serves as a fine
introduction to Luiza Borac’s virtuoso technique and sensitive musicality.
Composed of “purely Romanian themes and with much brio”, the Sonatina
for Left Hand is given a terrific performance by Borac, the illusion
of two handed performance entirely convincing and indeed, pretty breathtaking,
the pungency of the folk music content more emphatic than with Rebstein. The
Sonata in D minor was Lipatti’s first, written at the age of 14.
This first recording reveals a staggeringly precocious talent, heavily into
the gestures of Liszt and pianistic techniques of Chopin and other Romantics.
Strongly influenced it may be but this goes further than pastiche, showing
an ear for some pretty sophisticated and at times even modern sounding harmonic
language. This substantial piece received a mention at the 1932 National Georges
Enescu Competition for Composition, and while one can imagine why its high-romantic
bombast might have seen it missing out on an award, it does seem remarkable
that it has taken 80 years for someone to record it.
Another first recording, Albéniz’s unfinished Navarra was re-worked
by Lipatti in 1940. The pianistic qualities of the piece have been impressively
enhanced and beefed-up somewhat, giving it quite an orchestral feel while
maintaining much of the identity of the original. Lipatti wrote three Nocturnes
in 1939, but only the F sharp minor one has survived, with its slinky harmonies
and expressively lyrical melodic lines. The A minor Nocturne is an
earlier piece from 1937 and more overtly folk-music derived, using as it does
a Moldavian Christmas carol – not that many of us would spot such sources.
Borac brings out all of this character in these pieces, while also finding
and exploiting their impressionistic colours.
Moving on to the second disc, and we immediately enter a seriously different
expressive atmosphere with the Fantasie Op. 8. Mark Ainley’s booklet
notes point out that this is Lipatti’s “longest and most complex solo piano
composition”, and this is by no means hard to believe. You can sense the composer
becoming more involved and intertwined with his material in the five movements
of this masterpiece, allowing thinner textures to speak for themselves in
exploratory and often heartfelt simplicity. There are folk-music elements
and some ideas which seem to point fairly directly towards Bartók, but this
is music with intrinsic and individual quality, filled with fascinating nuance
and hardly a note wasted. If you were yet to be convinced, this is the one
piece which makes us understand why Nadia Boulanger would have written, “When
the compositions of Dinu Lipatti are all printed, the greatness of his gift
and of his craftsmanship will be recognised. It will become obvious that he
was really a composer… who found his pleasure and his real life in the process,
and who used the technical means of his art to create the emotions resulting
from achieved beauty.”
Once the apotheosis of the remarkable eleven-minute final Allegro
of the Fantasie has sounded there seems little else that can be said,
and the programme winds up with some lovely transcriptions of Bach. Added
poignancy is given to the Andante cantabile of the Pastorale
in F when we are told that this was the last piece Lipatti ever played,
though Luiza Borac thankfully avoids loading the piece with extra sentimentality.
The transcriptions from Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd!
were the last pieces Lipatti produced in 1950.
While reasonably rich in passionately youthful outings this programme is worth
every penny of its asking price, not only for its fine recording qualities
and Luiza Borac’s superb playing, but for undiscovered gems – in particular
the amazing Fantaisie, as well as the fascinating Concertino.
If your collection has any cherished recordings by Dinu Lipatti as pianist
then you owe it to yourself to complete your picture of this legendary musician
in his most personal and potent creative work.
Dominy Clements
If you thought you knew Dinu Lipatti, think again.
Support
us financially by purchasing this disc
through MusicWeb
for £18.75 postage paid World-wide.
