DINU LIPATTI The complete Columbia recordings 1947–48 includes five unpublished tracks with cellist ANTONIO JANIGRO DINU LIPATTI The complete Columbia recordings 1947–1948 COMPACT DISC 1 (79.38) 1. SCARLATTI Sonata in D minor Kk9 (L413) .................................................... (3.17) Recorded on 20 February 1947; matrix CA 20313-2 (Columbia LB113) 2. SCARLATTI Sonata in E major Kk380 (L23) ................................................... (2.42) Recorded on 27 September 1947; matrix CA 20504-2 (Columbia LB113) 3. BACH/HESS Jesu, joy of man’s desiring from Cantata BWV147 ............................ (3.33) Recorded on 24 September 1947; matrix CA 20314-6 (Columbia LC30) 4. CHOPIN Nocturne in D flat major Op 27 No 2 ................................................ (5.44) Recorded on 20 February 1947; matrices CA 20315-1, 20316-2 (Columbia LB63) 5. CHOPIN Waltz in A flat major Op 34 No 1 .................................................... (4.34) Recorded on 24 September 1947; matrix CAX 10027-2 (Columbia LX1032) CHOPIN Piano Sonata No 3 in B minor Op 58 6. Allegro maestoso ................................................................................... (8.49) 7. Scherzo: Molto vivace ............................................................................... (2.29) 8. Largo ................................................................................................ (8.46) 9. Finale: Presto non tanto ............................................................................ (4.49) Recorded on 1 & 4 March 1947; matrices CAX 9838-1, 9839-1, 9840-2, 9841-2, 9842-1, 9843-2 (Columbia LX994/6) 10. LISZT Petrarch Sonnet 104 No 5 of Années de pèlerinage, 2e année – Italie, S161 .............. (6.16) Recorded on 24 September 1947; matrices CA 20498-2, 20499-1 (Columbia LB68) GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op 16 11. Allegro molto moderato ............................................................................ (12.23) 12. Adagio .............................................................................................. (6.20) 13. Allegro moderato molto e marcato ................................................................. (9.50) PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA / ALCEO GALLIERA Recorded on 18–19 September 1947; matrices CAX 10041-2, 10042-2, 10043-1, 10044-2, 10045-1, 10046-1, 10047-1 (Columbia LX1029/32) 2 COMPACT DISC 2 (64.49) SCHUMANN Piano Concerto in A minor Op 54 1. Allegro affettuoso (14.24) 2. Intermezzo: Andantino grazioso – (5.23) 3. Allegro vivace (10.01) PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA / HERBERT VON KARAJAN Recorded on 9–10 April 1948; matrices CAX 10206-1, 10207-1, 10208-1, 10209-1, 10210-1, 10211-1, 10212-2, 10213-1 (Columbia LX1110/3) 4. CHOPIN Barcarolle in F sharp major Op 60 (8.31) Recorded on 17 April 1948; matrices CAX 10237-1, 10238-1 (Columbia LX1437) 5. RAVEL Alborada del gracioso No 4 of Miroirs (5.48) Recorded on 17 April 1948; matrices CA 20740-1, 204741-1 (Columbia LB70) Zürich test recordings with Antonio Janigro (cello) 6. BEETHOVEN Cello Sonata in A major Op 69 – I. Allegro, ma non tanto (9.11) Recorded on 24 May 1947; matrix CZX 221, 222 7. J S BACH (arr. SILOTI) Andante in D major from Sonata for solo violin in A minor, BWV1003 (3.59) Recorded on 24 May 1947; matrix CZX 223 8. FAURÉ (arr. CASALS) Après un rêve Op 7 No 1 (3.30) Recorded on 24 May 1947; matrix CZX 225 9. RAVEL (arr. BAZELAIRE) Pièce en forme de habanera (2.45) Recorded on 24 May 1947; matrix CZX 226 10. RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Flight of the bumblebee (1.10) Recorded on 24 May 1947; matrix CZX 226 All published titles were recorded at Abbey Road Studios, the concertos in Studio 1, the solo items in Studio 3. The Columbia test matrices with Antonio Janigro were recorded in the Wolfbach Studio, Zürich. 3 Cover photo courtesy the late Liliana Pavelescu Photograph of Janigro and Lipatti courtesy the Nurock-Foëx Collection Photograph of concert programmes courtesy Matei Banica (Editura Muzicala Grafoart) Recording sheet Mark Ainley collection The recording sheet for the missing Chopin Nocturne Lipatti and Janigro set down in Zürich 4 INU LIPATTI’s Columbia recordings are catalogue almost the entire piano of legendary status. Critically acclaimed repertoire, recorded by all the old artists Dbest-sellers even before the pianist died as well as the new, such that if I were to at the age of 33 in 1950, these performances propose this piece by Chopin or that piece have been reissued worldwide in the seven by X, they might be reluctant to accept, decades since they were made, consistently already having it in their catalogue, held up as desert-island interpretations of the sometimes with two pianists … whereas too-few works that this fabled artist put on disc. Columbia has only recorded orchestral The pianist produced only about three hours of works extensively, and for piano the field is published records for the label – far too few for virtually empty, as they have signed Egon a musician of his calibre – though these have Petri … and … no one else. So with them I fortunately been supplemented by a handful can record all that I want, without having of concert, broadcast, and private recordings. to consider HMV’s catalogue. Lipatti’s commercial discography – ‘small in Lipatti was clearly enthusiastic about embark - output but of the purest gold’, in the words of ing on a recording career, so it must have been his recording producer Walter Legge – has a disappointment that his first session only took anchored his place in the pantheon of pianists, place six months after he had signed his but the artist’s somewhat star-crossed relation - contract and resulted in no usable discs. In ship with the gramophone has been largely Zürich in July 1946, Lipatti recorded Chopin’s misunderstood and misrepresented. Waltz in A flat major, Op 34 No 1, and two works by Liszt, La leggierezza and Sonetto del Dinu Lipatti and Columbia Records Petrarca No 104. However, EMI was experi - Lipatti was signed to EMI’s Columbia label ment ing with new material at the time and the in January 1946 after their Swiss agent Paul masters warped en route to London; transfers Jecklin discovered that Decca hoped to add effected on 15 October revealed the records to the pianist to their roster. Armed with the be unsuitable for release. Prior to any discs knowledge that their competitor had plans to being issued, the pianist had begun publicizing arrange a tour in England and make a large his association with the label, a December 1946 number of recordings of the artist in a two-month Lausanne concert programme stating at the period, Columbia approached Lipatti and were bottom ‘Mr Dinu Lipatti records for “Columbia” successful in negotiating a contract. The pianist records’ [M. Dinu Lipatti enregistre sur disques may very well have been unaware of Decca’s “Columbia”]. With the failed attempts at Zurich interest (there is no evidence indicating other wise) behind him, he was no doubt enthusiastic to and he was delighted to be with Columbia, writing travel to London to finally produce some discs to his fiancée that this arrangement provided him and boost his standing as an international better opportunities than would EMI’s HMV label: pianist. His Master’s [Voice], some 20 years older Lipatti made only three visits to London that than Columbia, already has in its included sessions at Abbey Road Studios, the 5 first one being over a year after he had signed his contract. In February and March 1947, he recorded the D flat Nocturne (LB63) and the B minor Sonata (LX994/6) of Chopin and Scarlatti’s Sonata in D minor, L413 (LB113/LC30), in addition to making the first few of several attempts at the Bach-Hess Chorale Jesu, joy of man’s desiring. Septem - ber 1947 saw him record the Grieg Concerto in A minor with the Philharmonia under Alceo Galliera (LX1029/32), as well as the Sonetto del Petrarca No 104 (LB68), Chopin’s A flat Waltz, Op 34 No 1 (LX1032), Scarlatti’s Sonata in E major, L23 (LB113), and the Bach-Hess Chorale – the sixth of seven takes of the latter was issued along with one of the Scarlatti Sonatas (LC30). In April 1948, he recorded a tremendously successful Schumann Concerto in A minor, Op 54, with the Philharmonia with Herbert von Karajan (LX1110/3), the Chopin Barcarolle (LX1437), and his stupendous account of Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso (LB70). Lipatti’s widow Madeleine later re- counted a tale that the pianist had played the latter spontaneously at the end of a session and that the engineer had switched on the recording apparatus, but this is not the case: the recording had been scheduled and he made two takes of each side. Unfulfilled potential There were more recordings planned for what would be Lipatti’s final visit to London. An ‘Instructions for Recording’ sheet dated 15 April 1948 lists the Barcarolle and Alborada (mistyped Alborado, as it was on the label of some editions of the disc), as well as two Scarlatti sonatas, Debussy’s La soirée dans 6 Grenade, and Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance. Two (indeed, he had broadcast the ‘Waldstein’ for the of the four scheduled session dates are crossed BBC the day before his last Abbey Road session out, and it is not known if Lipatti made attempts on 21 April). After these sessions, Legge wrote at the Falla, Debussy, or Scarlatti works. No enthusiastically in a memo: ‘Lipatti has made individual recording sheets have been found a particular request to record the Schumann to indicate that he did, yet the chronological Études symphoniques. This does not exist recording log at EMI’s archive is missing six at all on Columbia and is one of the best of months’ worth of pages (quite inexplicably, they Schumann’s works for piano solo. No-one would were torn out), including those from this period. do it better than Lipatti, and de Jongh, to whom It is therefore impossible to know exactly what I have already talked, promises immediate and took place at these sessions.