Presenting Dinu Lipatti On Film

A video presentation that includes the only as-yet-discovered moving images of the pianist Dinu Lipatti: silent film footage from a garden party in Lucerne by Walter Strebi, one of the founders of the Lucerne Music Festival.

This presentation includes an introduction by Lipatti expert and The Piano Files curator Mark Ainley, followed by conversations with researcher Orlando Murrin - who discovered the film footage - and Ursula Jones, Strebi's daughter in whose private collection the films lay dormant until Murrin's discovery. After these conversations there is a collage masterfully prepared by Murrin of various excerpts from Strebi's films before we see the precious footage of Lipatti in the Strebis' garden in 1947, set to a recording of a movement from Lipatti's own Concertino in Classical Style.

This footage had been kept private until now because of attempts to get a Lipatti documentary produced with these clips as the centrepiece, but diligent efforts were dashed due to the Covid epidemic. It was therefore decided to make the footage public to share it with the world - and hopefully we can still inspire a comprehensive documentary about the artist.

I hope you will enjoy this insightful and historic presentation, which is being published on the anniversary of Lipatti's death.

[saltburner]

In 1955, as a 15-year-old schoolboy. I had a Saturday and holiday job in a record shop. One day a couple came in and asked for a recording of Chopin's Waltzes. I proudly produced the Columbia LPs of Lipatti: they had never heard of him, but I assured them he was the finest Interpreter of the works. They bought the discs.

[petroslinardos]

Thank you! Impossible to watch this footage in general, and Lipatti in particular, with dry eyes. Lipatti's recordings captured my imagination when I was in my early teens. Forty-five years on my admiration keeps deepening.

[Ernesto]

I was a 7 year old boy in 1950 when Lipatti passed away. In the following decade he became one of my musical favorites close to my all time hero Heifetz. His piano interpretations were the perfect reference of how they should be played. So it is emotional to see new images from him, although I would put more value in hearing new interpretations by him. Based on this, I could imagine the emotion of seeing videos of Mozart and Chopin playing their sonatas. But this would require a miracle, and I don't believe in miracles.

[aldente]

Thank you. For me Lipatti is the Pianist who achieved a new level wich all others never did. His recorded performances are unreached(imo at least)... I hear him every day, beside Horowitz, Gould, Richter, Gilels, Perahia, Lupu and many others

[westernkentucky]

The best pianist ever. It's so exciting to see him here for the first time.

[dasglasperlenspiel]

Why are some of us so moved, so determined to watch these few seconds of a nice young man enjoying a few moments at an exclusive social gathering? I remember driving in my car many years ago, listening to a classical music station, now, as most are, defunct.And as I got into the car I recognized what sounded like an early recording of the Bach d minor concerto. And as I drove, the performance drew me in more and more. And when I had to stop the car for an appointment during the slow movement, I couldn't leave. I sat, mesmerized until the last note of the last movement, and for a few seconds thereafter. Lipatti, a miracle!

[taenggom-xyry]

I couldn't help but shed tears on seeing Lipatti smiling at his fiance😢😢😢 He looks so happy and relaxed. Wish he were happy and relaxed in heaven. I'd love to say millions of thanks to you for your sharing this video and Lipatti for his immortal essence of music.

[JosephCarrion]

Thank you. Since I first heard him play Scarlatti, Dini Lipatti has been my all time favorite piano player. I am a native New Yorker of Puerto Rican heritage, no one in my family plays piano, and I did not grow up listening to classical music at all. We listened to disco and Salsa music! When I went to graduate school and worked on my doctoral thesis (in Molecular Medicine), i listened to classical compositions exclusively. It was during those times that I discovered Dinu Lipatti, who speaks in the wondrous idiom of a musical interpreter so pure and direct--as if he were the silver conduit through which the composer's message is being relayed. And yet there is the underlying vulnerability and emotional salience that is so human, but paradoxically catapults Dinu into the realm of the divine. Thank you thank you thank you

[lawandawalters]

Thank you so much for this gift of a video of Lipatti!

[jimhill]

Thank you for granting us [ and more importantly to ME - personally ]
an opportunity to see these cine recordings of the great Dinu Lipatti.
I have listened to his audio recordings, in sublime awe, oh! so many times:
while only having (previously) seen still photographs of him,
to accompany the delights of his superb virtuosity on old vinyl recordings
that were mostly made, a few months, before I was born.

[lh]

His smile! This is treasure. Thank you.

[carlosbonds]

Dinu Lipatti
William Kapell
Dino Ciani
Werner Haas
Julius Katchen
"Only the good die young"....Billy Joel.
Thanks for the video The Piano Files.

[tomalesbay]

"The Markevitches are best friends with the Lipattis"... that is so cool! When I first discovered classical music one of my first recordings of Beethoven's Ninth was conducted by Igor Markevitch. I loved it. Years later I was introduced to Dinu Lipatti by a friend who wound up giving me his LPs.

The funny thing is that if I mention these names to classical music buffs, I usually hear: "I've never heard of him". Gave one such friend a Lipatti recording for his birthday and he didn't seem impressed - he got in touch with me later, after he actually listened to it, to tell me he was absolutely floored by it.

There are so many amazing musicians from that era. The recording quality is only going to be so good given the capabilities of the time, but the musicianship is amazing. I wish there were more recordings of Dinu Lipatti. There is something very sincere in his playing, not a shred of arrogance. I absolutely love it.

[Davidfooterman]

Orlando’s introduction to Lipatti exactly mirrors my own. I worked at the HMV shop in Oxford Street, London in 1970/71 where we had the biggest collection of piano music on record in Europe at the time. One of the more senior staff in the classical department introduced me to Lipatti. While I worked there I made sure we got every piece of Lipatti available on disc into the stock and I bought a copy of everything available. Sorry to hear about Madeleine’s passing. There is something majestic about Dinu Lipatti’s sound; he made the piano sing like a human voice; his legato was quite extraordinary. There are very few pianists who would inspire the kind of generosity and concern that was shown for Lipatti; there was a reason for it; he was both a piano genius and a gentle, beautiful spirit. Can’t wait to hear this.

[lennypopkin]

Very moving footage. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

[leestrada]

This is a marvelous jewell. Thank you very much.

[eytonshalomsandiego]

What smile Dinu has. i admit i burst into tears when i saw him, and the tender way his wife touches him on the shoulder...

[JaredLeeFischer]

I literally shouted with disbelief when I saw this video in my subscription feed! Thank you so much for this and for all you do to honor his life and work!

[joedoe]

What an amazing and unique memory. Thank you !

[andream.]

I couldn’t avoid avidly skipping to the Lipatti video part! I will now enjoy the rest of the video! Thank you so much for this rare gem!