Dinu Lipatti (1917-1950)

"There was a great deal more to Lipatti's art than "divine spirituality". There was also charm, pathos and intellectual power, a breathtaking rhythmic energy combined with an almost inhuman control (his "Alborada" is not only unsurpassed but unequaled) and a profound awareness of pianistic colors" 

"Almost 40 years after his death from leukaemia at the tragically early age of 33, the aura of saintliness which surrounded Lipatti in life clings, undiminished, to his memory. Born in Romania, Lipatti began playing the piano while still in infancy and made his public debut, as both pianist and composer at the age of four.

After taking second prize at the Vienna Piano Competition in 1934 (a miscarriage of artistic justice which cause Alfred Cortot to dissociate himself from the jury), Lipatti moved to Paris, where his mentors included Cortot, Charles Munch (conducting), Paul Dukas (composition) and Nadia Boulanger. With concerts in Germany, Italy and Paris (where Poulenc discerned  in him a "divine spirituality") Lipatti's fame as a performer spread rapidly.