![Lipatti, Dinu. (1917-1950) [Descaves, Lucette. (1906 - 1993)] Typed Letter Signed](http://www.schubertiademusic.com/cdn/shop/files/Lipatti_Dinu_TLS_10815_001.jpg?v=1722187993)
![Lipatti, Dinu. (1917-1950) [Descaves, Lucette. (1906 - 1993)] Typed Letter Signed](http://www.schubertiademusic.com/cdn/shop/files/Lipatti_Dinu_TLS_10815_002.jpg?v=1722187994)
Lipatti, Dinu. (1917-1950) [Descaves, Lucette. (1906 - 1993)]. Typed Letter Signed. Scarce typed letter signed from the Romanian pianist and composer, addressed to the pianist Lucette Descaves, the goddaughter of Saint-Saëns who was a student of Marguerite Long and Yves Nat. Dated Sils, July 29, 1946. Lipatti apologizes profusely for not being able to act as a judge in a piano competition presided over by Descaves, mentioning the difficulty of rescheduling concerts in Switzerland since the end of World War II. 2 pp. on a bifolium; letterhead of the Hotel Waldhaus, Engadin. Folding creases; overall in fine condition. 5.75 x 7 inches (14.6 x 18.2 cm).
Translated from the French, in full: "Dear madam, I do not really know how to excuse this long silence. When I received your kind invitation to take part in the Concours which you preside over, I was abroad, and when I returned, I did not dare to reply immediately, in the hope that I might be able to get to Paris at least on December 4 and 5 for the Concours. I am sorry to have to tell you that, despite all my desire to change the dates of my concerts in Switzerland which fall just during this period, I was not able to do it, and so to my great regret, I am unable to take part as an expert in your Concours. In Switzerland, especially now that the borders are open, it is impossible to find a single free date for a concert in the large cities, and to postpone a whole series of concerts practically amounts to foregoing them for the whole season. So I ask you to forgive my negative response, and in the hope of seeing you soon, please accept my admiring respects. Dinu Lipatti."
Dinu Lipatti died of Hodgkin's disease at the age of 33, in December of 1950. Considered one of the finest pianists of the 20th century, he left an impressive recorded legacy despite the brevity of his performing career. Autograph material of any kind is very uncommon. At the onset of World War II, Lipatti and his partner, pianist Madeleine Cantacuzene, had settled in Geneva, where he became professor of piano at the conservatory. It was at this time that the first signs of his illness emerged. Lipatti's health continued to decline and as a result, his public performances became considerably less frequent after the war, around the time of this 1946 letter. His energy level was improved for a time by then experimental injections of cortisone and his collaboration with record producer Walter Legge between 1947 and 1950 resulted in the majority of the recordings of Lipatti's playing.
Dinu Lipatti died of Hodgkin's disease at the age of 33, in December of 1950. Considered one of the finest pianists of the 20th century, he left an impressive recorded legacy despite the brevity of his performing career. Autograph material of any kind is very uncommon. At the onset of World War II, Lipatti and his partner, pianist Madeleine Cantacuzene, had settled in Geneva, where he became professor of piano at the conservatory. It was at this time that the first signs of his illness emerged. Lipatti's health continued to decline and as a result, his public performances became considerably less frequent after the war, around the time of this 1946 letter. His energy level was improved for a time by then experimental injections of cortisone and his collaboration with record producer Walter Legge between 1947 and 1950 resulted in the majority of the recordings of Lipatti's playing.
Lipatti, Dinu. (1917-1950) [Descaves, Lucette. (1906 - 1993)]. Typed Letter Signed. Scarce typed letter signed from the Romanian pianist and composer, addressed to the pianist Lucette Descaves, the goddaughter of Saint-Saëns who was a student of Marguerite Long and Yves Nat. Dated Sils, July 29, 1946. Lipatti apologizes profusely for not being able to act as a judge in a piano competition presided over by Descaves, mentioning the difficulty of rescheduling concerts in Switzerland since the end of World War II. 2 pp. on a bifolium; letterhead of the Hotel Waldhaus, Engadin. Folding creases; overall in fine condition. 5.75 x 7 inches (14.6 x 18.2 cm).
Translated from the French, in full: "Dear madam, I do not really know how to excuse this long silence. When I received your kind invitation to take part in the Concours which you preside over, I was abroad, and when I returned, I did not dare to reply immediately, in the hope that I might be able to get to Paris at least on December 4 and 5 for the Concours. I am sorry to have to tell you that, despite all my desire to change the dates of my concerts in Switzerland which fall just during this period, I was not able to do it, and so to my great regret, I am unable to take part as an expert in your Concours. In Switzerland, especially now that the borders are open, it is impossible to find a single free date for a concert in the large cities, and to postpone a whole series of concerts practically amounts to foregoing them for the whole season. So I ask you to forgive my negative response, and in the hope of seeing you soon, please accept my admiring respects. Dinu Lipatti."
Dinu Lipatti died of Hodgkin's disease at the age of 33, in December of 1950. Considered one of the finest pianists of the 20th century, he left an impressive recorded legacy despite the brevity of his performing career. Autograph material of any kind is very uncommon. At the onset of World War II, Lipatti and his partner, pianist Madeleine Cantacuzene, had settled in Geneva, where he became professor of piano at the conservatory. It was at this time that the first signs of his illness emerged. Lipatti's health continued to decline and as a result, his public performances became considerably less frequent after the war, around the time of this 1946 letter. His energy level was improved for a time by then experimental injections of cortisone and his collaboration with record producer Walter Legge between 1947 and 1950 resulted in the majority of the recordings of Lipatti's playing.
Dinu Lipatti died of Hodgkin's disease at the age of 33, in December of 1950. Considered one of the finest pianists of the 20th century, he left an impressive recorded legacy despite the brevity of his performing career. Autograph material of any kind is very uncommon. At the onset of World War II, Lipatti and his partner, pianist Madeleine Cantacuzene, had settled in Geneva, where he became professor of piano at the conservatory. It was at this time that the first signs of his illness emerged. Lipatti's health continued to decline and as a result, his public performances became considerably less frequent after the war, around the time of this 1946 letter. His energy level was improved for a time by then experimental injections of cortisone and his collaboration with record producer Walter Legge between 1947 and 1950 resulted in the majority of the recordings of Lipatti's playing.