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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Madeleine Lipatti & The Chopin Concerto Scandal

Jeff Ostrowski · July 8, 2013

INU LIPATTI being one of my favorite pianists, I sought out his recording of the Chopin E Minor Concerto as soon as I learned about it (circa 1997), only to find out the recording was inauthentic. In other words, what was said to be a recording by Lipatti from the 1950s was actually recorded by a Cortot-student named Halina Czerny-Stefanska.

Well, it turns out that somebody has since found a true recording of Lipatti playing that Chopin Concerto. You can read the fascinating story here:

      * *  “The Chopin Concerto Scandal” (Ainley)

I hope you take the time to read it. Here are a couple things that jumped out at me:

1.  I love how a listener wrote to the BBC about the Stefanska recording: talk about good ears!

2.  I love the story about the transfer with a “hand-held microphone.”

I thought the quote (“One more reason to hate Wagner!”) was cute . . . apologies to Wagner lovers, like the great Canon Jules Van Nuffel and Fr. Jules Vyverman.

P.S.

There are many fascinating stories about what I have called “attic recordings” — here’s another:

      * *  Liszt’s First Piano Concerto & Dinu Lipatti

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony. — One of our volunteer choirs also sang that SANCTUS on 24 September 2023, and you can listen to how that came out.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Always remember: God opposes the proud.” (leaning into the microphone) “…even when they’re right!”

— ‘Scott Hahn, speaking in Plano, TX’

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