# Add 10 years to a C20th pianist's life



## nefigah

Think of what another 10 (healthy/active) years could have done for some of the great pianists of the last century! Aside from the obvious case of those whose careers were cut short by illness/death, think of advancements in recording technology (and just plain more time to capture the performances of the early greats).

I'll start with a fairly obvious choice, adding 10 years to the life of *Dinu Lipatti*. He's rapidly becoming one of my favorite musicians, and more time would have only made him greater. It's tragic to think he died of a form of cancer that is today the most curable (>90% survival chances).


----------



## Aramis

Artur Rubinstein, but only if he would become young again for this extra decade - I don't think that he would play very good if he would be 100 years old.


----------



## nefigah

Aramis said:


> Artur Rubinstein, but only if he would become young again for this extra decade - I don't think that he would play very good if he would be 100 years old.


Indeed--for the purposes of the game, let's say "another 10 years of prime"


----------



## Air

I'll limit it to four:

William Kapell (American - age 31, airplane accident)
Dinu Lipatti (Romanian - age 33, Hogdkin's)
Youri Egorov (Soviet - age 33, AIDS)
Julius Katchen (American - age 42, cancer)

There are too many great pianists that did not reach their greatest potential because of premature deaths- Sofronitsky, Gould, Barere, Ogdon, Gabrilowitsch, Jacobs, Anda, etc. etc. Not everyone had the privilege of living as long as a Rubinstein or Kempff.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Air said:


> William Kapell (American - age 31, airplane accident)


First name _I_ thought of...
I also thought that, as long as it's just wishing, do we have to stop at 10 years??


Air said:


> Gould


Second name I thought of...


----------

