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\u2018Those whom the gods love,\u2019 wrote the Ancient Greek playwright Menander, \u2018die young.\u2019 Whether or not his gods passed that habit on to those operating in the Christian era, who knows? <\/strong><\/p> But many musicians at least do seem to reserve a special place in their hearts for composers who died before their 40th birthday<\/a><\/strong>. The likes of Purcell<\/a><\/strong>, Schubert<\/a><\/strong>, Chopin<\/a><\/strong>, Mendelssohn<\/a><\/strong> and of course Mozart<\/a><\/strong> all passed away in their thirties, and an atmosphere of lost genius, of what else might have been, still attaches to them all.<\/p> Performers may find it harder to make a lasting mark so young, but I can name two exceptions: Yehudi Menuhin<\/a><\/strong>, for whom an early death might have left his legacy more secure; and Dinu Lipatti, who was born on 19 March 1917 and died on 2 December 1950.<\/p>