Devastated to hear that Radu Lupu has left us. Not only one of the greatest, warmest, most profound musicians I’ve ever heard, but also a deeply kind, compassionate, modest and humorous man – and a wonderful friend. He was ready to go, true; but he’ll still be desperately missed.
Radu Lupu CBE is a Romanian pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest living pianists. Lupu was born in Galati, Romania, and started learning the piano at the age of six. Two of his most important piano teachers were Florica Musicescu and Heinrich Neuhaus, who also taught Dinu Lipatti ), while Heinrich Neuhaus also taught Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels. From 1966 to 1969 he won three of the most prestigious piano competitions in the world: the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (1966), the George Enescu International Piano Competition (1967) and the Leeds International Piano Competition (1969).
These victories launched Lupp’s international career, where he has performed with all major orchestras and in all major festivals and music capitals of the world.
From 1970 to 1993, Lupu recorded more than 20 records for Decca Records. His acclaimed solo recordings include works by Beethoven, Brahms, Grieg, Mozart, Schubert and Schumann, including all of Beethoven’s piano concertos and five piano sonatas and other solo works; Gerry Greg and Schumann’s piano concertos and Schumann’s three major solo works; nine piano sonatas and Schubert’s improvisations and momentary music; various major solo works and Brahms’ first piano concerto; and Two Mozart piano concertos. His chamber music recordings for Decca include all of Mozart’s violin and piano sonatas with Szymon Goldberg; Debussy and Frank’s violin sonatas with Chung Jinghua; and Schubert’s various violin and piano works with Goldberg .
He has also recorded Mozart and Schubert’s four-hand piano and two-piano works with Murray Perahia for CBS Masterworks, Schubert songs with Barbara Hendricks for EMI, and four-hand piano works with Daniel Barenboim for Teldec. In addition, Lupp is known for playing works by Bartok, Debussy, Enescu, and Janacek, among others.
Lupp has been nominated for two Grammy Awards, winning one in 1996 for two albums of Schubert’s piano sonatas. In 1995, Lupp also won an Edison Award for a CD of three of Schumann’s major piano works. Other awards received by Lupu include the Franco Abbiati Prize in 1989 and 2006 and the Premio Internazionale Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli in 2006.
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