Radu Lupu
(born November 30, 1945) is a Romanian concert pianist. He has won a number of the most prestigious awards in classical piano, including first prizes in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition.
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Life
Lupu was born in
Galati, the son of Meyer Lupu and Ana Gabor. He began piano as a 6-year old (with Lia Busuioceanu), making his public debut at age 12, in a concert featuring his own compositions. After completing high school in Galati, and graduating from the Popular School for the Arts in
Brasov, Lupu continued his studies at the
Bucharest Conservatory with
Florica Musicescu (who also taught
Dinu Lipatti), and Cella Delavrancea. In 1961, he was awarded a scholarship to the
Moscow P.I. Tchaikovsky State Conservatory, where he studied with Galina Eghyazarova,
Heinrich Neuhaus (who also taught
Sviatoslav Richter and
Emil Gilels), and Stanislav Neuhaus.
He currently resides in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Concerts and recordings
Lupu's concert appearances and recordings for
Decca, though not frequent, consisting of a limited repertoire, have been consistently acclaimed. Although trained in the
Russian pianistic tradition, he is particularly noted for his interpretations of the great 19th century
German and
Austrian composers, especially
Franz Schubert,
Johannes Brahms,
Ludwig van Beethoven, and
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He is also noted for performances of works by
Czech composer Leos Janácek, and
Hungarian composer
Béla Bartók.
Lupu made his
American debut in 1972 with the
Cleveland Orchestra, with
Daniel Barenboim conducting in
New York City, and with the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with
Carlo Maria Giulini conducting. Whilst Lupu has performed with all of the major orchestras of the world and at major music festivals, he is a somewhat reclusive figure. He has regularly refused to grant interviews to journalists for over 30 years.
[1] In one rare published interview, originally from 1991, Lupu expressed his philosophy of music-making as follows:
"Everyone tells a story differently, and that story should be told compellingly and spontaneously. If it is not compelling and convincing, it is without value." [2]
In his concert performances, Lupu does not use a piano bench, but instead an office chair.
Lupu has participated in notable chamber-music partnerships with, among others, the violinist
Szymon Goldberg, the soprano
Barbara Hendricks, and his fellow pianist,
Murray Perahia.
Awards and prizes
- 1966. First Place in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
- 1969. First Place in the George Enescu International.
- 1969. First Place in the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition.
- 1989. Abbiati prize awarded by the Italian Critics' Association.
- 1995. Edison Award for Schumann: Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana and Humoresque
- 1996. Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance for Schubert: Piano Sonatas (B Flat Major and A Major)
.
- 2006. Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli prize.
References
- Searching for Radu Lupu
- Radu Lupu shows he's brilliant, as usual