Radu Lupu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Radu Lupu | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | November 30, 1945 Galaţi, Romania |
| Genre(s) | Classical Music |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist |
| Label(s) | Decca |
Radu Lupu (b. November 30, 1945) is a Romanian concert pianist.
Contents |
[edit] Life
Lupu was born in Galaţi, 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. After completing high school in Galaţi, and graduating from the Popular School for the Arts in Braşov, Lupu continued his studies at the Bucharest Conservatory with Florica Musicescu 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, and Stanislav Neuhaus.
He resides in Lausanne, Switzerland.
[edit] Concerts and recordings
Lupu's concert appearances, though not frequent, are consistently acclaimed. Trained in the Russian pianistic tradition, he is particularly noted as an interpreter of the great 19th century German and Austrian composers, especially Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, although he is also noted for performances of works by Czech composer Leos Janácek, as well as Hungarian composer Béla Bartók.
Lupu's 1970 Decca recording of Johannes Brahms’ Intermezzos, Opus 117 received praise from Alex Ross as one "of the most beautiful piano records ever made".[1] However, although the "Penguin Stereo Record Guide" praised Lupu's "mastery of keyboard color", if found that overall, the Brahms interpretation was "less than wholly convincing". The Penguin Guide described Lupu's Decca recording of Schubert's sonatas nos. 13 & 21 as "one of the most searching of all (Lupu's) Schubert recordings and find this masterly pianist at his most eloquent and thoughtful".
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. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in 1974, when he performed Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto, with Seiji Ozawa conducting. In 1984, he was featured in the "Peerless Pianists" series of the Lincoln Center Great Performers program in New York.
Although 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.[2] 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."[3]
[edit] 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.
[edit] References
- ^ Alex Ross. "Four Hands", The New Yorker, 28 February 2005. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ Benjamin Ivry. "Searching for Radu Lupu", New York Sun, 10 January 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
- ^ Andrew Patner. "Radu Lupu shows he's brilliant, as usual", Chicago Sun-Times, 12 February 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
[edit] External links
- Radu Lupu - Biography, at Decca
- Radu Lupu, piano, at the San Francisco Symphony
- Radu Lupu discography at Internazionale
- Musicianguide.com - biography
