Radu Lupu

Infobox Musical artist


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Name = Radu Lupu
Background = classical_ensemble
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Born = Birth date and age|1945|11|30|mf=y
Galaţi, Romania
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Genre = Classical Music
Occupation = Pianist
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Label = Decca
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Radu Lupu (b. November 30, 1945) is a Romanian-Jewish 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.

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, in a concert featuring his own compositions. 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 (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 lyrical, deeply felt 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. 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. [cite news | author=Benjamin Ivry | title=Searching for Radu Lupu | url=http://www.nysun.com/article/69288 | work=New York Sun | date=10 January 2008 | accessdate=2008-02-20] 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." [cite news | author=Andrew Patner | title=Radu Lupu shows he's brilliant, as usual | url=http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/music/classical/788801,CST-FTR-lupu12web.article | work=Chicago Sun-Times | date=12 February 2008 | accessdate=2008-02-20]

Ivry also reports that Mr. Lupu does not use a piano bench, but instead an office chair, when he concertizes.

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

External links

* [http://www.deccaclassics.com/artists/lupu/biog.html Radu Lupu - Biography] , at Decca
* [http://www.sfsymphony.org/templates/artist.asp?nodeid=3749&callid=94 Radu Lupu, piano] , at the San Francisco Symphony
* [http://www.internazionale.it/pagine/blognote/lupu.htm Radu Lupu discography] at Internazionale
* [http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003215/Radu-Lupu.html Musicianguide.com] - biography