Radu Lupu
Pianist
Radu
Lupu is firmly established as one of the most important musicians of his
generation.
Born
in Rumania, he started piano lessons with Lia Busuioceanu at the age of 6.
At the age of 12 he made his public debut with a complete programme of
his own music. He continued his
studies for several years with Florica Muzicescu and Cella Delavrancea before
winning a scholarship in 1961 to the Moscow Conservatoire where he studied with
Galina Eghyazarova, Heinrich Neuhaus and later with Stanislav Neuhaus.
He won first prize in three competitions:
the 1966 Van Cliburn, the 1967 Enescu International, and the 1969 Leeds
International.
Mr
Lupu has performed with all the great orchestras of the world, including the
Berlin Philharmonic (with whom he made his Salzburg Festival debut in 1978 with
Karajan), the Vienna Philharmonic (with whom he opened the 1986 Salzburg
Festival with Muti), the Royal Concertgebouw, all the major London orchestras,
and all the great American orchestras. In the USA his first significant
appearances were in 1972 with the Cleveland Orchestra and Barenboim in New York,
and with the Chicago Symphony and Giulini. He has played at most of the notable
music festivals and has been a regular guest at the Salzburg and Lucerne
Festivals.
His
recordings for Decca include the Beethoven Piano Concertos, Brahms Concerto No
1, Grieg and Schumann Concertos, the complete Mozart Violin and Piano Sonatas
with Szymon Goldberg, Debussy and Franck Violin and Piano Sonatas with Kyung Wha
Chung, and solo works by Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann and Schubert. In 1995 he
won 2 awards in the category “Best Instrumental Record of the Year”: a
Grammy for Schubert’s Sonatas in A major D664 and B flat major D960, and an
Edison Award for Schumann’s Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana and Humoresque. He has
also made two records with Murray Perahia (CBS), two albums of Schubert Lieder
with Barbara Hendricks (EMI), and a disc of pieces for four hands by Schubert
with Daniel Barenboim (Teldec).
The
2009/10 season sees a Residency with the Tonhalle Zurich, comprising a tour in
Germany, performances in Zurich
with David Zinman and (later in the season) with Franz Welser-Most, a chamber
concert with members of the Tonhalle Orchestra, and a solo recital.
Other engagements include concerto appearances with the London Symphony
and London Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian State and Munich
Philharmonic, and the Orchestre de Paris. Recitals
will take place in Madrid, Geneva, Vienna, Rome, Florence and Milan. Concerts in the USA will include performances with the
Chicago Symphony, and two dates at Carnegie Hall, New York; a recital and a
concerto performance with the Cincinnati Symphony.
In 2006 Mr Lupu was presented with 2 awards: the Premio Internazionale Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, and, for a second time, the Abbiati prize (conferred by the Italian Critics’ Association). He had previously won this in 1989.