Radu Lupu | |
|---|---|
 Lupu in 2012 | |
| Born | (1945-11-30)30 November 1945 Galați, Romania |
| Died | 17 April 2022(2022-04-17) (aged 76) Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Pianist |
| Spouses | |
| Awards |
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Radu LupuCBE (30 November 1945 – 17 April 2022) was a Romanian pianist. He was widely recognized as one of the greatest pianists of his time.[3][4][5]
Born inGalați, Romania, Lupu began studying piano at the age of six. Two of his major piano teachers wereFlorica Musicescu, who also taughtDinu Lipatti, andHeinrich Neuhaus, who also taughtSviatoslav Richter andEmil Gilels. From 1966 to 1969, he won three of the world's most prestigious piano competitions: theVan Cliburn International Piano Competition (1966), theGeorge Enescu International Piano Competition (1967), and theLeeds International Pianoforte Competition (1969). These victories launched Lupu's international career, and he appeared with all of the major orchestras and at all of the major festivals and music capitals of the world.
From 1970 to 1993, Lupu made over 20 recordings forDecca Records. His solo recordings, which have received considerable acclaim, include works byBeethoven,Brahms,Grieg,Mozart,Schubert, andSchumann, including all of Beethoven's piano concertos, five piano sonatas and other solo works; the Grieg and Schumann piano concertos, as well as three major solo works of Schumann; nine piano sonatas, Impromptus andMoments musicaux of Schubert; various major solo works and the first piano concerto of Brahms; and two piano concertos of Mozart. His chamber music recordings for Decca include all of Mozart's sonatas for violin and piano withSzymon Goldberg; the violin sonatas ofDebussy andFranck withKyung Wha Chung; and various works by Schubert for violin and piano with Goldberg. He additionally recorded works of Mozart and Schubert for piano four-hands and two pianos withMurray Perahia forCBS Masterworks, Schubert songs withBarbara Hendricks forEMI, and works by Schubert for piano four-hands withDaniel Barenboim forTeldec. In addition, Lupu is also noted for his performances ofBartók,Debussy,Enescu, andJanáček, among other composers.
Lupu was nominated for twoGrammy Awards, winning one in 1996 for an album of two Schubert piano sonatas. In 1995, Lupu also won anEdison Award for a disc of three major piano works of Schumann. Other awards won by Lupu include theFranco Abbiati Prize in 1989 and 2006, and the 2006 Premio Internazionale Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli award.
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Lupu was born inGalați, Romania on 30 November 1945 to a Jewish family, the son of Meyer Lupu, an attorney, and Ana Gabor, a linguist.[6] From his earliest days, Lupu "had always expressed himself by singing", and was given his first piano at the age of five.[7] He began piano studies in 1951, as a six-year-old, with Lia Busuioceanu. He made his public debut in 1957, at age 12, in a concert featuring his own compositions.[7] He toldThe Christian Science Monitor in 1970 that "from the very beginning I regarded myself as a composer. I was sure, and everybody else was sure, that one day I would become a famous composer". He gave up composing about four years later, saying that he thought he would be "much better as a pianist".[7]
After completing high school in Galați, and graduating from the Popular School for the Arts inBrașov, where he studied harmony and counterpoint with Victor Bickerich, Lupu continued his piano studies at theBucharest Conservatory (1959–1961) withFlorica Musicescu (who also taughtDinu Lipatti) andCella Delavrancea, while also studying composition with Dragos Alexandrescu. At age 16, in 1961, he was awarded a scholarship to theMoscow Conservatory, where he studied for seven years. InMoscow, he first studied withGalina Eguiazarova (a pupil ofAlexander Goldenweiser) for two years, then withHeinrich Neuhaus (who also taughtSviatoslav Richter andEmil Gilels) and finally with his son,Stanislav Neuhaus.[8] He graduated in 1969.[9][10] Lupu was also a student ofMaria Curcio, a student ofArtur Schnabel.[9]
In a 1981 interview, when asked about what types of influences his teachers had on him, Lupu answered that he thought of himself as moreautodidactic: "My first teacher took me to every orchestral concert, and I am also grateful for what I learned in Moscow, but I think of myself, basically (in music anyway), as somebody who is more autodidactic. I took some fromFurtwängler,Toscanini, everywhere ... more and more so since I left Moscow."[11]
In 1965, Lupu was placed fifth at the International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna.[12][b]The following year, he won the first prize in the secondVan Cliburn International Piano Competition; he also won special prizes for the best performance of a commissioned work (of Willard Straight's "Structure for Piano")[12] and the best performance of a movement[12] from theAaron Copland Piano Sonata.[13] In the finals, his performance of the first movement ofSergei Prokofiev'sPiano Concerto No. 2 (Op. 16), a required piece, was described by Paul Hume ofThe Washington Post as "the most fiery and thunderous of any of the six finalists". In addition to the Prokofiev, he performedBeethoven'sPiano Concerto No. 5 (Op. 73).[14]Alicia de Larrocha, who was on the jury, declared Lupu a genius.[15] "I did not expect it at all. I am just speechless," Lupu said after his victory.[12] Shortly after the competition, in April 1967, Lupu made his debut atCarnegie Hall inNew York City in a program of Beethoven,Schubert, andChopin.[16] However, Lupu reportedly turned down many of the other engagements that came with the prize, instead choosing to further his studies in Moscow.[4]
A year after his Cliburn Competition victory, in 1967, Lupu won the first prize in theGeorge Enescu International Piano Competition. Two years later, in October 1969,[17] he won theLeeds International Piano Competition; he performed Beethoven'sPiano Concerto No. 3 with theRoyal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra underCharles Groves (Op. 37) in the final.[18] The following month, in November 1969, Lupu made his solo debut in London;Joan Chissell ofThe Times wrote about his performance of the second movement of Beethoven'sPiano Sonata No. 7 at the recital: "He brought what seemed like a lifetime's experience to its alternating desolation and pride. Never could music come nearer to speech."[8][19][20]
In April 1970, Lupu made his first recording forDecca Records: Brahms'Rhapsody in B minor (Op. 79 No. 1) andThree Intermezzi (Op. 117), andSchubert'sPiano Sonata in A minor (D. 784).[21] He continued to record for the label for the following 23 years.[22] In August 1970, the 24-year-old pianist made his debut atThe Proms, performingBrahms'Piano Concerto No. 1 (Op. 15) with theBBC Symphony Orchestra conducted byEdo de Waart at theRoyal Albert Hall.[23] In November 1970, he made his first concerto recording for Decca, of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 with theLondon Symphony Orchestra conducted byLawrence Foster;[24] he also recorded Beethoven's32 Variations in C minor (WoO 80).[22]
Lupu's first major American appearances after his Leeds Competition victory were in February 1972 with theCleveland Orchestra in the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 withDaniel Barenboim conducting atCarnegie Hall inNew York City,[25] and in October 1972 with theChicago Symphony Orchestra in the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 withCarlo Maria Giulini conducting.[26][c]The performance of the Brahms with the Cleveland Orchestra and Barenboim was reviewed byHarold C. Schonberg, aPulitzer Prize-winning music critic forThe New York Times who had ten years prior notably lambasted the famousNew York Philharmonic concert of 6 April 1962 where the same concerto was played byGlenn Gould with theNew York Philharmonic conducted byLeonard Bernstein.[27] Schonberg was also critical of the performance by Lupu and Barenboim, writing that not since the Bernstein–Gould performance "had there been such an interpretation" of the concerto, describing it as "willful, episodic and mannered, self-indulgent, capricious". However, he added that "yet through all the eccentricities came the feeling of two young musicians trying hard to get out of the rut and once in a while actually succeeding", but that "in future years this kind of approach may jell for them. Right now it does not come off."[28]
Although Schonberg had been critical of Lupu's debut with the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Barenboim in February 1972, he was far more enthusiastic about Lupu's performance in November 1972 of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 with theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Lawrence Foster at Carnegie Hall, writing, inThe New York Times, that
Schonberg added:
The following year, Lupu recorded the piano concertos ofSchumann (Op. 54) andGrieg (Op. 16) with theLondon Symphony Orchestra conducted byAndré Previn, a recording described byGramophone as "grandly commanding".[30] In February 1974, Lupu performed a recital atHunter College in New York, which was praised by Allen Hughes ofThe New York Times. Hughes declared Lupu "no ordinary pianist" and wrote about Lupu's performance of Schubert'sPiano Sonata in B-flat major (D. 960).[31]
During the Schubert, however, the audience's attentive silence was extraordinary. It was as though Mr. Lupu were employing some sort of alchemy to work a spell over everyone. That, indeed, is just about what he did, for he has that mysterious something that goes beyond technique, erudition and general musicality to reach into the sensibilities of listeners.
In November 1974, Lupu made his debut with theNew York Philharmonic, performing Mozart'sPiano Concerto No. 21 (K. 467) conducted byJames Conlon.[31][d][32] In 1975, Lupu debuted with theConcertgebouw Orchestra and gave the premiere of theAndré Tchaikowsky Piano Concerto, Op. 4 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted byUri Segal at theRoyal Festival Hall.[33][34] In 1976, Lupu recorded Brahms'6 Klavierstücke (Op. 118) and4 Klavierstücke (Op. 119), which was described byStereo Review as "a glowing realization of what Brahms set down that leaves one at a loss for words and simply glad to have ears."[11] In 1978, he gave his debut with theBerlin Philharmonic conducted byHerbert von Karajan at that year'sSalzburg Festival.[11] Reviewing a recital Lupu gave atAvery Fisher Hall in 1980,[35]Andrew Porter ofThe New Yorker hailed Lupu as "a master of the most satisfying kind".[11] By 1981 he had played with every major orchestra.[11]
In June 1982, Lupu made a critically acclaimed recording of Schubert'sImpromptus (D. 899 & 935). John Rockwell wrote inThe New York Times that Lupu's "singing tone here must be heard to be believed. Without belittling the other facets of Schubert's musical personality, he captures the composer's songful essence with a rare beauty – and, in so doing, he reaffirms once more the ability of present-day performers to do ample justice to the music of the past."[36] In addition,Gramophone said about the recording:[37]
To all eight pieces he brings insights all his own betokening acute awareness of the visionary in Schubert, while as piano playing pure and simple it could scarcely be lovelier in phrasing or tone. When first confronting this return to already over-recorded pieces my immediate reaction, I confess, wasWhy yet another? I now realize the catalogue would not have been complete without the viewpoint of so dedicated a Schubertian.
In 1989, Lupu was awarded theFranco Abbiati Prize by the Italian Critics' Association; he was awarded the prize again in 2006.[38][39] In 1995, he won anEdison Award for his album ofSchumann'sKinderszenen (Op. 15),Kreisleriana (Op. 16), andHumoreske (Op. 20) which was also nominated for aGrammy Award.[40][41] In theGrammy Awards of 1995, he won aGrammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra) for his album of Schubert's Piano Sonatas in B-flat major (D. 960) andA major (D. 664).[41]
In 2006, Lupu was awarded the Premio Internazionale Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and in 2016 was named aCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the2016 New Year Honours for services to music.[42]
In June 2019, Lupu's agent announced that the pianist would retire from the concert stage at the end of the 2018–2019 season.[43][44][45]
Lupu used a regular, straight-backed[4][46] chair at the piano as opposed to a standard piano bench.[1] He toldClavier in 1981 that while sitting on a bench he tended to lean forward, raise his shoulders, become impossibly stiff and develop pains all over. He also said that he practiced with a chair at home and found it natural.[11] Although Lupu was an admirer of the pianism ofArthur Rubinstein andVladimir Horowitz, he namedMieczysław Horszowski as having the largest influence on his playing, saying that Horszowski "speaks to me like no one else". Lupu's initial approach to new music was to read it away from the piano, saying that he "reads more easily away from the instrument" and that "it is the only way to learn".[11] Lupu said in regards totone production that "everything in music comes from the head", adding: "If you have any concept of sound, you hear it in your inner ear. All you have to work for is to match that sound on the instrument. The whole balance, the line, the tone, is perceived and controlled by the head." He further described tone production as a "matching process for which [one] practices", and the physical contact of the keyboard as "a very individual thing determined by the color or timbre you hear and try to get, the piece you are playing, the phrase".[11]
Lupu's playing garnered admiration not only from music critics, but also by fellow major artists. In a 2002 interview,Mitsuko Uchida said that "there is nobody on earth who can actually get certain range of colour, and also the control – don't underestimate this unbelievable control of his playing".[47]Nikolai Lugansky said in an interview that Lupu "possesses the rare power of letting the music speak for itself",[48] andAndrás Schiff stated that Lupu had the "rare gift to illuminate anything that he plays with rare musical intelligence".[3]
Other pianists who expressed admiration for Lupu or cited him as an inspiration in their music-making includeEmanuel Ax,Daniel Barenboim,Seong-Jin Cho (who named Lupu's recording of the Schubert Impromptus as his favourite),[49]Kirill Gerstein,Stephen Hough,Robert Levin,Maria João Pires,[50] andDaniil Trifonov.[51] In addition, the conductorYannick Nézet-Séguin cited Lupu as an inspiration while he was a piano student, saying that listening to recitals and recordings by Lupu "shaped my conception of sound from a very young age", and the cellistSteven Isserlis called him "one of the greatest artists I have ever heard or known".[3]
In the span of 23 years, Lupu made over 20 recordings forDecca Records. His first recording was made in the spring of 1970. Lupu's solo recordings, which have received considerable acclaim, include works byBeethoven,Brahms,Grieg,Mozart,Schubert, andSchumann. His solo recordings without orchestra include 5 Beethoven piano sonatas (Opp. 13, 27/2, 49, and 53), as well as Beethoven'stwo rondos for piano (Op. 51) and32 Variations in C minor; Brahms'Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor (Op. 5),Two Rhapsodies (Op. 79),Intermezzi (Op. 117),6 Pieces for Piano (Op. 118) and4 Pieces for Piano (Op. 119); nine piano sonatas of Schubert (D. 157, 557, 664, 784, 845, 894, 958, 959, 960) as well as theImpromptus (D. 899, 935) andMoments musicaux (D. 780); and Schumann'sHumoreske (Op. 20),Kinderszenen (Op. 15) andKreisleriana (Op. 16). His concerto recordings include the complete cycle of Beethoven piano concertos with theIsrael Philharmonic Orchestra conducted byZubin Mehta; theBrahms Piano Concerto No. 1 (Op. 15) with theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra conducted byEdo de Waart; the Grieg and Schumann piano concertos with theLondon Symphony Orchestra andAndré Previn; and two Mozart piano concertos (K. 414 and 467) with theEnglish Chamber Orchestra conducted byUri Segal. His chamber music recordings for Decca include all of Mozart's sonatas for violin and piano withSzymon Goldberg and various works by Schubert for violin and piano with Goldberg; the violin sonatas ofDebussy andFranck withKyung Wha Chung; the quintets for piano and winds of Beethoven (Op. 16) and Mozart (K. 452) withHan de Vries,George Pieterson,Vicente Zarzo, and Brian Pollard;.[52] He additionally recorded works of Mozart and Schubert for piano four-hands and two pianos withMurray Perahia for theCBS Masterworks, two albums of Schubert songs withBarbara Hendricks forEMI, and a disc of works by Schubert for piano four-hands withDaniel Barenboim forTeldec.[22][24]
In addition to the composers he has recorded, Lupu is also noted for his performances ofBartók,[31][53]Enescu,[54] andJanáček.[3][55]
In 2024, the label Doremi began releasing a series of live recordings by Lupu. As of June 2024, the series consists of seven 2-CD sets. Although some of the repertoire overlaps with what Lupu recorded commercially, much of it greatly augments what was previously available. Vol. 2 includes recordings of Mozart's piano sonatas K. 310 and K. 545,Haydn's Andante and Variations in F minor and Piano Sonata No. 37 in D major, and Bartók'sOut of Doors Suite. Vol. 3 presents Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 withRudolf Kempe conducting and Beethoven'sChoral Fantasy withLawrence Foster as well as three solo piano pieces byChopin, a composer Lupu never recorded commercially. It also includes works of a more modern vintage than found elsewhere in Lupu's output: the Piano Quintet ofShostakovich with theGabrieli Quartet and the brief Humoresque ofRodion Shchedrin. Vol. 4 contains recordings of the Piano Sonata byAaron Copland and another performance of Bartók'sOut of Doors Suite. Vol. 5 includes recordings ofGershwin'sRhapsody in Blue andPiano Concerto in F withDean Dixon as well as the Piano Concerto No. 2 byAndré Tchaikowsky, which was dedicated to Lupu, and another recording of Haydn's Piano Sonata No. 37 in D major. Vol. 6 includesBach's Prelude & Fugue in B-flat minor fromThe Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, which represents the first available recording of Lupu playing Bach, along with more solo works by Mozart and Chopin. In addition to all these works new to Lupu's discography, the series includes alternative live recordings of many works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Franck, and Brahms.[56]
Lupu's first marriage was in 1971 to the cellist Elizabeth Wilson (born 1947), daughter of diplomat Sir Archibald Duncan Wilson.[57][58] He lived inLausanne, Switzerland, with his second wife Delia, a violinist in theOrchestre de Chambre de Lausanne.[15] He had a son, Daniel.[59]
For most of his career, Lupu often refused to grant interviews to the press[60] out of "fear of being misunderstood or misquoted".[1] His aversion to the press and publicity has prompted them to label him as "the reclusive Radu Lupu",[4] withThe Independent referring to him as a "woolly recluse" and "like someone dragged unwillingly into the concert hall but asked to leave his begging-bowl outside."[60] In addition, Lupu usually did not allow radio broadcasts of his performances.[61] In 1994,Chicago Tribune noted that Lupu's press kit then contained one single interview he granted toClavier magazine in 1981. Other published interviews include a "conversation" that Lupu granted toClavier in 1992[1] and an interview from 1975 that was aired onBBC Radio 3.[62]
Lupu died inLausanne, after a long illness, on 17 April 2022, aged 76.[63]
... [H]e played Beethoven's 3rd Concerto in C minor, Op. 37 [in the competition].
