A rare six-disc collection, released to mark what would have been pianist Radu Lupu’s 80th birthday, has won the admiration of British music critics. The album titled The Unreleased Recordings was described by British critic Andrew Clements as “a wonderful surprise” and a real musical treasure.
The six-disc set includes unreleased works by Chopin and Copland, as well as Lupu’s legendary interpretation of Bartók’s work at Leeds in 1969.Of the hundreds of pianists I have listened to in over 50 years of recitals, including many of the greatest names of the 20th century, none have given me a more constant pleasure or a greater sense of wonder than Radu Lupu”writes Andrew Clements in the article published by The Guardian.
The British critic also describes the unique appearance of the pianist: “If ever a pianist’s appearance, especially in the last years of his life, belied the character of his performance, it was Lupu: that this extremely serious figure, with a bushy beard, bent over the keyboard in a manner more suited to a séance than a recital, could produce a performance of such velvety tonal beauty was quite extraordinary; that such a seductive sound world was allied to such a mind penetrating musical intelligence sometimes seemed miraculous”.
Who was Radu Lupu
Radu Lupu was born on November 30, 1945, in Galaţi, and is considered one of the world’s greatest pianists. He studied piano with Florica Musicescu and Cella Delavrancea, in order to continue his training in Moscow and win numerous international prizes.
His international career has included concerts with renowned orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim or the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini. Over the years, he has toured Europe, the United States, Israel and China.
Between 1970 and 1993, Lupu made over 20 recordings for Decca Records, including works by Beethoven, Brahms, Grieg, Mozart, Schubert and Schumann, as well as outstanding interpretations of Bartók, Debussy, Enescu and Janáček. The pianist has been nominated for two Grammy Awards, winning one in 1996 for an album of two Schubert piano sonatas. In 2016 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Throughout his life, Lupu often refused interviews, fearing to be misunderstood or misquoted, and used to limit the broadcast of his concerts on the radio. The pianist died on April 17, 2022, in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the age of 76.
A surprise collection
Decca Records, the record company with which Lupu collaborated for over two decades, released this unique set to mark what would have been the pianist’s 80th birthday. The collection includes unreleased studio sessions and BBC, Dutch and SWR radio recordings made between 1970 and 2002.
The album opens with Mozart’s piano quartets in G minor and E flat major, performed in 1976 with the Tel Aviv String Quartet, in performances of impeccable quality. The set also includes a 1990s disc of Schubert sonatas – D840 and D850 – and a selection of Haydn and Mozart sonatas, ending surprisingly with Schumann’s Études Symphoniques.
Andrew Clements sums up his assessment thus: “Every piece is a delight“.
