Obituary, Radu Lupu (1945-2022)

The Romanian pianist Radu Lupu, widely regarded as one of the most eloquent musicians of the late twentieth century, has died aged 76.

Born in Galaţi in 1945, Lupu began learning the piano aged six, though his initial childhood ambition was to become a composer rather than a pianist – his first public recital, in 1957, consisted largely of his own works. After studying in Braşov and Bucharest, Lupu spent seven years at the Moscow Conservatory, where his teachers included Maria Curcio and Heinrich & Stanislav Neuhaus.

Before graduating from Moscow in 1969, Lupu had already established himself as one of the most promising talents of his generation: in 1966 he took the Gold Medal and several special prizes at the second Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (where juror Alicia de Larrocha hailed him as a genius), and victory at the George Enescu International Competition followed a year later. Barring one or two concerts in the US, Lupu remained focused on completing his formal studies rather than launching an international career in the immediate wake of his competition successes; directly after graduation, however, he notched up a third major triumph at the Leeds International Piano Competition, and his London debut followed just a month later, with Times critic Joan Chissell declaring that he ‘brought what seemed like a lifetime’s experience’ to Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 7.

The following year, Lupu embarked on what would become a long-term relationship with Decca, recording his first solo recital for the label in April and his first concerto disc (Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3) in November. He remained with the label over two decades, with highlights from his discography including a peerless set of the Grieg and Schumann concertos with André Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra (1974), the Brahms Klavierstücke (1976), the Schubert Impromptus (1982), and Schumann’s Kinderszenen and Kreisleriana (1993). He also made numerous treasurable duo recordings, including the Franck, Debussy and Ravel violin sonatas with Kyung-Wha Chung, Schubert lieder with Barbara Hendricks, and (for Sony) Mozart and Schubert piano duets & works for four hands with his friend Murray Perahia.

Lupu’s reluctance to give interviews, combined with a somewhat Byronic appearance in his younger years and an unshowy, near-hieratic platform demeanour, led to a reputation for Romantic reclusiveness in some quarters - although there was nothing remote or aloof about his interpretations, which married a rare spontaneity and humanity with absolute clarity and coherence. Rather than using a traditional piano-stool, he preferred to play seated in a standard, straight-backed chair in order to minimise posture issues and muscular tension, and also did a great deal of his practice and preparation away from the instrument, particularly when working on new music. In addition to his towering recordings of Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann and Schubert, he was also a compelling interpreter of twentieth-century repertoire, including works by Janáček, Bartók and his compatriot Enescu – indeed it was the George Enescu Festival who announced his death yesterday, describing him as ‘a close friend of the Festival and a magnificent musician’.

Lupu retired from the stage in 2019, still at the height of his interpretative powers despite increasing physical frailty; reviewing his final London concert (Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with Paavo Järvi and the Philharmonia Orchestra), The Observer’s Fiona Maddocks likened him to ‘a hermit down from the mountain bearing wisdom’, whilst BachTrack noted that ‘Lupu’s great skill is in drawing the listener’s ear into the heart of the music’. His awards and honours included two Grammys, the Franco Abbiati Prize, the Premio Internazionale Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli award in 2006, and a CBE for services to music in the 2016 New Year Honours List.

Lupu died at home in Lausanne on 17th April, after suffering from what his management described as ‘multiple prolonged illnesses’. He is survived by his second wife Delia, a violinist, whom he married in 1990.

Radu Lupu - a selected discography